Patients often want to know the difference between cosmetic dentistry and general dentistry. In the past decade there’s been a dramatic interest in cosmetic dentistry and we all realize that our smile can improve our appearance and allow us to smile with confidence, advances in cosmetic dentistry can drastically improve your smile with quick painless dental treatment, where, general dentistry will maintain your dental health.
Cosmetic dentistry can change the size of your teeth, the shape of your tooth, it can change the alignment of your teeth. Cosmetic dentistry can fill unattractive spaces, improve your bite, it can brighten or whiten your teeth, it can replace missing teeth, it can also repair decayed broken cracked or chipped teeth, cosmetic dentistry can replace unattractive old dental treatment. The purpose of cosmetic dentistry is to change normal smiles into beautiful smiles, new materials and procedures make it possible to enjoy a beautiful new you.
Cosmetic dentistry procedures
- Porcelain veneers: custom-crafted shells of porcelain bonded to your natural teeth offer an immediate and dramatic improvement to your smile
- White fillings: a beautiful alternative to silver fillings for a more natural look
- Cosmetic whitening: an easy and reliable way to a beautiful smile
- Bonding: a single appointment solution that can close spaces
- Implants: small metal cylinders replace the roots of missing teeth for a more comfortable and stable alternative to dentures
- Porcelain crowns: beautiful crowns made entirely out of porcelain for a new more natural look
A General Dentist can take care of just about all your dental needs and they are trained in all different fields of dentistry. The term general dentistry covers most aspects of dentistry and is performed by a general dentist as opposed to a specialist who is the dentist with a high level of skill in a small area of dentistry. If you have any kind of dental problem the best person to go to is your general dentist. He or she will be able to sort through the problem and refer you to the right person. Some things are complicated and you’re doomed, a general dentist would not be able to deal with them but, they are aware of the broad aspects of dentistry, they know exactly where to send you.
A good general dentist is not someone who acts like a beautician and just deals with white shiny teeth, but someone who is concerned with all of your oral health, your gums, any pathologies such as a cancer that may be in your mouth, how your bite works, and what sort of restorations are needed to keep your teeth strong and lifelong.