When to Consider Dental Bonding for Your Child
As one of the most popular offerings of cosmetic dentistry, bonding is the go-to treatment for a wide range of minor dental repairs and improvements. Here’s when we may recommend it for your child.
Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you, so the last things you want anyone to focus on are the cosmetic imperfections that bother you every time you look in the mirror.
If your “smile flaw” is having one or more irregularly shaped teeth, you may think there’s nothing you can do to fix them. Think again.
Here at Smiles in Springfield in Springfield, Virginia, our cosmetic dentistry expert Dr. Quang Tran offers a variety of successful solutions for misshapen teeth, ranging from porcelain veneers and same-day CEREC® crowns to tooth contouring and dental bonding.
Learn more about which option might be right for you.
If one of your teeth has a relatively minor irregular shape, Dr. Tran might be able to correct it with a simple treatment called dental contouring. Also known as tooth reshaping, this conservative cosmetic approach uses precise dental techniques to make subtle changes to the shape of a tooth.
By carefully rubbing away one or two millimeters of protruding tooth enamel with an abrasive instrument, a tooth contouring treatment can address excessively pointy cuspids, slightly tall or overlapping teeth, or any other minor shape defect that you’d like to erase.
Tooth contouring is often done in conjunction with dental bonding, a quick and effortless cosmetic and restorative technique that uses an enamel-hued composite resin material to improve your smile. Dental bonding can:
While dental bonding is usually only used to address one or two minor problems, it can be used more extensively.
Composite veneers use various points of bonding to transform the entire visible surface (front side) of your teeth, usually to shape multiple irregular teeth and/or close multiple gaps at once.
A tooth that develops an irregular shape through excessive wear or breakage requires a solution that restores both its function and its appearance. A dental crown, or cap, is a custom artificial tooth that’s designed to do just that.
Made to fit over a worn or broken natural tooth, a dental crown can hide irregularities, restore your bite, and enhance your smile.
Although most people think crowns are reserved for worn, broken, or weak chewing teeth (back molars), they can also restore normal shape and strength to structurally damaged or worn front teeth.
At Smiles in Springfield, we offer same-day CEREC® crowns that are made to match your natural teeth flawlessly, right here in our office. Depending on your restoration needs, you may be a candidate for a full crown or a partial crown (inlay or onlay).
Veneers, or laminates, are ultra-thin porcelain shells designed to look just like natural teeth. Fitted to perfection and tightly adhered to the front of your teeth, veneers are a complete cosmetic solution that can correct multiple smile flaws at once. They’re an ideal cover-up for:
While it’s possible to only get one or two veneers to cover specific teeth, most people choose to get a complete set of veneers because they have several smile irregularities they’d like to conceal.
On top of hiding dental imperfections and giving you a row of perfectly shaped teeth, veneers can instantly brighten your smile.
With all of the ways you can correct or conceal misshapen teeth, there’s no need to live with the cosmetic smile irregularities that bother you when you look in the mirror. Call 703-634-4239 to learn more about your treatment options or schedule a visit with Dr. Tran today.
