What are the most common cosmetic dentistry treatments?

Patients coming to our practices today are increasingly concerned about beauty and self-care in general, and the mouth is no exception. Aesthetic clinics, nutritionists and personal trainers are thriving in our social sphere and dental clinics have gone from being a place where patients only go to solve an oral problem to a place where, in addition, patients go to improve their facial aesthetics.

The three treatments with which dentists can improve people’s esthetics are dental veneers, teeth whitening and invisible orthodontics, but undoubtedly the most demanded treatment by our patients is teeth whitening.

What does dental whitening consist of?

Tooth whitening is based on the use of products that have the ability to oxidize and whiten all those extrinsic stains that have been deposited on or inside the enamel over the years. They are generally produced by foods with colorants, tea, coffee or tobacco.

In the consultations after a clinical history and an exploration of the oral cavity, to see the state of the restorations and gums, we proceed to make a prophylaxis or dental hygiene and, once studied the case, we recommend the most appropriate product for each case.

Not all people have the same stained teeth and each mouth has special characteristics, so it is very important to choose the right product. Currently we work with two products, carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide, both are available in different concentrations and we can use two different techniques, the outpatient always under our supervision or in clinic, although in our clinic we usually use a mixed technique.

In principle it is a treatment that does not have to be annoying, if a good diagnosis is made and the right product and technique is used. Therefore, it is very important to be supervised by a specialist in dentistry, because sometimes it can have as an adverse effect a slight dental sensitivity that can be avoided with desensitizing products before or during the treatment.

These types of treatments are not performed on children or pregnant patients.

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What are dental veneers?

Dental veneers are another of the most demanded treatments in the field of dental esthetics. This treatment corrects dental asymmetries, separation between teeth (diastemas), shape alterations, dental fractures and those color changes that, due to their nature or intensity, cannot be solved with dental whitening.

There is variation depending on the case, they can be made of composite, porcelain or zirconium, and all these materials are biocompatible and do not affect oral health. The choice of the type corresponds to the professional after studying the case and seeing what type of treatment is most appropriate for the patient.

Basically, it consists of placing small sheets of a thickness between 0.8 and 1.5 millimeters on the anterior surface of the tooth in such a way as to correct the defect that was present in the area. They are used exclusively for the anterior sectors of the mouth, these surfaces are attached to the tooth by special adhesives and require a certain amount of care on the part of the patient.

What is invisible orthodontics?

If anything has changed in recent years in dentistry is the technique of orthodontics with aligners, as these are transparent they are called invisible orthodontics, to differentiate it from conventional orthodontics with brackets.

Invisible orthodontics can solve the vast majority of cases, as would conventional orthodontics, but the correct thing to do is to study the case in depth. Currently, this is done by computer software and you can see what the result would be like, especially in terms of treatment time. The advantages over conventional orthodontics are undoubtedly the minimal discomfort, the ability to maintain good care and hygiene of the teeth as they are aligners that can be removed from the mouth. Of course, it is worth mentioning the aesthetic issue, so it is almost always a technique that is used for orthodontic treatment in adults.