Research has shown that almost everybody has a 95 percent chance of eventually experiencing cavities in the pits and grooves of their teeth. Sealants were developed in the 1950s and first became available commercially in the early 1970s. Sealants work by filling in the crevasses on the chewing surfaces of the teeth. This shuts out food particles that could get caught in the teeth and cause cavities.
Fillings
A “filling” is the dental procedure where the decayed part of a tooth is cleaned out and then the tooth is filled with some sort of filling material. The good news about fillings is that today’s children need many less than in previous generations. Children have significantly less tooth decay in their primary (baby) and permanent teeth today than they did in the early 1970s. Among children between the ages of six and 18 years, the percentage of decayed permanent teeth decreased by 57.2 percent over a 20-year period. In addition, children between the ages of two and 10 years experienced a drop of nearly 40 percent in diseased or decayed primary teeth.
Excessive or Uneven Gums
If your smile shows more gum than teeth, a gum lift might be just what you need. This cosmetic surgery technique usually takes less than an hour. The technical name for this is a gingivectomy. The excess gum tissue is cut away and the remaining gum tissue is shaped to give a more even, pleasing smile.
Whitening
Whitening, or bleaching, is one of the most popular modern Cosmetic Dentistry. It takes very little time to achieve amazing results, changing your natural tooth colour by anything up to 12 shades lighter. Whitening is a safe and effective way to brighten stained, discoloured or dull teeth and lasts up to 5 years. Even a stubborn single tooth that is a noticeably different colour than the rest can be individually brightened.
Veneers
Veneers are wafer thin pieces of porcelain or plastic cemented over the front of your teeth to change their colour and/or shape. This greatly improves the appearance of the teeth and is very useful for teeth that are badly stained, crooked, unevenly spaced or misshapen. Attaching the veneers is a simple procedure requiring little or no anaesthesia. Veneers are very durable and are highly resistant to coffee, tea and cigarette stains. Veneers are not reversible because a small amount of enamel is removed from your teeth to accommodate the shell. Veneers are very good imitations, but are not exactly like natural teeth.
Grafts
Soft tissue grafts are used in periodontal procedures. Periodontology is the area of dentistry dealing with the tissues surrounding the teeth. Tissue grafts are used to treat gum disease or to correct other abnormalities like receding gums.
Cosmetic gum grafts are used to fill in gum tissue so that a symmetrical smile is achieved. Tissue can be taken from the roof of the mouth and transferred to the deficient area.
Bridges
A dental bridge is used to fill in the space left by missing teeth. On a cosmetic level, a bridge can restore your smile. Importantly, filling in the gaps can also restore your ability to chew and speak properly, as well as preventing your remaining teeth from moving further out of position. A bridge is most commonly made of porcelain fused to a metal or ceramic base.
Dentures
Making Dentures | Getting Used To Your Denture | Denture Care | Adjustments | Adhesives
A denture is a removable device used to replace missing teeth when a bridge is unsuitable. A wide variety of denture appliances can be made.
Implants
Implants are a great solution to tooth loss because they look and feel like natural teeth. Dental implants have provided an excellent alternative to dentures for people with few or no restorable teeth. Implants can be used to support permanently cemented bridges, eliminating the need for a denture. They can also be used to attach full or partial dentures. The cost is higher, but the implants and bridges more closely resemble the ‘feel’ of natural teeth. Unfortunately, not everyone is a candidate for implants.
Cosmetic Fillings
Many people hate the look of the mercury amalgam ‘silver’ fillings and this is where composite, or ‘white’ fillings come in. They are a mixture of a tooth-coloured plastic material filled with finely ground glass. Since they bond to the tooth, composite fillings restore most of the original strength and natural appearance of the tooth. The expansion and contraction of a silver filling can weaken a tooth and lead to breakage. Broken teeth can be very expensive to fix, so composite fillings can save you money in the long run.