Your smile is complex, and so are the issues that can affect it. Cosmetic dentistry focuses on your smile’s appearance, though cosmetic treatments often coincide with more functional issues, like damaged or misaligned teeth. The point is to make your smile look better, thereby increasing your confidence, and to do so in a way that avoids over-modifying your healthy, natural tooth structure.
Smile Improvement Techniques
Erasing tooth stains
Have you noticed that your teeth don’t shine like they used to, or that one or more of them have developed localized, unsightly stains? The changing colors of your teeth can mean many different things, like excessive plaque and tartar buildup or a developing cavity. Usually, however, teeth stains are merely surface blemishes, and can be erased with a professional teeth-whitening procedure. For your convenience, the procedure can be completed in our office, during a single, one-hour visit, or from the comfort of your own home with a customized take-home kit.
Fixing chipped teeth
If teeth stains are below the surface, or if your tooth is chipped or exhibits minor cracks, then we may suggest a cosmetic dental crown (for a single tooth) or porcelain veneers (for several or all visible teeth). A dental crown, also made from porcelain, can be placed over a tooth to completely conceal it. By contrast, veneers are wafer-thin shells of porcelain that are bonded to your teeth’s front surfaces.
Straightening crooked teeth
If your teeth are severely misaligned, or crooked, then you might need orthodontic treatment to correct them. If they’re only slightly, but visibly, crooked, then porcelain veneers or our innovative Snap-On-Smiles technology can help correct your teeth’s symmetry without brackets and wires.
Replacing missing teeth
Missing teeth seriously affect your mouth’s function, throwing your bite off-balance and exposing your remaining teeth to increased stress and pressure. Replacing them restores your bite’s function, but also improves your smile’s appearance by filling in the gaps. In most cases, the most effective tooth replacement option is a dental implant, which is inserted into the jawbone to replace a lost tooth’s root and to support your replacement crown (or other dental prosthesis).
ABOUT YOUR FUQUAY VARINA COSMETIC DENTIST:
For over 15 years, Dr. Michele Collier and the talented professionals at Waterstone Family Dentistry have provided comfortable, compassionate dental care to patients of all ages from Fuquay Varina, NC, as well as Holly Springs, Angier, Willow Springs, Raleigh, and all surrounding communities. If you’d like to learn more, you can schedule a consultation with Dr. Collier by calling (919) 557-5250 today.
