COSMETIC DENTAL CARE

A crown or cap covers the entire visible portion of a tooth. Crowns repair teeth that have been damaged in a way that a regular filling won't stay in place.

Teeth whitening lightens teeth. Your best options are in-office whitening, which offers significant results quickly, or take-home whitening kits, which take longer to produce results.

There are 3 kinds of dental bridges.

• Traditional fixed bridge - crowns on either side hold the false tooth in place
• Cantilever bridge - for areas that don't have an intense chewing load where there is a tooth only on one side of the gap
• Resin-bonded bridge - metal bands are bonded to the surrounding teeth using resin in areas that experience less stress

Veneers are custom-made porcelain or resin shells that cover the surface of teeth to improve their appearance. They are a good way to improve the look of teeth that have spaces between them or are stained, crooked, or chipped.

Bonding is a tooth restoration using resin that is less expensive than veneers or crowns because it is for small cosmetic touch-ups. Like veneers, resin is bonded to the front of teeth; however, you don't have to remove as much of the enamel.

Inlays and onlays are for rear teeth with mild to moderate decay or cracks where a crown is not necessary.

• Inlays - material is bonded to the center of the tooth
• Onlays - material is bonded to the cusps of the tooth