Cosmetic dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry encompasses various dental procedures that enhance the visual appeal of teeth, gums, and bite, without necessarily improving their functionality. The main focus lies in enhancing dental aesthetics, including color, position, shape, size, alignment, and overall smile appearance. Some dentists label themselves as "cosmetic dentists" regardless of their education, specialty, training, and experience, which has been deemed unethical due to the marketing aspect. The American Dental Association does not officially recognize cosmetic dentistry as a specialized branch of dentistry, although there are still dentists who promote themselves as such.

Fields

There are primarily two dental specialties that primarily concentrate on dental aesthetics, namely prosthodontics and orthodontics.

Types of Cosmetic dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry offers a range of options, such as adding dental materials to teeth or gums (e.g., bonding, porcelain veneers, crowns, gum grafts), removing tooth structure or gums (e.g., enameloplasty, gingivectomy), or neither adding nor removing dental materials, tooth structure, or gums (e.g., teeth whitening, laser whitening, gum depigmentation). Orthodontics, which involves straightening teeth and improving facial appearance, is also considered a cosmetic dentistry option. Additionally, there are conservative treatments like veneers, dental laminates, scaling, teeth reshaping (sculpting), and bonding, which can be completed in a single office visit.

Teeth whitening

Teeth whitening is a popular cosmetic dental procedure that effectively brightens the teeth for most patients. There are various whitening options available, ranging from over the counter products like Crest Whitestrips to professional methods supervised by dentists, such as in-office treatments or at-home treatments with peroxide gel-filled trays.

One technique used for teeth whitening is laser whitening, which involves covering the gums with a rubber dam and applying a bleaching chemical to the teeth. An argon laser beam is then directed at the teeth to activate the bleaching chemical and lighten the color of the teeth. Laser whitening is considered to be significantly more effective than other whitening procedures, with a reported six-fold increase in effectiveness.

Tooth reshaping

Tooth reshaping, on the other hand, focuses on improving the appearance of teeth by removing small portions of the enamel. This can be done to correct minor chips, adjust the length, shape, or position of teeth, or address discrepancies in tooth size. It can also be used to correct issues like crooked or excessively long teeth. It is important to note that the enamel removed during tooth reshaping cannot be replaced and may sometimes expose the dentin. This procedure is known by various names, including enameloplasty, odontoplasty, contouring, recontouring, cosmetic contouring, slenderizing, and stripping.In specific situations, braces can sometimes be replaced by other alternatives.

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