The good news about improving your smile is that it doesn’t always require extensive work, even if your smile’s cosmetic concerns seem overwhelming. With today’s advanced dental techniques, you can enjoy major smile improvement with one or more minor cosmetic touch-ups, like teeth whitening, tooth bonding, dental contouring, and Invisalign®, to name just a few. If you are a candidate for minimally-invasive smile enhancement, then we can recommend an appropriate course of action after a careful examination and one-on-one consultation.
Unlike over-the-counter options, professional teeth-whitening has the power to erase most extrinsic (outer surface) teeth stains, as well as brighten the structure underneath your teeth’s enamel. Administered in our office (in just over an hour) or from the comfort of your own home (for about two weeks), teeth whitening can eliminate stains so you can enjoy a brighter, more attractive smile.
If teeth whitening can’t erase a particularly stubborn tooth stain, or if a tooth is chipped or lightly cracked, then we may recommend cosmetic tooth bonding. Consisting of biocompatible, tooth-colored composite resin, bonding involves placing the resin onto the tooth and sculpting it to match the tooth’s size, shape, and appearance. Though your dentist may etch the tooth’s surface to improve adhesion, bonding does not require any permanent modifications to your teeth.
Often performed together with tooth bonding, dental contouring describes reshaping a tooth’s outline by lightly sculpting its outer layer of enamel. While bonding adds to a tooth’s structure, contouring can help eliminate jagged or jutting-out tooth edges, uneven tooth surfaces, and more.
Even if your teeth still retain their youthful glow and have not suffered any structural issues, their appearance can be marred if their alignment is off. Invisalign® clear braces are cosmetic alternatives to traditional braces, and allow you to straighten your teeth without the need for obvious wires and brackets. Invisalign consists of a series of aligners that are nearly-invisible and can be removed before you eat, enjoy a beverage, or brush and floss your teeth.