Cosmetic Dentistry
Cosmetic dentistry has come along in leaps and bounds over the last few decades, and today there are a variety of procedures and dental techniques to improve any smile.

Cosmetic Dentistry focuses on aesthetic results by using a variety of restorative techniques and materials. Cosmetic dentistry can benefit several conditions, from broken or chipped teeth to stained or washed-out fillings; permanently stained teeth to crooked or poorly shaped teeth.

Whatever your dental concern, we are happy to speak with you about your cosmetic options, and will provide concise, accessible and honest information for you to consider.

Veneers
Veneers are very thin porcelain shells that are attached to the front part of teeth. Veneers can cover badly stained teeth, chipped teeth, uneven teeth and large fillings. Here's how veneers are done:

Step 1
On your first visit, your dentist may give you freezing (called a local anesthetic). He then removes a very thin layer of the enamel from your teeth to make room for the veneers. Your dentist then takes an impression of your teeth. The impression is sent to a dental lab, where your veneers are custom-made. Temporary veneers are bonded in place until the next appointment.

Step 2
The veneers are then attached to your teeth one by one, using composite resin cement.

Composite Bonding
Bonding is a quick and painless way to repair chips in your teeth. Bonding uses a white plastic paste, called composite resin - a plastic that is semi-liquid at first, but that becomes hard and durable when cured with light.
This material can be tinted to match the colour of natural teeth and is also contoured and shaped to resemble the missing part of a chipped tooth. It can be painted over a stained tooth, and it can make a fractured tooth look whole and perfect. Composite resin can even build up the size of teeth so gaps between them are reduced or eliminated.

Here's how bonding is done:

Step 1
Your dentist puts a mild chemical on your tooth to make it a little rough. This step helps the composite resin stick better to the enamel of your tooth.

Step 2
The composite resin is mixed and tinted to match the colour of your natural teeth.

Step 3
Your dentist puts the composite resin on your tooth in layers.

Step 4
A very bright light is used to harden (or cure) each layer of resin as it is put on your tooth.

Step 5
After the last layer of composite resin is hardened (or cured),
your dentist shapes and polishes the resin so the finished tooth looks natural and smooth.

Tooth-Coloured Fillings 
Composite fillings are also called plastic or white fillings. Getting this kind of filling depends on where the tooth is in your mouth. We bite down hard on our back teeth (molars), so a plastic filling is not always the best choice as they are softer than metal fillings. Feel free to talk to us about the best choice for your specific situation.

To place this filling, your dentist cleans all decay from the tooth and puts a glue (or bonding material) on the inside of the cavity. Composite resin is placed into the cavity in thin layers. Each layer gets hard with the help of a special light

Crowns 
A crown is usually placed where a tooth needs extra protection. This occurs when a tooth has had root canal treatment or when a portion of the tooth has been lost or when a tooth is cracked or broken. We place a crown on a tooth where there is no longer enough tooth structure to place a filling.

Crowns are also placed for aesthetic reasons. The new all ceramic crowns offer superb aesthetics and are used where veneers no not offer enough protection such as where teeth are heavily filled or the biting forces are heavy. This type of crown have no metal inside and give a more translucent natural appearance, as they are made of a type of glass.

Crowns can be made of different kinds of metals, ceramic or porcelain fused to metal. They are strong and last for about 10 years, if you take good care of them. Brush and floss your crown, just like you clean your natural teeth.

Bridges 
A bridge is a way of replacing a missing tooth (or teeth) when there are strong teeth either side of the space to support the load. The bridge spans the space where teeth have been lost, just as a bridge can span a river. The space is replaced with custom-designed false teeth, which are anchored by crowns on the teeth either side of the missing tooth. These are usually made of a gold core with porcelain cover. They can be made all ceramic (with no metal) in many situations for improved appearance.

How a Bridge is made:

Step 1
The teeth on each side of the missing one(s) are prepared for crowns.

Step 2
The false tooth (or teeth) and two crowns are custom-made in a dental lab as one piece