Cosmetic Dentistry in Bryn Mawr for a Healthy, Beautiful Smile
A beautiful smile can leave a lasting impression, and it can have a dramatic impact on personal relationships, self-esteem, and overall health. When you feel self-conscious about your appearance, it’s hard to feel confident.
To enhance your smile, our dental office in Bryn Mawr offers cosmetic dentistry procedures designed to improve the way your smile looks and feels. With the right cosmetic treatment, you can increase your confidence and love the way you look. Call our office today to schedule a comprehensive consultation!
CALL US:(610) 525-6060 REQUEST APPOINTMENT
What is Cosmetic Dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry is focused on the appearance and functionality of your teeth and improving the alignment, color, and shape of each tooth for a more uniform smile. The first step toward changing your smile begins with understanding which service is right for you. We provide a relaxed, family-friendly environment where we identify your individual needs and find the best combination of treatments for you.
Some of our cosmetic treatments include:
Dr. Buxton and her team have over 25 years of experience in providing personalized cosmetic dental care to bring out your natural beauty. Genetics, trauma, tooth decay, or other conditions can cause teeth to become stained, crooked, cracked, or even loose. If you live in or near Bryn Mawr and have chipped, cracked, stained, or missing teeth, cosmetic dental treatments can provide comprehensive solutions for improving your smile.
Why Choose Porcelain for Your Cosmetic Treatments?
Treatments like dental crowns, fixed bridges, and veneers help you get a beautiful new smile, but in the past, these prosthetics have been made with metal, which isn’t the best for cosmetic purposes. Advancements in the way materials are made now make it possible to choose biocompatible porcelain for restorations that exceed expectations for longevity, strength, and beauty. Our porcelain dental treatments provide many benefits, including:
Strength and Durability – While metal restorations are indeed sturdy, porcelain can be just as durable. The material is heat-pressed to offer strong cosmetic dental restorations that look very natural.
Better Match for Natural Teeth – Porcelain cosmetic treatments closely mimic the properties of natural light reflecting dental enamel with a natural translucency that metal dental treatments can’t match.
Reduced Sensitivity to Heat and Cold – Some restoration materials contain small particles of metal which can expand or contract with changing temperatures. This can cause sensitivity to hot and cold, and create a potential for the restoration to crack. Additionally, those who have a sensitivity to metal may have additional problems. Porcelain removes these risks and provides protection that looks and feels natural.
Teeth Whitening for Beautiful Bryn Mawr Smiles
Your teeth can become stained over time, and the effects are not easily removed with a good oral hygiene routine. If your smile is not as bright as you would like it to be, a professional whitening treatment can give you a smile you feel comfortable sharing again.
You have probably tried a few over-the-counter whitening products, like toothpaste, mouthwash, or at-home bleaching kits. While these products can work for slight touch-ups, they won’t achieve the kind of results you can get from professional whitening.
Our whitening treatments are specially formulated to remove stubborn stains and leave you with a smile that is noticeably several whiter. With professional supervision, the whitening solution can be several times stronger than other methods, delivering superior results.
In-Office Whitening for Noticeably Brighter Teeth
Whitening in our Bryn Mawr office produces the most dramatic results, often in a single one-hour visit. First, we will prepare your teeth; then we will apply a professional-grade, safe bleaching gel to the surfaces of your teeth. This gel penetrates beneath the surface layer of your teeth to dissolve persistent stains from your enamel.
The gel is left on for a specific time limit, then removed. This process is repeated several times, depending on the level of whitening you want. We monitor your progress to ensure that the whitening is even and you don’t have any sensitivity issues.
Convenient At-Home Whitening Kits
If your hectic schedule makes an office visit a challenge, we can provide at-home whitening kits so you can whiten at your convenience. We use impressions to create custom whitening trays that hold professional-grade gel smoothly against your teeth, ensuring a beautiful, even whitening for your entire smile. These kits work great for whitening on your schedule and, they can also be used for touch-ups between dental visits.
The Difference Between Bleaching and Whitening Teeth
You may have heard the terms “whitening” and “bleaching” used interchangeably, but the fact is, there is a significant difference between the two.
- Whitening is used to describe the process of restoring your teeth to their natural color by removing stains from the surface.
- Bleaching refers to lightening your teeth beyond their natural color with active ingredients like hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide.
Options for Replacing Missing Teeth
When teeth are lost or extracted your normal bite function is interrupted, your jaw bone loses strength, and your smile is no longer uniform. Replacing missing teeth is not only a cosmetic issue but vitally important to your overall oral health.
