Chapel Hill Cosmetic Dentist

Our Chapel Hill Cosmetic Dentist focuses on improving the appearance of a person’s teeth, mouth and smile while traditional dentistry focuses on oral hygiene and preventing, diagnosing and treating oral disease. In other words, restorative, general and family dental practices address dental problems that require necessary treatment whereas cosmetic dentistry provides elective or desired treatments and services.

Our Chapel Hill cosmetic dentist services may also provide restorative benefits. For example, dental fillings are a common procedure used to treat decayed teeth. Previously, most dental fillings were composed primarily of gold, amalgam and other materials that left visible dark spots on teeth. Today, dental fillings may fall into the category of cosmetic dentistry, because you can select fillings made of porcelain or composite materials that closely match the color of your teeth, thus maintaining the natural appearance of your teeth and smile. Many people may choose to have their older fillings replaced with newer, tooth-colored fillings to enhance their oral appearance.

Technological advancements in natural-looking, tooth-colored dental materials make our Chapel Hill cosmetic dental treatments more durable and predictable than in years past. Additionally, dentists are now using more conservative cosmetic dentistry techniques to preserve as much of your natural tooth structure as possible, depending upon your specific clinical situation.

Inlays and onlays, also known as indirect fillings, are made from porcelain or composite materials are a long-lasting yet a cosmetic way to provide a “filling” to teeth with tooth decay or similar structural damage. Whereas dental fillings are molded into place within the mouth during a dental visit, inlays and onlays are created in a dental laboratory before being fitted and adhesively bonded into place by your dentist.

Composite Bonding repairs or corrects the appearance of chipped, broken, discolored, or decayed teeth. A dental composite material with the look of enamel and dentin is applied into the cavity or onto the surface of a tooth, where it is then sculpted into shape, contoured and hardened with a high-intensity light. The result is a restoration that blends invisibly with the remainder of the surrounding tooth structure and the rest of your natural teeth to create a healthy, bright smile.

Smile makeovers involve a comprehensive assessment of your smile esthetics in order to improve its overall appearance. Typically one or more cosmetic dentistry procedures, such as dental veneers, dental implants, gingival sculpting and teeth whitening, will be required for several teeth in both the upper and lower arches in order to achieve the look you want.

Full mouth reconstruction: While consulting with you about a smile makeover to primarily improve the esthetic appearance of your smile, your dentist may discover that there is a need to provide necessary treatment to correct functional problems with your bite, muscles, teeth and bone structure. If you need full mouth reconstruction, the materials available today make it possible for your dentist to provide you with durable, functional and clinically sound treatments that also look natural.

Please also visit our invisalign teet aligners, teeth whitening, dental veneers and dental implants pages for more information.