Do you take excellent care of your teeth and gums, but dislike your smile aesthetics? Do you find yourself hiding your teeth (or gums) when laughing with friends and colleagues? The team at Lifetime Dental understands your frustration and would love to help.
For most of us, smile aesthetic concerns come down to discoloured, misshapen or misaligned teeth. Fortunately, we can usually address these concerns right here in our dental clinic.
In this blog, your cosmetic dentist in Prahran addresses your concerns in the following headlines:
- Defining Your Smile Goals: Addressing Discolouration, Shape and Alignment
- Head-to-Head Comparison: Cost, Lifespan and Invasiveness
- Making an Informed Choice: Your Consultation Is Key
- When to Contact Your Dentist for a Booking
Defining Your Smile Goals: Addressing Discolouration, Shape and Alignment
Look in the mirror and smile. Now, determine what you might like to change about your teeth and gums. Do you have a few discoloured teeth? A bit of overlapping? Does too much gum show when you smile?
In many cases, your cosmetic dentist can address these concerns using porcelain veneers, dental bonding or professional teeth whitening.
Option 1: Professional Teeth Whitening (The Brightening Solution)
Sometimes, professional teeth whitening is all you need to refresh and brighten your smile.
At Lifetime Dental, we’re pleased to offer in-chair whitening and professional take-home solutions, such as PolaDay and PolaNight. In-chair whitening may be the best solution for quick results, while at-home whitening allows you to brighten your teeth over a few weeks.
Your dentist may also use our gentle laser to aid in smile whitening.
The dentist recommends trusting your teeth whitening to dental professionals and avoiding internet hacks and over-the-counter systems for safety and predictable results.
Option 2: Cosmetic Dental Bonding (The Conservative Fix)
Cosmetic bonding is typically inexpensive and always non-invasive.
With the same composite we use for dental fillings, your dentist can conceal:
- Tooth Chips
- Tooth Cracks
- Discolouration
- Small Spaces Between Teeth
This is a temporary solution that your dentist can touch up periodically.
Option 3: Porcelain Veneers (The Complete Transformation)
Porcelain veneers can conceal a wide range of smile imperfections using strips of custom porcelain. These strips (or tooth shells) can hide the following:
- Tooth Chips
- Tooth Cracks
- Discolouration
- Slightly Misaligned Teeth
- Gummy Smiles
- Short Teeth
- Unusual Spacing
Option 4: Other Considerations (Smile Makeovers and Tooth Replacement)
Of course, we offer more than veneers, bonding and professional teeth whitening. In fact, your dentist can often combine treatments for a professional smile makeover using two or more cosmetic treatments, such as dental implants, clear braces, gum recontouring and tooth-coloured restorations.
You can talk to your dentist about Digital Smile Design®, which lets you preview your results before we start treatment. Digital Smile Design takes the guesswork out of cosmetic dentistry by creating virtual mock-ups of your teeth and gums following various cosmetic options. It’s like a smile try on!
* Treatment outcomes vary between individuals. Your dentist will discuss what results are realistic for your circumstances.
Head-to-Head Comparison: Cost, Lifespan and Invasiveness
Below, we compare porcelain veneers, dental bonding and teeth whitening to give a better understanding of what to expect with costs, lifespan and invasiveness.
Cost vs. Longevity Investment
Cost varies depending on the number of teeth you’d like to treat, the complexity of your case and the option you choose.
Typically, dental bonding is the least expensive of the three options, or it may cost about the same as professional teeth whitening. Dental veneers may be more expensive, but the results can be dramatic and transformative.
- Teeth whitening can last for several years with healthy habits.
- Dental bonding can last for several years with periodic touch-ups.
- Dental veneers can last up to a decade or longer with healthy habits.
Your dentist will discuss how to care for your smile after treatment to help it last longer.
Degree of Invasiveness
Dental bonding and professional teeth whitening are non-invasive. For porcelain veneers, your dentist must remove a bit of tooth enamel to ensure the cosmetic restorations fit flush and look natural rather than bulky.
Because we remove a bit of enamel to secure porcelain veneers, you must consider them permanent and always replace a veneer if it is lost or damaged.
Which Option Solves Your Specific Problem?
In the end, it really comes down to which cosmetic option solves your cosmetic imperfection.
If you have discoloured teeth, professional teeth whitening may be sufficient. If you have chipped or cracked teeth, dental bonding may be the right solution. If you have advanced issues, including a gummy smile, dental veneers may be the way to go.
Your cosmetic consultation can help you decide.
Making an Informed Choice: Your Consultation Is Key
Your consultation is the first step on your cosmetic journey. You visit the dentist to discuss your smile goals and what you hope to achieve through cosmetic dentistry in Prahran, VIC.
Your dentist answers your questions and examines your teeth to determine whether you’re a suitable candidate for our treatments. We can help you narrow down the options so that you can choose suitable treatments for your unique goals. Our team can discuss costs and potential financing through MediPay.
* Eligibility for payment plans may vary depending on the provider and your personal circumstances. Terms, conditions and lending criteria apply.
You can also talk to the dentist about Digital Smile Design. Through videos and images, Digital Smile Design creates various mock-ups of what your smile will look like based on the options you choose. It is a way to try on multiple options to preview the outcomes.
When to Contact Your Dentist for a Booking
We encourage you to contact the dentist when you’re ready to book a cosmetic consultation or if you have questions about our dental treatments and services.
You can reach us on (03) 9510 1644.
