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White (tooth-colored) Fillings:
Until recently, no choices existed about the
color of one's fillings. Now you can have old silver or gold fillings
replaced with nearly invisible porcelain or resin restorations.
Another advantage is that they can be bonded to the
teeth, which results in a tighter seal and adds more strength to the
tooth.
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All-Porcelain
Bridge:
Instead of placing a bridge made of porcelain
with a metal base, which, years later, can often result in unsightly
dark lines at the gumline, your Dentist can now restore your smile
with an all-porcelain bridge. An all-porcelain bridge still uses adjacent
teeth for support, but will not show a dark line where the bridge
meets the gums. Many all-porcelain bridges can be bonded in place
which provides for a tighter seal and more accurate fit.
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All-Porcelain Crowns:
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All-porcelain crowns (also called caps) are a
beautiful, long-lasting choice. The procedure involves reducing and
carefully shaping the supporting tooth, creating an impression from
which a model of the prepared teeth are made, and having the crown
fabricated (usually in a dental lab), followed by fitting, and permanently
cementing or bonding the crown in place.
Comparatively,
crowns made of porcelain with a
metal base do not look as natural and may eventually result in a
noticeable dark line at the gums.
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Bonding:
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Bonding is an excellent way to repair or change
the shape or color of teeth, particularly front teeth. Bonding is
usually a one-appointment procedure that starts with careful color matching the bonding materials to your tooth color. Next
your teeth are lightly roughened and a gel is applied to ensure that
the bonding materials will adhere. Then the bonding material is
applied, sculpted and hardened with a high-intensity light. The
final step is a careful polishing of your new teeth.
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Porcelain Veneers:
Porcelain
veneers are custom-crafted, fingernail-thin porcelain shells
that are bonded to natural teeth. Because of their subtle
color and near transparency, porcelain veneers can make a
dramatic and very natural-looking improvement to your smile.
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Whitening:
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Often
the difference between a good smile and a great smile is the whiteness of
the teeth. Over
time most teeth lose their luster and brightness because they accumulate
stains created by foods and beverages. New whitening agents can remove these
stains without harming your teeth.
By
far the best and fastest whitening solutions are offered by your Dentist.
During a typical whitening procedure, your Dentist will fabricate a custom
tray to hold whitening gel against your teeth. You take the trays home and
wear the gel-filled trays each night or for several hours during the day
over a period of several weeks. Dentists
can also bleach teeth in the office.
You can
also obtain over-the-counter whitening kits, but they usually are not as
effective as professional whitening procedures. Because the
over-the-counter trays are not custom fitted, the whitening agent may leak
out and irritate your gums.
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