Cosmetic Dentistry |
Cosmetic dentistry can encompass veneers, crowns and bridges, dental implants, tooth whitening and ceramic construction.
Dental Implants
The newest replacement for a missing tooth is a screw in titanium implant. This goes directly into the bone and is thus not removable. A porcelain tooth finishes the procedure after the implant has healed in place. Dental implants do not require any preparation to be done on the teeth on either side.
Implants have become an important part of modern dentistry and millions of people around the world have had implants successfully placed. They are used to replace missing teeth, from a single tooth through to all teeth.
The key benefits of implants are:
- Improve appearance - When you lose a tooth the shrinkage of the jawbone may cause your face to look older. Dental implants can stop this process.
- Eat what you want - Implant supported replacement teeth are like natural teeth because they are anchored securely to your jawbone. This allows you to eat your favourite foods with comfort and confidence. You can enjoy what everyone else is eating and not think twice about it.
- Maintain healthy adjacent teeth - With traditional practices teeth adjacent to a missing tooth are ground down to place a bridge. Implants often eliminate the need to modify healthy teeth resulting in the most conservative and aesthetic restoration.
- Replace teeth for life - In most cases you can expect implants will provide lifelong replacement for lost teeth.
- Improve self esteem - Once you experience the benefits of implants you may also experience renewed confidence. With your improved self esteem you will enjoy life once again.
Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers have aesthetic benefits and can create a perfect smile. These are thin, tooth coloured porcelain shells carefully crafted to bond and cover the front of teeth that are healthy but could do with a make over in appearance. They are a more conservative treatment than a crown and can often be used as an alternative if the underlying tooth is strong and healthy. Veneers are excellent for treating chipped, discoloured, slightly misaligned or misshapen teeth or gaps between the teeth, especially if these defects affect the front teeth.
Porcelain Crowns
A crown is often the best choice to save a tooth and strengthen it. It can also achieve a dramatic improvement in your smile A crown fits over the existing natural tooth and replaces the natural crown, the part of the tooth, seen above the gums.
Porcelain crowns are excellent for covering a dental implant, covering a misshapen or discoloured tooth, repairing a broken or fractured tooth, substituting a large filling or replacing a cracked or leaking filling. At our practice we do not use metal to restore teeth and can replace old expanding fillings in teeth with a tooth coloured porcelain or composite.
The major benefits for the patient in having a porcelain crown placed is the increase in protection of the tooth being treated as well as giving that tooth support. We are also able to offer a natural smile based on what you are looking for as we are able to match the appearance of the existing teeth.
Bridges
Bridges replace one or more missing teeth and have the obvious benefit of assisting you with your self confidence in regaining your smile. They consist of an artificial tooth anchored to the natural teeth on each side of the gap. If a tooth is lost through an accident or is too badly decayed to save with a crown, a bridge may be the treatment of choice. They benefit you by giving the best stability and support within your mouth.
Tooth Whitening
For stained or discoloured teeth, bleaching can lighten teeth that have not responded sufficiently to professional cleaning. It is a safe procedure when done by a dental professional. For more information, please visit our Teeth Whitening page.
Tooth Jewellery
Would you like one of your teeth to sparkle just that little bit more? We are able to make that happen for you by applying one of our tooth gems, which glisten just like a diamond on your tooth. These are easily applied by our trained dental hygienist and can be easily removed here in the surgery.
Cost: $60
Chair Side Economical Restoration of Aesthetic Ceramics (CEREC)
Southern Dental Care is pleased to offer this innovative piece of dental equipment into our practice. As one of our philosophies is to keep up to date with state of the art technology this equipment is the most advanced restorative equipment to date. This technology allows for any ceramic restoration to be produced while you wait. Where as before you had to wait many weeks for ceramic restoration, this technology now allows your restoration to be completed in one visit. You are able to watch the entire restoration process. The key benefits for you as a patient is that it is cost effective, timely, biocompatible, one visit, no impressions required, no temporaries and the colour is matched in with your existing teeth.
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