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Dental imperfections can alter how we present ourselves. Stained, chipped, or missing teeth are just a few of the obstacles that can be overcome with the help of your cosmetic dentist.

Teeth whitening – Stains from years of hygiene neglect, diet, medications or aging can be all but eliminated in about one hour with Zoom! Teeth Whitening.  Possibly the least invasive cosmetic procedure that offers the biggest bank for your buck, teeth whitening can take drab and dull to “Hollywood Wow” in one appointment.

Dental bonding – For intrinsic stains that do not respond to whitening, bonding offers a means to cover those stains with a composite resin material that is designed to perfectly match surrounding teeth. Bonding is appropriate for small tooth repairs as well.

Porcelain veneers – One of the minimally invasive but permanent cosmetic procedures available, porcelain veneers are wafer thin, tooth colored shells designed to conceal multiple dental inconsistencies such as:

• Dental stain – When whitening or bonding will not suffice, veneers provide a lasting option.
• Gaps between teeth – Those spaces disappear when veneers are applied to affected teeth.
• Chipped or misshapen teeth – Teeth appear whole and even.
• Uneven or worn enamel – One or several teeth can benefit from veneers providing extra strength to treated teeth.

Veneers can be made from composite resin or fabricated in porcelain by a dental lab. Porcelain veneers are stain resistant, and offer a lifelike alternative to more extensive procedures.

Surgical enhancements – Eliminate a “gummy smile” with gum line corrections.

Crown and bridge – There was a time when the only material available for dental prosthetics was metal based. With the introduction of porcelain, your cosmetic dentist is able to provide beautiful restorations with natural dental anatomy making them virtually indistinguishable from your biological teeth.

• A crown can salvage a cracked or broken tooth, or one that has undergone multiple fillings and cannot sustain further treatment.
• The loss of one or more teeth can be supplanted with either a fixed or removable bridge. Healthy abutment teeth will play a key role in available options.

If you are feeling self-conscious about your smile, a discussion with your cosmetic dentist will reveal the many options available to resolve your concerns. Dental enhancements will be presented to satisfy every budgetary and timeline constraint. Your dentist will work with you to determine the best treatment plan to restore your smile and boost your self-confidence.

Contact our experienced and caring dental team today to discuss which smile makeover options can help you. Call 516-484-6600 to schedule an appointment.

Many patients consult with a cosmetic dentist when they’d like to enhance their smiles. Sometimes the issues have occurred as a part of the patient’s natural growth and development processes, while in other cases, some sort of trauma or disease may have led to an outcome that detracts from the smile.

Whatever the main issue is, or even if there are multiple issues, a cosmetic dentist likely can offer an intervention that will help the patient achieve the smile of his or her dreams.

In fact, cosmetic dentists are skilled in a number of different treatment options that can improve a smile’s aesthetics.

One of these is porcelain veneers. These wafer-thin tooth shaped shells are bonded atop the natural tooth to correct any number of problems, including deep stains, chips or cracks, or slightly misaligned teeth.

Veneers can also be used for “instant orthodontics,” which uses devices made from a high-tech ceramic material to re-contour slightly crooked teeth. This treatment can be completed in a matter of weeks in comparison to the multiple years that some patients must spend in orthodontic treatment.

Dental implants also make major improvements to the smile of a patient with a missing tooth (or teeth) that has left a noticeable gap in the smile. With this treatment, a titanium implant is surgically inserted into the jawbone in the empty space. Over time, it fuses with the bone and replicates a tooth’s root, anchoring a lifelike prosthetic crown in place.

Teeth whitening is another cosmetic dentistry tool of the trade that can have a major impact in a minimal timeframe. Patients can whiten their teeth over the course of several days in the comfort of their own homes, while wearing custom-crafted trays and extra-strength bleaching gels during sleep. Alternatively, patients can come into the office to take advantage of the ZOOM! Teeth Whitening system, which brightens the teeth by up to 10 shades in just an hour.

Any of these treatments can be used alone, or multiple interventions may be combined for a comprehensive smile makeover, if requested. Teeth whitening, for example, can be the perfect final touch after other cosmetic work, or it can make a noticeable difference on its own.

Don’t be resigned to a subpar smile. Contact East Hills Dental Associates at 516-484-6600 to see what treatments may be available to you to give you the look you desire.

Our smile is often the first thing people notice about us, and a healthy smile is a trait many people find attractive. A healthy smile can also give the owner self-confidence, but similarly, a smile that looks tired can destroy one’s confidence and make them uncomfortable in social interaction. However, there is now an array of techniques that a cosmetic dentist can use to give your smile the perfect makeover.

Whether the problem is tooth discoloration, or cracked or damaged teeth, a misaligned bite, gaps between teeth or a narrow smile, you can be sure a cosmetic dentist has just the remedy to restore your smile back to its former glory.

