
Thornhill
Dental Surgery
4 Edge Lane Thornhill
Dewsbury WF12 0QR
Tel : 01924
439959
Fax : 01924
387400

There
are many different areas that constitute cosmetic dentistry. Making
the teeth whiter, or brighter has been the goal of people for
generations.
There are three main ways of brightening the teeth discussed here.
1 - Bleaching - There
are many products now available for whitening of the teeth. Some
are over the counter, and some are done through your dentists office.
Of the products that your dentist uses with you, most are of the
do-it-at-home variety. Your dentist will take impressions of your
mouth, the upper teeth being one arch, and the lower teeth being
the other arch. A small thin plastic tray is made which will hold
the "bleaching" material
that you will wear either at night while sleeping, or during
the day at given intervals. This, combined with an in-office
whitening will usually brighten teeth within a 2-3 week period
of time. Depending on diet and habits (smoking, coffee, tea,
soda) the whitening procedure can last anywhere from 6 months
to 2 years before needing to be touched up. Most times though,
the touch up only takes 2-3 days of re-bleaching. Click
here for more information.
ii - Porcelain
Laminates (Veneers) - This is a procedure where an egg-shell
thin sheet of porcelain is made to fit over your teeth changing
the colour and/or shape of the teeth. This porcelain laminate
is bonded to the tooth surface, and will usually remain intact
for 8+ years. Since
this is a lab procedure, the teeth can be made virtually any shade
or colour desired. Most times, a slight preparation of the tooth
surface is necessary but is so minimal that it doesn't require
anesthesia. An impression is taken and sent to the lab for the
porcelain sheet to be fabricated and then inserted.
iii - Bonding - This is a chairside
procedure - meaning it is completed that same day - and composite
resins are used. This material is like a plastic, and although
strong, it is not as strong as the porcelain laminates. With this
procedure, the composite material is placed on the tooth surface
and cured (hardened). Composites are subject to staining whereas
porcelain laminates usually are not.
However, most times the staining can be polished out of the bonded tooth - if
caught early.