Popular Cosmetic Dental Procedures
Posted on: 20 May 2016
Share
Cosmetic dentistry is a very popular field, since it offers individuals a way to improve their smile quickly. Cosmetic dentistry can be quite costly, but that isn't necessarily always the case, since some procedures are more expensive than others. To help you decide if cosmetic dentistry is a good fit for you, here are some of the most popular procedures:
Whitening
The main advantage that whitening has over other procedures is that professionally whitening your teeth will only cost you around $500-$700 on average. This may seem comparable to the price of other options, but whitening your teeth apples to all of your teeth instead of a select few. Ultimately, the cost of brightening an entire mouth of teeth with crowns or veneers will end up costing many times more than a professional whitening.
You also have the option of getting a whitening kit that you can use at home. These can be bought at many drug stores, although they aren't as powerful as the solutions used by dentists. When buying a whitening kit at the store, you will notice that the amount of bleach is often much lower than the dentist can offer, which is primarily a safety precaution. This means that going to the dentist will end up making your teeth much whiter, although it will end up being a bit more expensive.
Crowns
You also have the option of getting cosmetic crowns for your teeth. These are often made of porcelain or ceramic, both of which will blend in perfectly with your surrounding teeth. This contrasts with metal crowns, which are used in some cases where the crown is more functional than cosmetic.
Unlike whitening your teeth, getting crowns can also have some benefits for the health of your mouth. Getting crowns allows you to reinforce your teeth and protect them from decay. If your enamel has worn down, then getting some crowns could simultaneously cover up those gaps in your protection and improve the appearance of your smile in one fell swoop.
Veneers
Veneers are a little like crowns in that they can help protected your teeth a little bit. However, veneers are much thinner and don't necessarily last as long as crowns. This means that you may need to get your veneers replaced much sooner than your crowns.
For another difference, while crowns are attached to the top of your teeth, veneers are attached to the front, which means that they are used to change the color and protection of a different area of your teeth. You should talk to your dentist to see which option would improve your smile the most, since veneers are better in some cases, whereas crowns are preferable in others.
For more information, contact a local clinic like Frederic J Mrugala DDS.