Esthetic Dentistry
Cosmetic Dentistry in the past mostly focused on correction, treatment of tooth decay, or abnormality of tooth which paid less attention to aesthetic or cosmetic dentistry. At present, there is alertness in the development of treatment. It focuses not only on correction of teeth for normal use but also for beauty purpose and assimilation with nature and making patients’ satisfaction most.
Siam Dental Clinic
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Siam Dental Clinic
Cosmetic Dentistry is as follows.
The main principle of cosmetic dentistry is to use the conservative technique in keeping tooth pulp most, not destroying the pulp without necessity. If it does not succeed, Changing to a new treatment should be done.
Objective of cosmetic dentistry is to have treated teeth as following.
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to have natural color.
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to have a natural shape blending with other organs within oral cavity including face.
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for beauty purpose meeting patients’ needs and satisfaction, not dentists’ satisfaction.
Tooth Polishing
It is to polish or get rid of the external stain on tooth surfaces such as stain of tea, coffee, rubber, and food attached on external surface of tooth. This technique will not destroy tooth pulp, it get rid of tooth veneer in only one micron volume. This technique cannot change natural tooth color into other one.
Tooth Bleaching
It is a technique of applying chemicals to the tooth surface in order to disintegrate organic color. Organic color is removed only; there is no removal of the tooth pulp. This results in the paling of color. Tooth bleaching or whitening process can be done on patients, except in some cases e.g. dark tetracycline tooth which it is hard to have bleaching effectively. Patients should consult dentists for effective treatment in bleaching case by case. Both techniques above can only whiten teeth but they cannot change tooth shape.
Both techniques above can only whiten teeth but they cannot change tooth shape.
Types of Tooth Bleaching
1. Home Bleaching
This treatment can be done at home. Dentists will make demonstrate tooth bleaching at the clinic and then, patients will continue bleaching at their homes. This process takes about 1-5 weeks which normally depend on the type and tone of tooth color before bleaching (dark tone takes more time, the gray tone takes more time than brown and yellow respectively, the yellow tone is likely to be successful in bleaching most) and depend on customer’s satisfaction.
Materials for bleaching are as follows:
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Gel. The dentist must mold patients’ mouths in order to bring the pattern for making a bleaching tray that is attached to patients. This will not make Home Bleaching Gel leaking outside and save the chemical. Then; dentists will make an appointment with patients about 1-3 days in order to demonstrate how to bleach teeth at the clinic 1 time and patients will continue bleaching by themselves at their home. The bleaching tray can be used for a long time. Whenever patients need bleaching their teeth, they just buy bleaching gel in order to save their cost.
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Ready-made Bleaching Tray. Bleaching Gel is available in all markets. But the tray may not match with teeth which can cause bleaching gel leaking into the tissue of oral cavity. Bleaching gel is not concentrated enough to whiten teeth. If the bleaching tray dentists use has completely matched with teeth and bleaching gel is highly concentrated, patients should do bleaching under dentists’ control only.
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Sticker band. There is concentrated bleaching gel on the sticker band. Patients can stick the band before the bleaching teeth without casting month.
This bleaching treatment is done in the clinic by using more concentrated bleaching gel than home bleaching. Dissolving bleaching gel is done by using various stimulators e.g. Intensive Curing Light Machine, Plasma Machine and Laser machine. Bleaching duration takes about 50 minutes to 1 hour. This will whiten teeth faster but in order to have good result and long whitening, it should be treated together with home bleaching or using whitening toothpaste after bleaching.
At present, a chemical used in bleaching has been developed in various types in order
to facilitate the users. Before bleaching, doctor consultation should be done because dentists will give good advice and recommendation on how to make tooth bleaching and what the appropriate duration of treatment for each patient should be. Other treatment may be done before bleaching e.g. tooth scaling, filling, root treatment or other treatment in order to prevent tooth sensitivity while bleaching and unexpected side effect which depends on patients’ oral health. Dentists will diagnose case by case.
Side Effect of Bleaching
It will have side effect on some patients only as follows:
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Tooth sensitivity This will happen whenever patients drink cool water or have more sweet or sour food. Patients will recover from tooth sensitivity within a short time. If there is tooth sensitivity, patients have to inform dentists immediately because dentists will hold the treatment for a while or will apply fluoride to teeth in order to reduce tooth sensitivity. After recovering from tooth sensitivity, patients can have bleaching again.
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Sore gum Chemical may leak to irritate gum. Severe degree depends on volume and concentration of chemicals. Such symptoms will disappear when stopping chemical use for a while. Therefore, patients should not buy bleaching gel available in markets by themselves because bleaching tray may not match with their own mouths which may cause leakage of the chemical into the gum and cause unexpected whitening.
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Allergy If patients have any allergies, they should stop using bleaching chemicals immediately and consult dentists. Therefore, in order to have effective treatment, it should be done under dentist's control.
Therefore, in order to have effective treatment, it should be done under dentist control.
Veneer or Facing
The veneer of facing is the method of grinding the front veneer of teeth out in 0.5 mm. and coating tooth-colored material or veneer on teeth instead, which can cure abnormality of tooth color and shape. There are two kinds of veneer as follows.
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There are two kinds of veneer as follows:
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Composite veneer. It is the same kind of tooth-colored filling. The good point of this material is cheap but the bad point is less durable than a porcelain veneer. After using this material for a while, the Composite veneer will be worn out and absorb water or saliva into itself and color will be changed after over two years of use.
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Porcelain veneer. It is more durable than Composite veneer, has the same color as nature, has brightness, glinting, or has no absorption of water. The color is permanent and unchangeable. It is different from Composite veneer. Treatment of gray teeth or tetracycline teeth can be done better. But bad point is that it is more expensive than the Composite one.
Benefits of Veneer
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Tooth color can be changed in case of the black tooth caused from tetracycline or in case of patients with dark teeth but no need to have tooth bleaching or in case of unsuccessful bleaching.​
Before
After
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​Correction of abnormality of teeth e.g. small and short front teeth.
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Spacing teeth
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Crowding teeth can be done in case of being unable to have bracing treatment or patients having no desire to have bracing treatment.
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Abnormality of tooth structure can be treated. The abnormality is called Enamel Hypoplasia which has brown tooth surface or is not smooth or both. If it is severe case, this will cause the veneer to fragile and chipping easily.
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To sum up, veneer can cure abnormality of both tooth color and shape.
Crown or Bridge
Crown or Bridge can treat both tooth color and shape the same as veneer. But, the crown needs to have the whole tooth grinding about 0.5-2 mm. and it is stronger than a veneer but more expensive than a veneer.