3 Popular Procedures in Smile Makeovers

A smile makeover involves cosmetic dental procedures that improve the appearance of your teeth. Each patient’s experience is different because their treatment plan is customized to fit their individual needs, but in this article, we will go over three of the most popular procedures, including composite bonding, crowns, and veneers.

Composite bonding

Composite bonding is one of the least invasive cosmetic dental procedures. This procedure repairs and rebuilds damaged teeth with resin made from plastic and glass. The composites will match the color of your natural teeth.

Composite bonding can be used to treat broken, chipped, discolored, and misshaped teeth and close gaps between teeth.

This procedure is also reversible, so it can be used as a temporary solution to improve the appearance of your teeth while you save money for a more permanent (and often more expensive) solution to your dental issue, for example, or if a better treatment option is developed in the future. However, it can also be used permanently, but composite bonding will need to be redone about every five years.

The procedure can be done in a single appointment, taking about 45 minutes per tooth. However, it is important to understand that composite bonding is designed to be done on just some of your teeth and not for your entire mouth.

Crowns

A dental crown is versatile and effective at hiding flaws in a tooth because it covers the entire surface of a tooth. This makes it a good option for treating almost any aesthetic issue.

For the crown to fit properly, your dentist will need to permanently remove enamel from all four sides of the tooth that the crown will be covering.

Crowns are usually done in two appointments and are only applied to some of your teeth.

Veneers

Veneers were originally created to help actors and actresses improve their smiles, but this treatment is now widely available and more affordable than it used to be.

Veneers are attached to the front part of the teeth being restored, and they hide any imperfections on the surface of the teeth.

Unlike composite bonding, which does not require making any permanent changes to your existing teeth, having veneers put on does require your dentist to permanently alter your natural teeth. Your dentist will need to remove enamel from the front of your tooth so that the veneer will fit properly and will not make the tooth look larger than normal.

Veneers are usually completed in two separate appointments. Veneers are also not meant to be a full-mouth procedure.

Which procedure is right for me?

There are a number of factors to take into consideration to determine which procedure you should have done. Here are some things to think about when trying to decide between composite bonding, crowns, or veneers:

• Cost: Composite bonding is usually more affordable than crowns or veneers.
• Durability: Composite bonding is the least durable, and crowns are the most durable.
• Effectiveness of changing the tooth’s appearance: Composite bonding can fix minor issues, and crowns are your best option for severe defects.
• Frequency of replacement: Composite bonding can last five years, crowns can last 10 to 15 years, and veneers can last ten years or longer.
• Removal of tooth structure: Composite bonding does not require the removal of tooth structure, and crowns require the permanent removal of more tooth enamel than veneers.