Cosmetic Dentistry

At Dental Concepts, we provide a range of cosmetic dental treatments to help you enhance the appearance of your smile.

Whether you are looking to dramatically changing your smile or you would simply like to know your options for a natural looking crown or filling, we offer a choice of treatments that can suit individual needs and budget.

TOOTH COLOURED FILLINGS
White or tooth coloured fillings provide a healthier more natural looking alternative to traditional silver amalgam fillings. They also allow for a minimally invasive restoration meaning more of your natural tooth can be preserved.

TEETH WHITENING
An increasingly popular treatment for restoring the sparkle to your smile, teeth whitening is a quick, effective and safe procedure. More and more of our patients are having teeth whitening carried out to their satisfaction and ours!

SMILE DESIGNING
For correction of uneven gum margins, excessive gingival display, or uneven teeth alignment.correction of gums as well as teeth followed by crown or veneer placement.

CROWN LENGTHENING PROCEDURES
To increase the height of the tooth crown by cutting the gums or and bone surrounding the tooth. This enables the increased tooth height to receive a full crown. Generally more height is required for a full ceramic or porcelain fused to metal crowns.

TECHNIQUES TO INCREASE THE WIDTH OF THE ATTACHED GINGIVA
Apically displaced flap, free gingival graft, connective tissue graft harvested from the palate and sutured on the recipeint site.

ROOT COVERAGE PROCEDURES
For covering the exposed tooh surfcace due to gum recession. Pt generally complans of sensitive teeth, difficulty in brushing and unpleasant appearance.fgg, ctg, pedicle grafts, coronally advanced flaps, double papilla flap.

GINGIVAL (GUM) DEPIGMENTATION
The normal color of healthy gums is variable, ranging from pale pink to a deep bluish purple Gingival(Gum) hyperpigmentation is increased pigmentation in the form of brown-black spots, streaks or thick bands on the attached gingiva. The most common cause is physiologic or racial, due to excessive melanin deposition by melanocytes, which are present in the superficial layers of the gums. It is a common esthetic concern, which is aggravated in patients with a gummy smile or excessive gingival display.

TEETH WHITENING
The normal colour of permanent teeth is grayish yellow, grayish white or yellowish white. This is usually determined by the thickness of enamel, thickness and colour of underlying dentine and the pulp. Alterations in this colour may be physiologic or pathologic, intrinsic or extrinsic. Generally the colour is more yellowish in fair skinned persons and more whitish in dark skinned persons.Elderly persons also have more yellowish teeth.
Extrinsic discolurations may be due to tea, coffee, fluoride, smoking , bacteria, etc., wheras intrinsic stains maybe due to genetic conditions like amelogenesisimperfecta , due to tetracycline class od antibiotics, jaundice, pulp necrosis, remnants of restorative materials, etc.
Since esthetics is the primary consideration of patients, a discolured tooth or teeth especially in the anterior region definitely causes many patients asking for treatments to “whiten” or”brighten” the teeth. This is commonly referred to as tooth bleaching. Bleaching is a procedure defined as lightening of the colour of the tooth through the application of a chemical agent (mostly acidic) to oxidize the organic content of the tooth.Most common bleaching agents used are: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) 5%-35%, Sodium Perborate (Used inside the pup chamber, called as “walking bleach”), CarbamidePeroxide.Nowadays Laser tooth whitening using zoom bleaching is gaining a lot of poularity , wherin a laser beam activates the bleaching agent thus speeding up the reaction, enabling faster and better results. Teeth whitening is ideal for people who have healthy, unrestored teeth (no fillings) and gums. Individuals with yellow tones to their teeth respond best. But this cosmetic procedure is not recommended for everyone.

TOOTH WHITENING / BLEACHING TECHNIQUES

1.Intracoronal bleaching (bleaching of root canal treated teeth from within the tooth/ non-vital bleaching)-
a. At home (walking bleach)- In this the bleaching agent is placed inside the pulp cavity and sealed. The effect starts after 24 hours. The patient should return 3-7 days after the treatment to assess the change in colour.
b.In- office or thermocatalytic bleach- In this technique cotton pellets soaked with 30% H2O2 are placed inside the pulp cavity and activated by light and heat. Several 5-6 minute exposures are applied to the tooth.

2. Extracoronal bleaching (from external surface) or vital tooth bleaching
a. In-office vital bleach- 35% H2O2 is directly applied to the outer surface of the tooth, in the form of gels, followed by activation with heat, visible light or laser light.Lasers principally work by activating the catalyst of the bleaching agent, which releases nascent oxygen. About 30-60 mins are required at each visit . To get dramatic results several visits may be required.This is also a more expensive procedure.It may reduce the shade 3-5 times lighter than the original shade.
b. At-home vital bleach –It involves the use of custom made polymerized resin trays with 10% carbamide peroxide incorporated into them. The patient is instructed to place enough bleaching agent into the trays cover the outer surfaces of the teeth, after which excess bleaching material is wiped away.The tray should be worn for 4 hours for every session, following which the patient should thoroughly rinse off the teeth.
Results can be seen as early as 2-4 days or may take 6-12 months.

3. Whitening Toothpastes
All toothpastes help remove surface stains, because they contain mild abrasives. Some whitening toothpastes contain gentle polishing or chemical agents that provide additional stain removal effectiveness. Whitening toothpastes can help remove surface stains only and do not contain bleach; over-the-counter and professional whitening products contain carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide that helps lighten the color deep in the tooth.

4. Over-the-Counter Whitening Strips and Gels
Whitening gels are clear, peroxide-based gels applied with a small brush directly to the surface of your teeth. Instructions generally call for twice a day application for 14 days.