Cosmetic dentistry
COSMETIC DENTISTRY
Your smile makes up a great part of who you are, as well as of how others perceive you. With it, you can affect others more than you can imagine. Research has shown that men and women consider the smile the most attractive feature of a person, and an attractive smile greatly contributes to a positive first impression at work or in personal contacts.
It has also been proven that laughter is a powerful anti-stress factor, prevents depression, ensures peaceful sleep and positively influences the functioning of the brain and nervous system. A sincere smile improves circulation and stimulates the secretion of endorphin, the happiness hormone. Laughter is medicine.
Sometimes it takes just a simple procedure to change one’s smile – for example, removing plaque and dark pigmentations by blasting or teeth whitening. After only an hour, the patient’s smile is more beautiful and attractive. Smile reconstruction can sometimes include a number of procedures necessary in order to achieve the perfect result. After these treatments, the patient feels more comfortable and confident.
Teeth whitening
Since everyone loves white teeth and a radiant smile, today there are many products which help whiten the teeth. First of all, it is necessary to arrange a check-up to determine whether you are a candidate for whitening and what you can expect from the treatment. If the teeth are too damaged, aesthetic veneers or crowns are a more favourable solution.
Teeth whitening is a procedure performed at our dental clinic and observed by our professional staff. It is a safe and quick way to obtain a brighter color of your teeth. We protect the gums, apply a whitening gel onto the hard dental tissue, activate the gel with a special light and wait patiently.
Another method is whitening at home, which is popular because it does not require sitting in a clinic, and if you follow our instructions, it can also be a highly efficient and safe whitening method. According to your dental impression, we make you a cast in which you put the gel yourself and wear it for one hour a day throughout one week.
For information on what you can expect, how you can contribute to maintain the achieved results and what kind of food and drinks to avoid, refer to our dental clinic.
Composite fillings
When removed, caries – the most common disease of the mouth cavity – leaves a tooth cavity which must be filled. By using modern materials which imitate the colour of the teeth, we can easily shape the missing part in order to restore the entire tooth.
Veneers
Ceramic veneers are one of the most popular aesthetic treatments worldwide. Their advantages are the excellent aesthetic results and longevity. They are indicated for patients who would like to change the color and shape of their teeth or minor position irregularities and diastemata. They are often used for patients who want to permanently change the colour of their teeth. The above mentioned teeth whitening lacks certain advantages of the veneers, since its effect is temporary and it can hardly correct severe tooth discolouration (in cases of tetracycline teeth or tooth fluorosis). Veneer therapy is a also great solution for the problem of a gap between teeth and it corrects minor irregularities in the position of the teeth. However, it should be noted that, in these cases, especially in younger patients, orthodontia is the therapy of choice, since it is less invasive than tooth grinding. Other indications are tooth shape corrections and traumas resulting in the loss of a smaller part of a tooth.
In any case, if you decide to get veneers, it is necessary to have a good plan. It includes making study models of your teeth and waxing them into their future shape in order to see the potential appearance of your teeth. If necessary, we can also make temporary veneers to be tried on in the mouth before any grinding is done and a final decision is made.
Preparation of the tooth is minimal. 0.4 to 0.6 mm of enamel is removed on its front side, so it is basically a non-invasive technique. Ceramics (porcelain) is the material of choice due to its firmness, stability and natural appearance.
It should also be pointed out that veneers are not a good choice for teeth with large fillings, caries, or for those whose colour has been changed due to endodontic treatment.The indications for veneers should be followed in order to obtain the best possible results and make sure that the veneers embellish your smile for a long time.
Dental calculus
The simplest thing you can do for yourself and your oral health is a regular check-up with your dentist.
An integral part of each check-up done twice a year is the cleaning and polishing of teeth. These are necessary even if you regularly and properly maintain dental hygiene, since various microparticles and pigments from food and drink remain on the teeth’s surface, between the teeth, between the teeth and the gums, thus representing not only an aesthetic flaw, but also a major cause of the development of certain pathological processes like caries and periodontitis, which can greatly endanger your health.
If oral hygiene is poor, plaque will form clusters of bacteria causing further pathological diseases such as caries or periodontitis. Those clusters, if not removed, begin the process of mineralisation and form calculus, which is the main factor for developing periodontitis. Calculus removal is a simple procedure done with ultrasonic instruments. Blasting is another excellent method for removing the pigmentations, thus bringing you a new shiny smile. Depending on the quantity of dental plaque, the procedure itself lasts from 15 to 30 minutes and results in brighter and smoother teeth less prone to the recurring accumulation of plaque and pigmentation.
What causes tooth discolouration? There are several causes of it. Coffee, tobacco, red wine, tea, various coloured drinks, medications and other substances will leave a trace on our teeth and considerably affect their colour. Such discolouration is called extrinsic discolouration. It initially occurs between teeth, in areas less accessible during cleaning, and is usually of a dark brown colour. Intrinsic discolouration is a part of the tooth structure and can be the result of genetics, disease or the use of certain medications, such as antibiotics containing tetracycline taken before the age of eight or by mothers during pregnancy. It can be caused by disorders in the prenatal development of teeth or by the interruption of the normal formation of enamel due to medications or disease.