If you are looking for a beautiful smile and improved self-confidence, dentistry may be the answer for you. This specialized area of dentistry offers procedures and techniques to enhance your smile and create a sparkling new you.
Cosmetic dentistry focuses on improving your smile’s appearance through a variety of procedures. Although it doesn’t concentrate on addressing your oral health, there are overlapping benefits to both.
So what are some of the common procedures that dentists perform? Here are some to consider:
• Teeth whitening –this popular procedure provides a quick boost to your smile. Stains caused by habits like coffee drinking and smoking can be removed, as well as reducing discolorations from medications like tetracycline. Teeth whitening also improves teeth yellowed from age, making you look younger and healthier.
• Porcelain veneers – these shells for the fronts of your teeth can alter the shape, color, and texture of your teeth. They also provide a natural-looking cover over broken and decayed teeth.
• Dentures – provide a complete or partial replacement of missing teeth due to decay, age, or trauma. Dentures are customized to meet each patient’s needs and comfort.
• Crowns – permanent repair for chipped or worn teeth. Made from porcelain, resin, or ceramic to match the natural tooth color, crowns are adhered over your natural tooth to improve appearance and function.
• Dental bridges – used to replace a missing tooth or gap between teeth, bridges fasten to your natural teeth on each side of the gap. They provide a secure, permanent restoration known to last ten years or more.
Other techniques performed by dentists include gum surgery, dental fillings, orthodontic treatment, and dental implants. Consider consulting with a dentist to see if any procedures might benefit you and restore your smile.
Contact our office to schedule a Cosmetic Dentistry consultation in our Toronto dental office.
The desire for a better looking and better functioning smile has been around since ancient times. As early as 3000 BC, there is evidence that people used sticks to clean their teeth. Early toothbrushes were made of animal hair in the late 15th century.
The earliest forms of dentistry are believed to be dentures made from ivory and bone by the Etruscans around 700 BCE. Other dentures were made from animal or even human teeth taken from corpses. Near 200 CE, the Etruscans had moved on to using gold to perform the functions of a dental crown or bridge.
Ancient Egyptians made a whitening toothpaste of vinegar and ground pumice stone, while the Romans utilized the ammonia from urine in their toothpastes, a practice that existed in some form into the 1700s.
Dental implants of human teeth were used in Europe in the 1700s for replacement teeth, but the practice was rejected due to repeated failures. Over the next hundred years, metal was used – and was also subsequently rejected.
The end of the 18th century and the entre 19th century showed great strides in dentistry, particularly in the field of prosthetic dentistry, with the success of the porcelain denture. Molds were made of existing mouths with plaster, allowing dentists to provide the greatest denture fit and comfort available to patients thus far.
In the 1840s, the first rubberized material used as a base for dentures was invented, called Vulcanite. The first dental lab created specifically to produce prosthetic dental appliances was established in the 1850s. Porcelain dental crowns gave way to porcelain fused to metal crowns in the 1950s, and Vulcanite gave way to acrylic in the early 20th century, materials we still use today.
Your dentist in Toronto is a skilled professional whose techniques have been practiced and refined by those dentists who came before for thousands of years. Today, we are at the pinnacle of the knowledge and expertise of trained dentists and with the variety of successful methods and materials that will work for any cosmetic need.
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Porcelain veneers have become a popular option in the past few years for dental patients who wish to brighten and repair their smile. While traditional porcelain veneers offer a lifelike quality and excellent durability, their placement usually requires the removal of some of the tooth surface enamel, which is an irreversible procedure.
A promising solution for patients who wish to avoid altering the tooth structure are no-prep or minimally invasive veneers. No-prep veneers offer the same advantages of traditional veneers but eliminate or reduce the need to grind, cut, or file down the teeth.
Lumineers are one of the most popular of the “no-prep” variety of veneers. Lumineers use an extremely thin veneer that is placed on the front side of your teeth. The placement of Lumineers does not require the modification of the natural tooth structure or the use of temporary veneers. Lumineers produce beautiful smiles for patients who prefer to not physically alter their teeth.
DURAthin veneers are similar to Lumineers in that they require no modification of the tooth structure or filing of the enamel. DURAthin veneers utilize very thin customized porcelain shells that match the shape and color of your teeth. These shells are roughly the width of a contact lens and are bonded to the front of your teeth. Because of their size and shape, DURAthin veneers are an ideal choice for correcting minor cosmetic dental issues.
Vivaneers are among the thinnest veneers available, making them easy to apply in as little as one office visit. Because they require no preparation to your natural tooth, there is no need for shots, drilling or anesthesia. If you are unhappy with the results, Vivaneers are easily reversible.
