While dental conditions can be quite complex, Dr. Kent and the Smile Center team have many ways to restore the appearance of your smile. Qualities formerly taken for granted suffer when your teeth and gums hurt as you chew, or when you are embarrassed by changes in the look of your mouth over time.
To correct discoloration, chips, gaps, and other flaws that often go hand-in-hand with decay and disease, the Smile Center may suggest cosmetic dentistry services in Buffalo NY, including:
- Professional in-office or take-home teeth whitening
- Porcelain veneers
- Tooth-colored restorations, as attractive as they are durable
- Orthodontic straightening like ClearCorrect and Invisalign
- Porcelain crowns
- Natural looking tooth replacement options such as dental implant-supported crowns
These options may be combined to transform the look of your smile. Of course, your health is the most important consideration. Dr. Kent always takes into account how any restorative procedures and materials will look in your mouth, as well as how well they will hold up after years of cumulative pressure from chewing and biting. Patients with healthy smiles are also candidates for elective cosmetic procedures, as it is necessary to have good oral health before moving on with treatments such as whitening.
Decay: The ugly truth
Your mouth contains more than 500 different species of bacteria. They contribute to the constant formation of a sticky and destructive film called plaque. While saliva acts as a natural cleanser to remove plaque, its production is inhibited by some health conditions and medications, which frequently cause dry mouth.
Natural mouth bacteria feast on sugars in food and drink that remain on teeth. Bacteria and sugars combine to produce acids, which eventually invade the inside of the tooth. You can see visual indicators of this destructive process. You may initially notice that the protective enamel coating has thinned. Then acids create holes or cavities in the teeth.
Cavities may look like spots that are whiter than the rest of the tooth, or appear as parts of the tooth that are gray, brown, or black. If cavities aren’t filled, this acidic mix in the mouth will continue to wreak havoc on your smile. You may notice chips and other changes to the shape and surface of the tooth. Eventually, decay threatens the very structure of the tooth as it reaches the nerve center or pulp.
Plaque also irritates tissues around the teeth, and promotes gum disease. As disease advances, you may experience crowding and gaps, and teeth may feel loose in their sockets. For the health and beauty of your mouth, don’t delay. Schedule an appointment with the Smile Center by calling .