Cosmetic Dentistry
Achieving the perfect smile
Whether it’s a full smile makeover or a simple filling replacement, with the latest cosmetic restoration materials available we can provide the very best care for you.
With cosmetic dentistry now much more affordable, a new healthy smile can boost your confidence and really change your life.
Every smile is different and therefore when looking for that perfect smile, we devise an individual treatment plan for you. There are a number of different procedures available that can be used to achieve the desired results and depending on your existing smile and the change you want to achieve, our dentists may use one or a number of procedures - whitening, white fillings, veneers, crowns, bridges & dentures, orthodontics or implants.
The smile makeover will be first discussed with you and our specialist team of dentists before any tooth is touched. We first use both computer generated and study models of your teeth to show you exactly what is possible before any treatment commences. Our approach is always to show first, answer all your questions, and then to provide you with the smile that you have yearned for.
We can help with:
- Straightening crooked teeth
- Repairing chipped, broken teeth
- Replacing missing teeth
- Closing the gaps between teeth
- Re-contouring ‘gummy smiles’
- Whitening stained, discolored teeth
Tooth whitening
Over time, teeth gradually yellow in colour. If you drink coffee, tea or red wine, or if you smoke, your teeth will become even more stained and discolored. Teeth whitening is an effective way of lightening the natural colour of your teeth without removing any of the tooth surface.
With today's variety of teeth whitening methods and technologies, your smile can easily be whitened in a number of ways. Professional bleaching is the most common form of tooth whitening, the dentist will put a rubber shield or a gel on your gums to protect the soft tissue and then apply the whitening product to your teeth using a specially made tray which fits into your mouth like a gum-shield.
The ‘active ingredient’ in the product is usually hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. As the active ingredient is broken down, oxygen gets into the enamel on the teeth and the tooth colour is made lighter.
The total treatment can usually be done within three to four weeks. First, you will need two or three visits to the dentist. Your dentist will need to make a mouthguard and will take impressions for this at the first appointment. Once your dentist has started the treatment, you will need to continue the treatment at home. This means regularly applying the whitening product over two to four weeks, for 30 minutes to one hour at a time.
If you have any queries or require further information please do not hesitate to contact Plymouth Dental Centre of Excellence or your referring dentist.
Dental Implants
Dental Implants are specially designed screws which are implanted into the jaw and act like natural tooth roots. They are a permanent replacement for missing or damaged teeth and with routine care, dental implants have a high level of success.
Dental crowns
Dental crowns are restorations that protect damaged, cracked or broken down teeth. A crown strengthens your existing, damaged tooth so as to preserve its functionality. Dental crowns are also commonly known as caps (because a crown sits over your existing tooth, covering the entire outer surface).
Why might I need a dental crown?
- If your tooth has undergone significant decay and there is not enough tooth structure remaining to support a filling or an inlay and maintain functionality.
- If a large portion of your tooth has fractured and it cannot be built up using traditional composite bonding techniques
- If you have a large cavity and opt for the additional protection a crown offers to your tooth over a large filling or an inlay.
- If you have a dental implant to replace a missing tooth, a crown will be fitted to the abutment of the titanium implant.
- Following root canal treatment, a crown is often needed to strengthen the tooth.
- If you grind your teeth and have a poor diet, acid erosion may reduce your teeth to a point where the only option available is to crown them.
- For cosmetic reasons, to improve the aesthetics of your smile, you may opt for all porcelain cosmetic crowns.
Fixed dental Bridges
A fixed dental bridge is a dental appliance that replaces one or more natural missing teeth, thereby "bridging" the space between two teeth.
Fixed dental bridges are cemented into place next to the (abutment teeth) surrounding teeth on either side of the space. Unlike removable partial dentures, fixed bridges cannot be taken out of the mouth by the patient.
A fixed dental bridge is a device that typically consists of three units, (a pontic) a false tooth fused between two crowns that are cemented onto the abutment teeth. Fixed dental bridges are made of metal and porcelain or sometimes just porcelain.
The Benefits of a Dental Bridge
- A dental bridge lets you almost forget you have missing teeth
- It can improve the way you look, bite, chew and speak
- The teeth can be matched to the colour of your own teeth
- A bridge can last many years, if you keep it clean and if there is no accidental damage.
- Natural teeth are protected from wear and tear, and from moving or tilting out of line, which could cause your teeth to bite together correctly.
Resin Retained Dental Bridge
A resin retained dental bridge is way of replacing missing teeth and is literally stuck into place. The missing tooth (pontic) has wings attached and is then cemented onto the natural tooth or teeth.
The resin retained dental bridge is a good treatment option for many missing teeth as it is relatively cheap when compared to alternatives such as dental Implants, requires little or no damage to the surrounding teeth during preparation for placement, and it is well tolerated by patients.
One major advantage of the resin retained dental bridge over a conventional dental bridge is the failure mode is likely to be debonding of the retainer rather than complete fracture of the abutment tooth. With a resin retained dental bridge the prosthesis can usually be cleaned off and rebonded in position with minimal inconvenience to the patient.
The missing tooth is usually made from dental porcelain. The whole restoration is thus porcelain fused to metal restoration which is less destructive.
Porcelain Veneers
A dental veneer is a thin layer of tooth-coloured material that is put onto the front of the tooth to improve its apperance. The tooth might have been damaged by decay or an accident, or be discoloured.
Some veneers are built up on the tooth directly using white filling material, while you are with your dentist. Others are made of porcelain by a dental technician, from an ompression of the tooth. You will have to visit the dentist more than once for this type of veneer.
- Your dentist will check any fillings in the teeth first.
- Very little tooth preparation is needed, just enough to prevent the veneer making the tooth fee bulky, so it may not be necessary to numb the tooth.
- For veneers made in the surgery, the surface of the tooth is roughened with a mild acid. Then white filling is applied in layers until the teeth look right.
- For a veneer made by a dental technician, the dentist will take an impression first. This shows how the teeth bite together as well as telling the technician the shape and size of veneer that is needed.
- Your dentist will glue the veneer made by a technician to the tooth when you next visit.
- Veneers sometimes come away from the tooth or break if the tooth is knocked. They can sometimes by glued back on but will have to be replaced if they are damaged.
Dental Veneers can greatly improve you rappearance. They hide imperfections and you lose very little natural tooth. They also protect teeth from further damage, for example, acid in foods and drinks or from the stomach can cause your teeth to wear away. The teeth become thin and week but dental veneers can protect them.
If the tooth is strong, a veneer is often a better option that a crown for improving a tooth's appearance.
