From Whitening to Veneers: Popular Treatments Offered by a Cosmetic Dentist Lexington Ky

The main task of dentistry is to eliminate dental and oral diseases and restore their health. But is this enough? Aesthetically unattractive teeth, even healthy ones, can be a cause for complex and moral suffering. To improve the beauty of a smile, there is a special branch that enables you to fix smile zone flaws and get it closer to the ideal– aesthetic dentistry. 

Although it is not necessary, it enables you to straighten crooked teeth and remove tooth shape faults and "unsuccessful" enamel color. Depends on a cosmetic dentist if you require aesthetic dentistry. All procedures are carried out by a qualified cosmetic dentist lexington ky utilizing state-of-the-art technology, ensuring their efficacy and safety.

A cosmetic dentist lexington ky deals with the following problems:

• Visual alignment of teeth growing at an incorrect angle;

• Elimination of large interdental spaces (“gaps”) and chips;

• Correction of abnormal tooth shape;

• Enamel whitening.

Important! Before addressing aesthetic issues, it is necessary to treat caries and periodontal disease. 

Methods of Aesthetic Dentistry

Whitening

People consume foods and beverages that darken the enamel over time, making teeth appear unattractive. Enamel can naturally have a yellowish, grayish, or blueish color. To give your teeth a beautiful color, there are modern enamel whitening technologies:

• Chemical;

• Laser;

• Ultrasonic;

• Photobleaching.

The appropriate method will be selected by the cosmetic dentist lexington ky, taking into account the required level of whitening and the condition of the patient's teeth. 

After bleaching, it is necessary to restore and remineralize the tooth enamel with special pastes. It should be remembered that abuse of coffee, and other coloring agents, as well as smoking, significantly shorten the period of preservation of the bleaching effect.

Aesthetic restoration

It is considered with the correction of the shape and color of the teeth and can be performed by direct and indirect methods:

Direct – restoration is performed directly in the patient’s oral cavity and is finished in just one visit.

Indirect – requires taking an impression of the patient’s jaws and manufacturing the structure in a technical laboratory. Performed in several sessions.

Restoration with filling materials

This technique involves the use of light-curing materials – photopolymers, glass ionomers, and others. 

The cosmetic dentist lexington ky gradually applies filling material to the surface of the teeth, adjusting it to the desired shape. You could say that the cosmetic dentist “sculpts” the patient’s smile. 

In modern clinics, a large palette of shades allows you to paint the filling in a color as close to natural as possible. As a result, the "artificial" areas of your smile will be indistinguishable from natural ones. It is also possible to correct the color of a tooth whose enamel has darkened for some reason. However, if you need to lighten the entire row of teeth, veneers or bleaching are the better choices.

Veneers

Made from porcelain or composite resin, veneers are ultra-thin shells bonded to the teeth's front surface for an enhanced smile. They allow you to:

• Remove darkening that could not be removed by bleaching;

• Cover chips and defects in enamel;

• Correct the curvature of one or more teeth;

• Close large interdental spaces;

• To align the height of the teeth and restore minor bite defects.

Veneers also come in direct and indirect varieties:

• Indirect veneers are thin ceramic or porcelain plates glued to the surface of the teeth, offering a reliable and effective way to achieve a "Hollywood" smile. To make indirect veneers, an impression of the patient's jaws is taken and sent to a laboratory.

Disadvantages of the method: For veneers of this type, it is necessary to file down a small layer of enamel. Another disadvantage is the high cost.

• Direct veneers use a photopolymerization compound applied to the surface of the teeth and activated by ultraviolet rays to harden. This type of veneer will cost less, but it is also less durable.

Lumineers- Thinner decorative dental plates are called lumineers. They do not require enamel filing, but their price is higher than that of veneers.

The use of veneers and lumineers is impossible in case of gum and oral cavity diseases. The procedure should be postponed until complete recovery.

Final Words

Cosmetic dentistry aims to improve your self-esteem and confidence in addition to treating oral problems. A cosmetic dentist lexington ky, provides individualized solutions for a perfect smile, ranging from bespoke veneers to expert teeth whitening. Put your health and appearance first, and allow your brilliant smile to convey your inner charm and self-assurance. Today is the first step toward your ideal smile!