Aesthetic Dentistry is a set of techniques that we can apply to improve the aesthetic appearance of the smile of patients. From classical orthodontics, which seeks to change the position of the teeth through the so-called “braces”, through microsurgical techniques that improve the appearance and health of the gums, the well-publicized “whitening”, and methods of improving the appearance of teeth through porcelain restorations, of which the facets or veneers are the star-procedure.
Personally, before proposing an esthetic treatment, I consider the overall health of the mouth to be more important. Many people come asking for aesthetic treatments and, when they open their mouths, you find that what they need first and foremost, and very urgently, is to replace missing teeth, cure very swollen gums, or fix shattered teeth, which, since they are not visible, they do not consider important.
You have to have very clear priorities, and at Quirón the first priority, of course, is health, and once this is achieved, we can start talking about aesthetics.
Dental whitening
Teeth whitening can be very effective, but it is essential to have a previous diagnosis, that is, to know what type of staining each one has, what its origin is and what is the best way to treat it. There are some forms of staining such as tetracycline staining, which is caused by the antibiotic so called, which leaves the teeth gray if children take them when they are forming.
That happened very often in people of our generation; well, this type of staining, whitening just caresses it, whether it is a conventional one, with leds, with laser, with the atomic bomb or with whatever. However, there are other more moderate stains in which whitening techniques are extremely effective, in some cases even with a single one-hour session.
Orthodontics
Orthodontics, worn today by adults and children alike, is one of the greatest tools in dental esthetics.
Porcelain veneers
Veneers are an extraordinarily useful technique in esthetic dentistry. On the one hand, they are useful in many situations, such as broken teeth, worn teeth, teeth with small twists or malpositions, with caries already fixed but which have not left a beautiful tooth, even in the cases of severe or intense staining that we mentioned before in which whitening does not work.
In addition, to place them, it is not necessary to retouch the tooth, as in the case of the classic caps, but only little enamel has to be removed: they are a much more respectful treatment for the tooth. They give an incredible aspect of health and dental beauty.
To achieve perfect teeth with porcelain veneers we need three things: the materials, professionals who know the technique and who know how to apply them to each case in the most convenient way.
We also need the best materials in terms of porcelain. Obviously, there are many porcelains on the market and not all of them are the same. Finally, it is also basic that the ceramist or laboratory technician has an artist’s hand; it is not the same to do a correct job as a job with soul.