What are the latest treatments in dental esthetics?
Currently, the most innovative is the digital design (DSD) of the smile that allows a simple and non-invasive way to perform the aesthetic and facial study of a patient. Thanks to the superimposition of photographic records, together with the templates of the program, a simulation of the final result of a rehabilitation is carried out. In this way, the patient can actively collaborate, giving his or her opinion as to his or her preferences in terms of dental shape or color.
Another very important point in terms of oral esthetics, which is often overlooked, is mucogingival esthetics. By means of more or less invasive surgical procedures (depending on the case) we can harmonize the tooth/gum proportions. The gingival shape is conditioned by the shape of the tooth it surrounds, in addition to other factors such as genetics, alterations due to habits or pathologies such as periodontal disease.
The gingiva can cover the tooth in excess, in which case it will be necessary to eliminate this excess in order to achieve a harmonious smile that is appropriate to the proportion of the tooth that is shown.
On other occasions, the gum may recede causing gingival recession, exposing more tooth than is aesthetically acceptable. In which case surgical procedures will have to be performed to protect the exposed tooth root and gain ging gingiva mainly thanks to grafts.
From what age are they recommended?
Depending on the type of treatment and how invasive it is, any intervention can be performed from the age of 18, although we are always conditioned by the growth of the jaws, which varies greatly between individuals.
How long do these treatments last and do they need continuous revision?
Like everything in life… the same thing happens with dental materials, they have a useful life in which they work under optimum conditions. Until this period has passed, they begin to degrade and lose their properties, such as the adjustment that results in poor sealing or color variation; that is why the revisions should be periodic, at least once a year, and more often in patients with pathologies already established or with a greater tendency to caries or periodontal disease.