To find out if these or other “no-prep” veneer options would be a solution for improving your smile, schedule a consultation with a Toronto dentist Dr. Cruz .
Have you always disliked your smile? Did childhood school pictures find you smiling closed-lipped and tense? Did you spend your teens fearful of making personal connections? As you aged, did you find yourself facing more and more mounting oral difficulties? Dental problems are difficult enough to deal with when it’s just one or two cavities or a problem remembering to floss, but when you’re dealing with a lifetime of bad oral health, it can become so much more.
Often, those who need the most professional oral care are those who avoid it completely. Many have had negative experiences in the dental chair as children, or are fearful of the pain or process that is necessary to makeover a smile that’s been unattractive and unhealthy for most of the patient’s life. These patients sometimes avoid professional care because of shame and embarrassment, fearful that the dentist is going to judge them.
Smiles go bad for many, many reasons, some of which are completely out of the patient’s control. Poor nutrition growing up because of a lack of money or parental education can be a large factor. Some medicines, if taken during childhood, can cause adult teeth to degrade, and there are many genetic factors that can be passed on to a child that leads to extremely poor quality teeth. If this sounds like you, don’t let shame in your situation keep you from getting the smile you always wanted.
Find a skilled dentist in Toronto and schedule a consultation. Nothing has to be done at this first meeting, it’s just talking to the dentist. If that dentist isn’t helpful and supportive, get up and walk out and find yourself another dentist. The majority of dentists understand the backgrounds that can lead to poor oral care. It can have nothing to do with how much you brush or floss, but everything to do with your history.
You deserve to have the smile you’ve dreamed of all your life. Don’t let fear or shame hold you back. Work with your dentist to make a plan, and take the first steps you need to completely makeover your smile!
Thank goodness for modern dentistry that allows people to have attractive smiles even though their teeth may not cooperate. For some people, regular dental care is enough to keep their teeth and gums healthy and looking nice. However, over time many people’s teeth become stained or discolored. Chips and cracks can occur that cause unsightly and embarrassing problems. If things like this happen to you, it’s time to consider restoring your smile with porcelain veneers.
Veneers are thin porcelain shells that are permanently adhered to the front surfaces of your teeth, hiding imperfections and giving you a whole new look. It is a simple, non-invasive procedure that can make a dramatic difference in your appearance without any pain or great inconvenience.
There are a variety of benefits to getting porcelain veneers. Here are some of the great advantages you can expect if you and your dentist decide that veneers are right for you:
• Veneers completely hide stains and discolorations on your teeth. Years of eating and drinking foods that tend to stain your teeth can be erased with veneers. For tough stains, sometimes whitening techniques simply aren’t enough. Veneers provide an easy remedy that will immediately and effectively hide your problem teeth.
• You and your dentist can choose the exact color that you’d like your veneers to be. You can select the best shade to match your other features and your goals for your smile.
• Obtaining veneers does not require invasive procedures like reshaping, scraping, or extensive contouring of your teeth. There isn’t any pain associated with the veneer process.
• Only one or two dental appointments are necessary to get veneers.
• Porcelain veneers are durable and strong, often lasting from ten to fifteen years.
• Veneers give you back your confidence so that you are proud to smile and display your beautiful look.
Cosmetic dentist in Toronto – Dr. Cruz
If you have decided to enhance your smile, you will need to select a good dentist. Having an excellent practitioner to transform your appearance can make all the difference. It’s important to choose a dentist that you trust and who you feel will produce exceptional results.
Keep these questions in mind as you search for a dentist:
Does the dentist have extensive cosmetic training?
Just as you wouldn’t see your family doctor to perform knee replacement surgery, you shouldn’t choose a general dentist with little cosmetic experience to update your smile. Look at the dentist’s bio and find out what organizations he or she is affiliated with, like the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry or Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies.
How many smile makeovers has the dentist completed?
Cosmetic dentistry combines art with science, so you want to select a dentist with both technical skill and a good eye for detail. Developing this talent takes years of practice; you don’t need to be part of the trial and error phase.
Can the dentist provide examples and photos of finished cases?
An experienced dentist should have plenty of Before and After photos for you to look through and see if you like the results. Make sure to verify that any pictures you see in the office are of actual patients and not just stock photos.
What do patients say about the dentist’s work?
Not only should you ask for patient referrals, but use the Internet as a good resource. With review Web sites and social media sites like Facebook, you should be able to find unbiased patient opinions about any dentist you are considering.
Cosmetic dentist in Toronto
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