What is Cosmetic dentistry?

Since many years dentistry was limited to extracting teeth or filling them. But nowadays, the concept of dentistry has widened. It has become a source of improving a persons aesthetic appearance, tooth, gums, bite and smile. It is very much like changing a new hairstyle or cosmetic surgery. Through cosmetic dentistry you can reshape, straighten, lighten and repair teeth. Cosmetic dentistry includes tooth whitening, veneers, bridges, crowns, implants and tooth colored fillings. There are two dental specialties that focus on dental cosmetics and they are

• Prosthodontics
• Orthodontics

Involving Factors with Cosmetic Dentistry:

Cosmetic dentistry is highly needed not only for getting beautiful smile rather it involves:

• Adding dental material to teeth and gums like bonding, veneers, crowns, gum grafts.
• Removal of gums or tooth structure like gingivectomy and enameloplasty.
• Sometimes it is also neither adding nor removing tooth structure or gums like just tooth whitening and gum depigmentation.
• Straightening of teeth which improves the appearance of the face like orthodontics.

Materials Used in Cosmetic Dentistry:

Composite materials and porcelain is used to mimic the appearance of natural tooth structure. Resin adhesives are used for bonding these materials to the tooth structures unlike gold and amalgam which was previously used.

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Authored By Dr.C.M.Bejoy Mony, M.D.S.