Selecting a Cosmetic Dentist

It's hard to know just where to begin looking for a dentist when you're ready to begin updating your smile. All dentists do some cosmetic dentistry, but are they all cosmetic dentists? Click here for more information.

Tooth Whitening

One of the most popular cosmetic dental procedures over the past several years has been bleaching or teeth whitening. There are three main categories of whitening techniques available. These include:

In-office Teeth Whitening

Take-Home or Tray Tooth Whitening

Over the Counter Products

Bonding

Bonding lies at the heart of many cosmetic dental procedures performed today. It is basically an adhesive process that allows a composite resin or tooth-colored filling material to stick firmly to your existing tooth. The process is used to cement cosmetic crowns and porcelain veneers as well as for tooth-colored fillings

Bonding was first used in dentistry more than twenty-five years ago and has grown to be an important dental procedure, especially in the cosmetic dental practice. The bonding process is fairly simple. The tooth structure is chemically etched with a mild acidic solution which creates microscopic roughness on the surface of enamel and exposes the ends of tiny fibers on the dentin. A thin coat of clear resin is flowed onto the surface and hardened with a brite "curing" light, locking it onto the tooth's surface. Finally, the tooth colored filling or cement is placed on top of the thin layer and "cured" again.

Bonding is a safe and beautiful way to restore damage tooth structure and to enhance a smile.