A beautiful smile is now available to all with the new options offered in cosmetic dentistry. Say goodbye forever to crooked, spaced, chipped, stained, fractured, or malformed teeth and the heartaches and tears of embarrassment that accompany them.
Whitening at Home:
Whitening, or "tooth bleaching", is the most popular cosmetic dental procedure available to those who seek a brighter smile. Over the counter whitening products contain approximately 6% hydrogen peroxide compared with 30% to 35% used in the professional application done by your dentist. The average cost ranges from $10 to $40.
Whitening Done in the Dental Office:
In-office tooth whitening can involve one to several 30 to 90 minute visits depending upon the amount of discoloration or whitening desired. After applying a peroxide gel to the teeth, a light or heat source activates the whitening agent. The cost ranges from $400 and up depending upon the number of visits involved.
The preferred total in-office whitening procedure is Laser Whitening. In one visit, the dentist coats your teeth with peroxide gel then exposes them to a laser. This causes a chemical reaction that whitens the teeth. The laser method is preferred because less chair time is requiredone to two hours-and there is less post-operative sensitivity. The cost is approximately $1,000.
Bonding:
This procedure takes 30 to 60 minutes per tooth and involves the use of an enamel-like composite material applied to the tooth's surface. Bonding repairs chipped or stained teeth without the need for more costly procedures such as veneers or crowns. The cost averages from $250 to $800 per tooth.
Veneers:
Composite or porcelain veneers may be the solution you have been looking for if you have crooked, spaced, or overlapping teeth, extreme tooth discoloration, teeth that are too small, too big, oddly shaped or have other embarrassing imperfections. Used by many celebrities, these thin shells are 0.3mm to 0.5mm in thickness and require minimal grinding of the natural tooth. Veneers permanently adhere to your tooth with the use of a light-activated binding agent and give you picture-perfect smile without the need for braces or crowns.
Composite veneers cost approximately $250 per tooth and last about 5-7 years. Porcelain veneers range from approximately $450-$1500 per tooth and last approximately 10-15 years.
Crowns:
A crown is a tooth-shaped covering made of metal, ceramic, porcelain or porcelain bonded to metal. Crowns are more durable for restoring a fractured tooth or a tooth broken down by decay and incapable of retaining a filling.
In preparing a tooth for a crown, the dentist removes a portion of the tooth structure. Next, the dentist takes an impression of the tooth and sends it to a dental laboratory for construction of the crown. This procedure usually requires two visits to the dental office. The cost of crowns varies from approximately $650 to $1250 per tooth depending upon the type of crown selected. Crowns can last indefinitely with good oral hygiene.
Fixed Bridges:
Fixed bridges are multiple crowns constructed in one unit and permanently cemented in place on abutment teeth, the teeth adjacent to a missing tooth or teeth. A pontica false tooth resembling your natural tooth-will fill in the space. The procedure for preparing teeth for a fixed bridge is the same as preparing them for individual crowns; however, additional visits to your dental office are required to assure adequate fit before final cementation. The cost of fixed bridges ranges from $650 to $1250 per tooth.
Implants:
Dental implants can replace one or more missing teeth and serve as an excellent permanent alternative to removable partial and full dentures. Preparation for an implant involves an incision in the gum and drilling in the bone to accommodate the implant. Six to eight months are required for healing to allow the bone to grow around and attach to the implant.
The final step in this procedure involves attaching a post to the implant and placing a crown on the post. Individual implants generally average approximately $1500 to $3000 each.
Use this link to view a slide show with before and after pictures of the cosmetic dental procedures described above as well as periodontal procedures (gum surgery), orthodontics (braces), and tooth colored restorations (fillings): http://www.medicinenet.com/cosmetic-dentistry-pictur es-slideshow/article.htm