Understanding Dental Pain and Bacterial Infections

Posted on: 14 February 2018

There are many cosmetic dental procedures that can give you the perfect smile you've always wanted. Unfortunately, many of these treatments are expensive and insurance pays for little if any, making them an impossible choice for some patients. Luckily, there are many affordable dental cosmetic procedures. With these procedures, you can still get a beautiful smile without spending a fortune.

Tooth Whitening

If you've taken great care of your teeth but have dingy or stained teeth, tooth whitening may be an excellent choice, and there are many different ways to whiten your teeth. The most effective and the most expensive choice is in-office whitening, which costs about $650 per treatment. The gel used during the treatment is the strongest, so you get drastic results in only one visit. You can also choose to buy take-home trays from your dentist. The process takes longer, but it is more effective than over-the-counter products. Over-the-counter products are another option, but many don't work, and the ones that do work are slow.

Tooth whitening is best if you have organic stains. These include stains from foods, beverages and tobacco. As you get older, even if you don't smoke and avoid stain-causing foods/beverages, your teeth naturally change their shade. Tooth whitening corrects this type of discoloration too. However, it may not be good if you have inorganic stains, such as discoloration from trauma. 

Tooth-Colored Fillings

If you haven't taken great care of your teeth, you probably have some metal fillings or even existing cavities that you've been ignoring. You can get these cavities fixed, however, without the need for metal fillings. In fact, more and more dentists are using tooth-colored fillings for their many benefits. For starters, the material used looks much like natural tooth, so your teeth look whole and healthy.

The composite material used also bonds to teeth. Metal doesn't bond to tooth tissue, so when a metal filling is being placed, more healthy tooth tissue must be removed to create a shelf to hold the metal filling. Because this shelf isn't needed, less healthy tissue is removed. On the downside, however, tooth-colored fillings are more expensive than metal. Tooth-colored fillings cost about $90 to $250, and metal costs $50 to $150. Metal is also slightly more durable, but it can cause damage to the tooth tissue surrounding it.

Dental Bonding

Dental bonding is another choice, and it can be used to correct many problems. The process costs about $100 to $400 per tooth. With dental bonding, the same material used in tooth-colored fillings is used. This is beneficial for you because it means treatment is faster. Instead of waiting for a veneer or crown to be crafted in a lab, you can have the bonding done in the office right when you want it. However, the material used doesn't look as natural as porcelain veneers and crowns.

Some of the most common reasons people get dental bonding is because they have chips or cracks in their teeth. However, if you have mild crooked teeth or gapping, dental bonding can also mask this because the dentist can use the material to fill in areas and make your smile look straight. Last, dental bonding is great at hiding inorganic stains that are not effectively whitened with tooth-bleaching.

You deserve a beautiful, healthy smile, and just because most dental cosmetic procedures are expensive, it doesn't mean you can obtain that smile affordably. These three procedures are all affordable, but they do a great job of improving your smile. If you would like more information regarding cosmetic dentistry services, contact a dentist in your area today.