A beautiful smile makes an individual, attractive & gives a soft touch of grace to personality. However, this smile sometimes seems imperfect due to improper orientation of teeth, missing teeth, or large teeth that show imbalance concerning gums.
This article covers step by step details on what Esthetic dentistry is and how you can make your smile beautiful with esthetic dentistry service.
What is Esthetic Dentistry?
Esthetic dentistry helps such people to give a beautiful smile by correcting the minor defects associated with teeth like the shape of teeth, the orientation of teeth & so on.
Esthetic dentistry is an advanced field of dentistry with advanced technologies for dental care & treatment. It is an application of artistic & technical skills that enables dentists or practitioners to get marvelous functional & esthetic.
Esthetic dentistry has tremendously changed peoples’ perspectives about dentistry.
- It is a unique combination of art & science in the field of dentistry.
- Diagnosis & treatment strategies is an essential step before any medical procedure.
- The dental care team must understand the basic principles & should have complete knowledge about the availability of different esthetic material.
Development of Esthetic Dentistry In Light Of History:
Human face & facial expressions are representative of the overall personality of an individual. Nature has designated everyone with a unique & satisfactory character; however, any physical trauma like loss of teeth may cause some disturbance & imbalance to the overall personality & appearance.
The term esthetic was coined to connect the science of beauty with logic. It is merely the use of logic, facts, or science to enhance beauty & physical appearance. The history of its development is too long, but we summarized it with highlighted points to provide a brief overview of it.
The concept of esthetic surgery was originated in ninth century BS when abelian tries to treat the yellowing of teeth by advising that salt of Akkad with pine oil could help to get rid of yellow teeth.
Evidence is later on found by a hidden shaft having two teeth connected by a gold wire that Egyptians also try dental procedures to reshape their teeth. The existence of different artifacts incrustations was later on reported by Romero that can be categorized in the following groups
- Filling of tooth
- Fillings & inlays
- Combinations
Types of Esthetic Dentistry
Nowadays, esthetic dentistry becomes so advanced with a variety of tools that are being used by dental practitioners to give enough satisfactory treatment to patients & enable them to show a perfect smile.
The type of esthetic dentistry depends on coupons; the tools used for the procedure decided to be dental care teams. Here is given a brief overview of its types
1. Dental Implants:
Dental implants are root replacement tools that are used to treat missing teeth. Dental implants provide a strong base for removable teeth. Previously missing teeth can only be treated by bridges & dentures but now dental implants are in common practice. The decision of dental implant by dental care team is based on satisfactory answers of mentioned below questions:
- Has the patient enough bone to support the dental implants?
- Does he possess healthy gums?
- Is he capable of maintaining oral hygiene?
- Does he take regular dental visits?
If the above-mentioned situations are satisfactory for a patient then dental implants are a good choice even they can last a lifetime. Dental implants have the following benefits :
- Enhance visual appearance.
- Increase confidence & self-steem.
- Provide a permanent solution for teeth problems.
- Give ease in chewing.
2. Dental Veneers:
Dental veneers are commonly known as dental porcelain laminates, which are designed WITH the objective t0 cover the upper or outermost layer of teeth. They are used to treat a variety of dental defects such as
- Discolouration of teeth.
- Teeth with gaps.
- Chipped or broken teeth.
- Uneven or irregular shaped teeth.
Before going through this process, you need proper consultations & treatment plans suggested by your dentist. Moreover, before the start of the procedure, dentists remove approx 0.5 mm of the enamel of the teeth. This thickness of removed enamel matches the thickness of the veneer that will add later on. Then the impression of teeth will be taken by dentists & sent to a laboratory for making veneers of the respective teeth.
The benefits of dental veneers are:
- Resistance to stain.
- Natural look to your teeth.
- Compatibility with gums.
3. Teeth Whitening:
It is a standard procedure between cosmetic dentistry & esthetic dentistry & widely adopted by people for aesthetic purposes. Teeth whitening products can be used at home by an individual or with the help of a dentist.
It depends on the choice & convenience of the patient. Some risks associated with these procedures are tooth sensitivity & gum irritation.
Treatment Plans
Psychological Perspectives:
Dental procedures have a lot of psychological impact on the patient’s mind. Generally, people are scared of going through dental procedures. They agree to tolerate pain instead of a dental visit.
While on the other hand, the dental procedures related to cosmetics raise so many questions in the mind of people about the quality & reliability of the method. This issue can be resolved by active communication & mutual collaboration among patients. Dentist & dental care team that will in positive results & successful outcomes.
Selection & polishing of esthetical restorations:
Previously there is a wide variety of esthetic tools like direct & indirect veneers & indirect & conservative porcelain laminate veneers. But advanced technology suggested the use of composite resin veneers for complex cases, whereas porcelain laminate veneers are recommended to be used in aesthetic pe evaluation treatment.
Full crowns prepared by heat-pressed lithium distillate glass-ceramic are reported to be more beneficial for discolored teeth.
Instructions For Oral Self-Care:
Oral self-care is mandatory after completion of the dental procedure. It requires specific medicated toothpaste or mouthwash for cleaning teeth. A regular dental appointment schedule must be followed as per suggestion by the dental care team—oral care help for the long-lasting effects of esthetic dentistry.
Difference Between Esthetic & Cosmetic Dentistry:
The concept of esthetic & cosmetic dentistry clash with one other at the point of “beauty” that raises the confusion in the mind of people that either it is the same or different?.
There is no denying that esthetic & cosmetic dentistry somehow resembles but not the same things. Three prominent & considerable differences between them are strong enough to distinguish them. These three differences are mentioned below:
- Cosmetic dentistry is strictly implemented to enhance the visual appearance of an individual in contrast to it; esthetic dentistry goes much deeper than physical & visual beauty as it deals with the proper balance with teeth and gums.
- Cosmetic dentistry includes procedures like teeth whitening. On the other hand, esthetic dentistry involves a wide range of process that includes missing teeth & so on.
- Cosmetic dentistry used invasive & advanced procedures like braces, veneers, etc.. In contrast, esthetic dentistry used procedures that are alternative to medicines to make teeth better in a natural way by doing regular cleaning, restoration teeth functioning by fillings % removal of root canals, etc.
Practice Management Principles To Esthetic Dentistry:
It is a significant element for the practitioner & dental care team, so have a full understanding of the basic principles of esthetic dentistry. It is too different from the regular & standard concept of dentistry. It is an elective for necessary dentistry performed with cosmetic tools.
Appealing to the patients & making them the convenience to invest their money in their dental care is a professional requirement. Satisfying patients with the quality of provided dental care services is another important task.
Regarding clinical & dental considerations, the dentist needs to explain his clinical skill & abilities to the patient as well to his team.
A financial coordinator must also be there to resolve the payment issues & provide the best sibling plan to the patient with his affordable range with assured of best services so that the patient himself judges the authenticity & commitment exhibit by the dental care team.
Conclusion:
Esthetic dentistry is a step towards enhancing visual appearance by giving your smile a pretty natural look. The success of this procedure depends upon the coordination between patient & practitioner.
Dental professionals further elaborate it with their knowledge & experience & help you to select the best treatment plan. However, oral dental care is a significant step to keep your dental restoration more long-lasting & durable.