mouth and dental disorders
Overview of Tooth Disorders
Cosmetic Dentistry
Cosmetic dentistry can dramatically improve a person’s appearance. Bondinginvolves the attachment of tooth-colored fillings to natural teeth with minimal tooth preparation. Bonding is a conservative way to restore fractured or chipped teeth, to close spaces between the teeth, or to cover a portion of the tooth to change the shade, color, or shape. A mild acid solution is used to clean and mildly roughen the tooth surface so that a tooth-colored resin (generally made of a special type of plastic called a composite) can adhere to this surface. Bonding allows dentists to improve the appearance of the teeth without removing large amounts of tooth structure. Porcelain veneersare similar to bonding, but they use tooth-colored porcelain instead of composite to mask discoloration or change the shape of the teeth. The process often requires two visits. An impression is made after the teeth are prepared. Porcelain veneers are then made in a dental prosthetic laboratory, sometimes using digital scanning and milling. The veneers are bonded to the teeth using a thin resin cement. Bleaching,or tooth whitening, is a process to lighten teeth. The effectiveness of bleaching varies according to the original color of the teeth. Products used for home bleaching usually contain ahydrogen peroxidegel that is placed into a custom-made closely fitting mouth guard–like tray that holds the solution near the teeth. The bleaching agent is placed into the mouth for a few hours per day or even overnight for 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the concentration of the bleaching agent. Bleaching can also be done in a dentist’s office, in which the process is much quicker. People can also apply whitening strips themselves. These strips are often very effective and are safe to use at home. Toothpaste that contains whitening agents such ashydrogen peroxideand baking soda have been shown to whiten teeth but are often less effective than professionally applied products. The most common side effect of bleaching is tooth sensitivity. Bleaching may not be effective for people whose teeth are darkened or discolored because of cavities, because of a side effect of some drugs or diseases, or because of a tooth that has died. 