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Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic Dentistry (sometimes referred to as Aesthetic dentistry), is a treatment principle and approach that aims at restoring, and improving, smiles. It employs all aspects of dentistry, as well as a keen eye for beauty. At Hornsby Dental, we have cosmetic dentists who specialise in Cosmetic Dentistry. Have a look at our real life case pictures below, after which we outline more information for your benefit.

 


Hornsby Cosmetic Dentist – CASE 1

BEFORE

Patient is not happy with the aesthetic of his smile. An otherwise dentally fit young man,

the patient has had a very well placed dental crown some 10 years ago. Unfortunately,

the colour of his natural teeth have darkened since the provision of the dental crown.

Aesthetic Restorative Template/ART mock-up 

 

Direct Resin mock-ups are placed on the teeth without any preparation to demonstrate

the options available to improve this gentleman’s smile.

 

AFTER

After thorough discussion, the patient consented to ceramic veneers with

Emax from Ivoclar Vivadent. The gentleman now enjoys a new and improved

smile, with carefully selected shade and anatomy that is not too fake or too white.

 

 

Hornsby Cosmetic Dentist – CASE 2

BEFORE

Patient was dissatisfied about his smile, with a number of his teeth being too

small. Additionally the old crown is too opaque and dark for the adjacent teeth.

Aesthetic Restorative Template/ART Mock-up

Direct veneer mock-ups in place by the end of the first treatment. A dramatic

improvement was achieved in just one visit. This is a good technique to allow

suited patients to visualise what can be achieved with cosmetic dental treatments.

The final veneers can be made of porcelain or composite resin.

AFTER

This is the effect after the porcelain veneers for both the top and bottom

teeth were completed. A number of changes have been made to suit the

patient’s preference. We believe in communication and we encourage our

patient to give us input during aesthetic dental treatments. The patient

was extremely happy with the final result.

 

Hornsby Cosmetic Dentist – CASE 3

BEFORE

Patient has lost a central incisor at a very young age and unfortunately over a

number of years, the adjacent teeth have tilted into the space. The existing

removable partial denture is uncomfortable to wear and is too small in

comparison to the mirroring tooth.

AFTER

After careful assessment and communication with the patient, the dentist

was able to improve her smile and symmetry with a ceramic bridge. The

patient’s expectations have been met and are always our priority in Hornsby Dental.

 

What one must understand is that, beauty is only in the eyes of the beholder. This means, what I as a Cosmetic Dentist, or anotherdentist may consider beautiful, may not be how YOU define as beauty. For this reason, we have specifically designed our treatment protocol for Cosmetic dentistry into a few stages:

1) Restorative phase: Before cosmetic dental treatment is performed, all other dental problems must be addressed first. Remember, if you do not have restorative dental treatment completed, you may not suffer from toothache, BUT if you leave dental problems unattended, things may get ugly.

2) Rehabilitation phase: Once all restorations are completed and reviews have shown good compliance with oral hygiene maintenance, we will begin to plan your cosmetic dental treatment. Cosmetic Dentistry treatment options may include the above mentioned options, such as orthodontics, surgeries, porcelain veneers, composite veneers and crowns, and gum lifting.

We believe in your own input in the treatment plan, and all cosmetic dental treatment plans are openly discussed and we do not proceed with a treatment until you consent to it. Because permanently changing your teeth to a different shape and shade can be very dramatic, we anticipate that you will feel strange and perhaps, not used to them, so for that reason, a provisional stage may be incorporated into the cosmetic dental treatment plan, in the rehabilitation phase. Provisional restorations may be provided to you upon request and adjusted until you are comfortable with them, from which they will be used as a template for the permanent restoration to be made from. Provisional stage can be anywhere between weeks to even a month or two. The temporary restorations are made with high strength restorative materials, but they are by no means the final restorations. For that reason we still need to routinely review them and adjust them and replace them with final restorations as soon as possible.

Veneers

Veneers are a thin layer or tooth-coloured material placed on the surface of a tooth. It is designed to mask imperfection and alignments of the tooth. The preparation is typically minimally invasive, and wherever possible, we do not trim your tooth. It can be made from two main types of material, ceramic and composite resin.

Often people assume that health insurance do not cover for veneers, it may come as a surprise that some levels of insurance covers are more comprehensive than others. But insurance should not come into your decision making when it comes to cosmetic dentistry because the outcome is not only healthy teeth, but a better smile that radiates confidence and presence. Should you suffer with bad smile because your health insurance will not pay for it?

Ceramic Veneers

Ceramic veneers are longer-lasting veneers. The types of ceramic we use include lithium disilicate and leucite-reinforced feldspathic ceramic. making our veneers highly resistant to fractures. We start by preparing your teeth and take an impression of your teeth, then once we have milled the veneers in our CAD-CAM machine, we try-in the veneers to make sure that everyone is happy with the results. After consent from you, we then cement these veneers. The advantage of try-in is that, we have an opportunity to see the veneers in place before cementing them, and should you be dissatisfied with the veneer, we can make another one RIGHT ON THE SPOT. Ceramic veneers keep their shine and aesthetic better in the long-term and typically require less maintenance.

The only disadvantage with ceramic veneers when compared with composite resin is the higher initial cost, however the longevity and aesthetic is far superior to that of composite resin veneers.

Composite Veneers

Composite Resin veneers are veneers made from our dental filling material. We use nano-filled and nano-hybrid composite resin with high gloss and strength for all our resin restorations, and they exhibit initial aesthetic comparable to ceramic. In fact if a composite resin veneer is polished well, it is very difficult to pick even in high definition photographs of teeth. Another advantage with composite resin is its flexibility; we can add, change shape and colour, even alignments, during the placement of them. They are also significantly cheaper than ceramic veneers.

Disadvantages are that unfortunately, composite resin materials tend not to maintain their shine for as long as ceramic materials do, so routine recall and maintenance is necessary. And also they may wear down and visibly degrade over-time, where they need to be replaced.

Crowns

Crowns can also be utilised in cosmetic dental treatments of your teeth, especially when a tooth has been endodontically treated (root canal therapy) and has turned dark. Often as a consequence of root canal therapy, heavily restored with large fillings, or trauma to the tooth, the tooth can become discoloured and weak. In these situations your dentist will recommend a crown, as one of the strongest type of dental restorations, to protect and improve the function and aesthetic of your tooth.

For more detailed information regarding dental crowns, as well as bridges, please click here –> Crowns and Bridges

Call (02) 8090 1100 if you have any questions about how our cosmetic dentists can transform your smile in just days.