Teeth whitening treatments, for example, can be used to address issues of discolored teeth that might look stained and dull. Depending on the level of staining, a cosmetic dentist can treat the complaint either with kits that the patient takes home, or in the dental office. While there are over-the-counter solutions available for teeth whitening, they often don’t give the same level of results as professional treatment, and professional whitening can even be done in a single day, thanks to recent advancements in the treatment, and the introduction of Zoom! Teeth Whitening.

Patients with gaps in their teeth or a narrow smile can have their smile restored with porcelain veneers. These small prosthetic dental aids affix over the patient’s natural teeth, helping to reconstruct the patient’s smile. The result is a smile that looks, feels and behaves natural. Veneers can also be used to conceal teeth that have been damaged.

For more serious smile reconstruction, perhaps due to the loss of a tooth, then dental implants offer a complete replacement. Small titanium pillars are placed into the patient’s gum tissue and allowed to bond with the jawbone. A dental crown is then affixed onto the pillar to provide a natural finish. The replacement provides great strength and support to surrounding teeth, preserving both the strength and pattern of the patient’s bite, aiding speech and looking great!

There are many more cosmetic dentistry techniques that can be used in a smile makeover, so whatever the complaint with your smile that is preventing you from showing it off to the full, you can be sure our team at East Hills Dental Associates, serving Long Island, will be able to make you smile again! Call 516-484-6600 to schedule your professional consultation.

The process of tooth bonding involves the use of a tooth-colored resin that is bonded onto a person’s existing tooth in order to conceal damage to a chipped tooth, or to close spaces between teeth. Other uses for tooth bonding include smile makeovers by a cosmetic dentist to lengthen the appearance of teeth or to change the tooth’s shape or colour.

For minor dental repairs, and in instances where procedures such as porcelain veneers or dental crowns may be more costly in relation to the actual repair requirement, then a dentist may consider dental bonding as an alternative.

An affected tooth is first prepared by the dentist by the roughing of the surface of the tooth, using a special tool. A liquid bonding agent is then applied to the tooth. The cosmetic dentist then applies a soft, tooth-colored putty and molds and smooths the putty into the desired shape.

Once the dentist is satisfied with the restoration, an ultraviolet curing light is used to harden the putty. If further dental bondings are required, the dentist then repeats the steps until the desired result is reached, before finally polishing the finished repair and matching its sheen with the rest of the tooth’s surface.

Dental bonding is a very common dental restoration technique, and can be performed in a single dental visit to deal with and treat a range of minor dental deficiencies. Unlike dental crowns or porcelain veneers, dental bonding requires little or no removal of any tooth enamel and can be performed without the need of anesthesia.

Once treatment is complete, bonded teeth require no special dental aftercare, and bonded teeth can be cared for in the same fashion as other teeth through a good dental care regime and regular visits to a dentist.

Dental bonds aren’t a permanent solution to dental restoration, however, and so to prolong the life of the dental bond, it is advisable to avoid activities that may chip or damage the bond, such as biting on fingernails, chewing on pens or crunching on hard foods.

Contact the Nassau County office of Dr. Richard Sousa to learn how you can benefit from dental bonding.

For many years when your dentist detected dental decay, dental amalgam or gold were the products used to fill the tooth after the dentist removed the actual decay. Amalgam is silver metallic in appearance and contains mercury. With the option of a composite resin material to repair dental decay, your cosmetic dentist can now offer you dental repairs that are virtually undetectable.

The primary reason that so many patients select composite resin for dental fillings is the aesthetic beauty they provide. Your cosmetic dentist can match the shade of the filling material so closely to the natural color of your tooth, a filling can be completed in your smile line and go entirely unnoticed.

In addition to dental fillings, this same material can be used to cover stain or uneven tooth discolorations due to medication, diet or lifestyle habits. Minor cosmetic repairs are also suitable to being restored with cosmetic resin such as correcting gaps between teeth, reshaping teeth to even out a misshapen smile or covering an exposed root due to gum recession.

Besides its aesthetic value, composite resin will offer durability and strength to the tooth that is treated. This is due to the material being placed on the tooth in small increments and hardened in stages with either a curing light or a laser. The composite resin is placed in or on an area that has been treated with a coating of a bonding agent which prepares the tooth to accept the material and adhere securely. This application process also results in the reduction of sensitivity to hot or cold.

Another advantage to composite resin fillings over amalgam is much less of the tooth is impacted using the composite material. Also, over time the silver amalgam can become even more discolored giving it a darker appearance than when first put in.

As previously mentioned, dental amalgam contains mercury. The material used in making tooth colored fillings is a plastic resin, and there have not been any health hazards associated with the use of composite resin making it the completely safe choice for dental repairs.

Once your cosmetic dentist has finished your restoration, it will be adjusted for utmost comfort levels and polished to most closely match the surrounding teeth. In one visit you will have a completed dental repair that rivals the appearance of your natural teeth.

Composite resin is the most logical and aesthetically pleasing product available today to correct minor cosmetic issues and repair dental cavities. Contact our experienced dental team serving Nassau County to learn of all the options available to satisfy your dental needs.