If you don't have a natural Hollywood smile (let's be honest, many of us don't), there are ways to get one. Cosmetic dentistry has come a long way in the last few years. Here are the four most popular options for people looking to improve their smile.
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Crowns
Crowns, sometimes called caps, are the tooth restoration option that has the biggest impact on the natural tooth. Rather than just being placed over the front of the tooth like veneers, crowns form an entirely new tooth surface. This requires the original tooth to be filed almost to nothing, serving only as an anchor point for the crown to be fit. Crowns are a great solution when teeth are very chipped, broken, decayed, or weakened by root canal treatment. In these cases, filing the tooth away is often the best way to preserve it, as it prevents further breakage or chipping that might happen as a result of eating.
Crowns are generally a last resort, and some dentists will recommend a gold crown rather than a white one, as less tooth surface needs to be removed to attach a gold crown. However, these are generally only suitable for teeth that can't be seen when smiling.
Veneers
Veneers are thin porcelain coverings that are placed over the top of natural teeth to improve their overall shape and color. They are a slightly less invasive procedure than crowns, as only a small amount of the natural tooth surface needs to be removed, but your dentist will still need to shave down the front surface of your tooth to stop the veneer looking bulky and feeling unnatural.
Veneers are a great and natural-looking way to improve your smile, but can only be placed in a mouth that's clean, healthy, and without any gum disease present as simply covering bigger problems with veneers won't solve them. They can also be expensive, particularly if you want to get the best treatment, but the results are fantastic.
Composite fillings
White composite fillings can be used to reshape teeth that are uneven or slightly chipped. They can be placed without needing to remove any of the natural tooth surfaces, but aren't as durable as veneers or crowns and often need to be replaced.
Tooth whitening
Whitening the teeth is a generally straightforward way to brighten teeth that are healthy and in otherwise good condition. Applying a whitening treatment to broken teeth can cause damage, and would be very painful! Fortunately, healthy teeth aren't damaged at all by whitening treatments.
If you'd like to whiten your teeth, your dentist can make specialist molds that are filled with tooth bleach and worn overnight. You can also have a stronger treatment at the end of your bleaching process with your dentist.
Whitening does have certain limitations as it doesn't and can't change the shape, position, or alignment of teeth as veneers or crowns can. But then, it's a fast and painless way to brighten teeth and improve your smile without the need for more invasive treatments.
