A wonderful pearly white smile is what everyone wants, but misaligned teeth hinder this. Your teeth generally get misaligned during your growth years when your teeth erupt and move in a wrong direction. Certain habits such as thumb sucking can also cause misaligned teeth. To fight this problem, cosmetic dentistry in North Edmonton has various procedures to align them properly. Some of them are discussed here.
-
Metal Braces
Metal braces are one of the oldest procedures for teeth straightening. In this procedure, the metal wires are tightly attached to the teeth surface. These wires apply continuous pressure to the teeth to change the bone shape and realign the teeth. Metal braces are highly effective but have some issues. They can be painful at times and also makes chewing difficult.
-
Clear Aligners
Invisible aligners or Invisalign are a substitute for metal braces. They are also commonly known as clear braces as they have the aligning properties without the metal look. These aligners are custom made for each patient and are detachable. However, a person needs to wear them at least for 22 hours in a day for best results. Clear aligners need to be removed before meals to avoid staining, and before they are put back, the person needs to thoroughly clean their teeth to remove food debris from the teeth crevices.
-
Cosmetic Contouring
Cosmetic contouring is a process which a dentist performs when your teeth have minor alignment issues. In this process, if only a couple of your teeth are misaligned, the dentist simply reshapes them using a drill or laser. Cosmetic contouring process is a quick one, lasting for not more than 30 minutes. For the reshaping process, the dentist first carefully removes the enamel of the tooth and sculpts the teeth. After the sculpting is done, the tooth is smoothed and polished.
-
Composite Bonding
Cosmetic bonding is a process which is used when you have crooked teeth with minor gaps. In this procedure, the resin of tooth color is applied in the gaps using adhesive to give straight teeth look. This method is a good option for temporary correction but is prone to staining.
-
Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are a type of cosmetic dentistry which is beneficial for the front teeth. In this procedure, small tooth-like chips are custom made as per the patient’s teeth shape, size and color. These chips are then attached to the tooth after removing a tiny layer of the tooth enamel. These veneers look exactly like your teeth and are stain resistant. They are a good option for crooked teeth, chipped teeth and discolored teeth.
With so many options of teeth straightening available, you can choose the one which suits you the best, based on the kind of misalignment in your teeth. To make a sound decision, visit the general cosmetic dentists in North Edmonton and get the perfect smile you want.