Dental Implants – These prosthetics are one of the most secure ways to replace a tooth or multiple teeth. The treatments allow you to replace the whole tooth from root to crown, and can also be used to permanently affix dentures or bridges. Dental implants are a durable, comfortable, and versatile way to support new teeth and help you improve your dental health.
Full and Partial Dentures – As a time tested prosthetic dentures can replace several teeth or an entire arch. Full dentures are held in place with adhesive, and partials can be attached to a retainer. Either option helps you enjoy better dental aesthetics and function.
Fixed Bridges – Another option for replacing one missing tooth, or several is a fixed bridge. Crowns are attached to healthy teeth with a prosthetic suspended between them. They don’t have do be removed but do require a little extra effort to keep clean. Fixed bridges are another popular choice because they are an economical way to improve the appearance and function of your smile.
Dental Implants: Beyond the Cosmetic Appeal
Millions of Americans every year are affected by tooth loss. Dentures and bridges have been the traditional solution; however, as dental technology improves, new alternatives have become available. Dental implants are not only aesthetically appealing; they also provide a permanent solution for tooth loss that supports overall oral health.
By replacing the root of the tooth with a titanium post and implant stimulates and nurtures bone health in the same way a natural tooth would. This helps you keep a more youthful facial appearance because your jawbone retains strength and shape. Dentures do not support underlying bone structure and can also cause inflammation by rubbing on soft tissue. Implants also prevent the shifting of surrounding teeth that can lead to other health problems. Dental implants are made of biocompatible materials and are easy to take care of. Just maintain your regular oral hygiene routine and your bi-annual visits to our office.
Cosmetic Dentistry Frequently Asked Questions
There are two main ways to whiten your teeth professionally: in-office whitening or take-home kits. Both options will effectively lift stains and brighten your smile.
Depending on the severity and which tooth is damaged, you have several options for treatment. For minor damage, a porcelain veneer or composite bonding works great and can be done quickly. More comprehensive care, a porcelain dental crown allows you to get a fully-restored new tooth.
Most people find they can significantly improve there smile with small, affordable treatments like porcelain veneers. Severe discoloration, mild misalignment, cracked, chipped, or broken teeth can be restored in just one or two appointments.
For mild cases of misalignment and tilted teeth, a treatment like porcelain veneers can provide a total transformation with minimal treatment. Because getting porcelain veneers requires minimal prepping of your teeth and a thin shell of porcelain on top, your teeth can be re-designed to be straighter and more even.
There are many tooth-colored and life-like options for replacing teeth. For many, the ideal solution is a dental implant. Implants are strong and will last a lifetime when cared for properly. However, if you prefer removable, or non-surgically placed prosthetics, partial dentures and bridges can be the right choice for you.
This depends on the severity of decay on each tooth. For very small spots of decay, a tooth-colored composite filling will do the trick and leave you with a smile that looks natural. For moderate decay, there are onlays and inlays – pieces of porcelain (that sometimes look like puzzle pieces) which are used to replace portions of a tooth. If there’s too much damage for a filling or an inlay/onlay, a tooth-colored dental crown can be used to restore your tooth fully.
Save a Tooth and Save Your Smile with Root Canal Treatment
The root canal is present inside each tooth, containing the nerves and living tissue, also known as dental pulp, and plays a critical role in the health of your smile. Potentially irreversible damage can happen when decay and infection occur within this chamber. An infected pulp may be the result of several factors, including poor hygiene, cavities, or facial trauma, and can contribute to more serious health concerns if not resolved. Root canal treatment removes damaged tissue and decay, conserving your natural dentition and protecting the tooth from further damage.
What is Involved in Root Canal Treatment?
A thorough examination at our Bryn Mawr office can identify any teeth that would benefit from root canal treatment. During root canal treatment, specialized instruments are used to create a small entry through which infected pulp and bacteria are removed. To prevent recurrence of infection, the canal is sterilized, sealed, and filled with a biocompatible material called gutta-percha.
Next, we will place a filling over the opening to seal the canal. For additional strength and cosmetic appeal to teeth, we recommend a custom crown to complete the treatment. A root canal can save your original tooth and help you avoid more complex procedures like implants. This treatment is also considered necessary by most insurance providers, making improving your smile affordable too!
Get a Picture-Perfect Smile at Judy L. Buxton, DMD
Poor oral hygiene, disease progression, and inherited imperfections can all cause you to feel uncomfortable sharing your smile. Our team is motivated to help you lead a happier life by overcoming dental health challenges.
If you are unhappy with your smile, we can provide cosmetic dentistry in Bryn Mawr and across the surrounding Montgomery County communities, contact our practice today and schedule an appointment.
CALL US:(610) 525-6060 REQUEST APPOINTMENT