Cosmetic dentistry is a broad term for a wide range of dental treatments that help you achieve a smile that looks healthy and strong. There are any number of things that can detract from your smile’s appearance, such as dental trauma or oral health problems, but cosmetic dentistry is versatile in its ability to correct, repair, and improve.
Cosmetic dentistry provides treatment for:
Tooth Decay
Decayed dental enamel both looks bad for your smile and poses a threat for your oral health. But decay can be repaired with a number of cosmetic restorations. Depending on how large the area of decay is, solutions include dental fillings, inlays, onlays, and crowns. Each of these treatments is designed to remove the decayed portion of dental enamel and replace it with a composite resin or other tooth-colored material, such as porcelain or ceramic. Cosmetic treatment for decay allows your teeth to look and feel healthy.
Staining and Discoloration
Teeth can appear yellow or gray over time, especially if you’re a coffee drinker, smoker, or simply as a part of the aging process. For surface stains caused by food, beverage, and lifestyle choices, there is teeth whitening treatment. Teeth bleaching helps to break-down discoloration, so you see a whiter smile in as little as one hour with an in-office whitening method. For teeth that cannot be brightened with bleaching, porcelain veneers can be used to cover the surfaces of teeth with a shell of white-colored dental porcelain.
Missing Teeth
Modern treatments for missing teeth give patients more comfortable care than ever before. To fill a gap in your smile caused by one or more missing teeth, there are full and partial dentures, as well as fixed bridges and dental implants. For the benefit of both cosmetic appeal and oral function, dental implants are often the best choice. Implants use a small, surgically placed screw that is topped with a tooth-colored restoration to make your treated smile look as life-like as possible.
Size, Symmetry, and Alignment Issues
It’s not uncommon to have one or two teeth that are smaller than surrounding teeth, or to have a problem tooth that has tilted and twisted out of place over the years. For alignment problems, there are orthodontic treatments like traditional braces, but these often don’t appeal to patients for whom cosmetics are important. Cosmetic dental therapies, like porcelain veneers, are capable of altering the shape of teeth, as well as their alignment, for more symmetrical, even-looking teeth with just one procedure.
We Can Help you Find the Right Cosmetic Treatment
Our cosmetic dental therapies are designed to restore the natural, healthy appearance of your smile. If you have questions about which treatment will deliver the results you’re looking for, call our Glen Ellyn, IL cosmetic dental office for assistance from our team.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
How Implants Improve the Denture-Wearing Experience
While removable dentures are many patients’ go-to treatment for correcting total tooth loss, they come with some drawbacks. Full, removable dentures are held in place by denture adhesive and often come loose during the day, which produces discomfort and limits basic oral function.
But adding dental implants to your denture treatment, your denture-wearing experience greatly improves in the following ways:
Implants Make Dentures Stable
The biggest complaint that many patients have about removable denture is that they simply don’t stay in place – and that makes everyday things (like talking without a lisp, or enjoying meals) a legitimate problem , which lowers quality of life.
Implants, however, can be used as anchors to hold your dentures in place through one of two methods: your dentist can use a combination of dentures and locators (or clips) that your dentures snap on to. By using permanent implants as your attachments (instead of denture paste) oral function is much improved. Your dentist can also recommend screw-retained dentures, which permanently hold your denture in place with a slightly larger number of dental implants. In either case, implant dentures provide patients with teeth that function more like their own, real teeth.
Implant Dentures Don’t Irritate Soft Tissue
Because implant dentures stay in place throughout the day – or even permanently -- they won’t rub on or irritate gums, another major complaint from denture-wearers. By slipping on gums, removable dentures can actually cause gum tissue to shrink, which ultimately gives denture-wearers a prematurely aged appearance.
Permanent Dentures Help You Enjoy a Balanced Diet
Many patients may not consider this aspect of denture treatment, but removable dentures don’t do much in the way of helping you bite and chew. In order to feel well and healthy, it’s important to eat a balanced diet and to chew your food entirely for digestive health. But because traditional dentures are not completely secure, denture-wearers can’t do things like properly chew or bite into food. Many patients with dentures forgo eating to avoid dealing with the hassle or end up severely limiting their diets to accommodate their dental appliances. This presents significant drawbacks for your health and vitality. Implant dentures supply patients with strong dental appliances that can withstand normal biting and chewing force for improved overall wellness.
Permanent dentures provide significant health and wellness benefits for patents who are missing all of their teeth. If you have traditional dentures and are interested in implants to stabilize your prosthetics, please call our Glen Ellyn family dental office for more information.
But adding dental implants to your denture treatment, your denture-wearing experience greatly improves in the following ways:
Implants Make Dentures Stable
The biggest complaint that many patients have about removable denture is that they simply don’t stay in place – and that makes everyday things (like talking without a lisp, or enjoying meals) a legitimate problem , which lowers quality of life.
Implants, however, can be used as anchors to hold your dentures in place through one of two methods: your dentist can use a combination of dentures and locators (or clips) that your dentures snap on to. By using permanent implants as your attachments (instead of denture paste) oral function is much improved. Your dentist can also recommend screw-retained dentures, which permanently hold your denture in place with a slightly larger number of dental implants. In either case, implant dentures provide patients with teeth that function more like their own, real teeth.
Implant Dentures Don’t Irritate Soft Tissue
Because implant dentures stay in place throughout the day – or even permanently -- they won’t rub on or irritate gums, another major complaint from denture-wearers. By slipping on gums, removable dentures can actually cause gum tissue to shrink, which ultimately gives denture-wearers a prematurely aged appearance.
Permanent Dentures Help You Enjoy a Balanced Diet
Many patients may not consider this aspect of denture treatment, but removable dentures don’t do much in the way of helping you bite and chew. In order to feel well and healthy, it’s important to eat a balanced diet and to chew your food entirely for digestive health. But because traditional dentures are not completely secure, denture-wearers can’t do things like properly chew or bite into food. Many patients with dentures forgo eating to avoid dealing with the hassle or end up severely limiting their diets to accommodate their dental appliances. This presents significant drawbacks for your health and vitality. Implant dentures supply patients with strong dental appliances that can withstand normal biting and chewing force for improved overall wellness.
Permanent dentures provide significant health and wellness benefits for patents who are missing all of their teeth. If you have traditional dentures and are interested in implants to stabilize your prosthetics, please call our Glen Ellyn family dental office for more information.
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