Modern dentistry offers a wide variety of treatment options for people seeking to enhance their smile. If there is something you don’t like about your smile, you don’t have to live with it. Below are just some of the many cosmetic procedures and services Dominguez & Rucker Family Dentistry provides to our patients.
Teeth Whitening or Bleaching
Keeping our teeth their whitest is a lot harder than it sounds. Coffee, wine, smoking, medications and certain health problems can stain and discolor your teeth, even with proper home care and maintenance. Teeth whitening is an excellent way to restore the natural color of your teeth or even make them whiter.
At-Home System
A tray whitening system is the most common way to whiten teeth in the privacy of your own home. This is done in two steps. The first step is to make an impression of your teeth. With this impression, we’ll craft custom whitening trays (similar to athletic mouth guards) that you can use over and over. You simply apply the whitening gel for a short period of time each day for a few days. Your smile will typically get four to eight shades whiter!
Veneers
Veneers are an excellent way to redesign and reshape your smile. Veneers are very thin ceramic shells that cover your existing teeth. With new veneers, you can fix issues such as staining, cracked teeth, spaces, misaligned teeth, chipped teeth and many others.
The process to place veneers takes two to three visits. During the first visit, we’ll discuss the shape and look we can accomplish with veneers. We’ll carefully prepare the teeth for the new veneers. Then we’ll take an impression of the newly prepared teeth. This impression is sent to our laboratory, where the final product is made. We only use the highest laboratory standards and quality materials for fabrication. The lab process takes 10 to 14 days. While the new veneers are being fabricated at the lab, we provide you with a beautiful temporary solution.
We make every effort to ensure that your new veneers feel just like your natural teeth. We bond them into place to ensure that you enjoy your new smile for a very long time!
Metal-Free Crowns
In the past, tooth-colored crowns consisted of both porcelain and metal. Advancements in dentistry have paved the way for porcelain crowns - a natural-looking solution to restore decayed or structurally unsound teeth. Now with the evolution of ceramic materials and their higher esthetic qualities, porcelain crowns are translucent, like natural tooth enamel, which means that your crowned tooth will blend seamlessly with your existing smile.
Inlays & Onlays
Inlays and onlays are often referred to as partial crowns. We use the existing tooth as a base and fit the inlay or onlay onto the tooth. This strengthens the tooth, restores its shape and prevents further damage. An inlay is done when there is no damage to the cusps and the inlay can be placed right on the tooth. An inlay is used when damage is more extensive.
First we remove the decayed area of the tooth. We then take a mold of the tooth and send it to the dental lab. They create a restoration made from porcelain, gold or composite resin. This takes about two to three weeks, so we place a temporary inlay or onlay until that time. During your next visit, we’ll place the inlay or onlay. The affected tooth will look so natural that no one will know you’ve had anything done.
Bonding & Tooth-Colored Fillings
Bonding is a popular method for enhancing the esthetics of your smile. Bonding can be used to correct cracks or gaps in teeth, as a filling after a cavity has been removed or to cover up stains and discolored teeth.
We use a composite resin on the affected tooth or teeth. We mold and sculpt using an adhesive gel resin placed on the tooth. Once the resin is applied, we use an ultraviolet light to harden the resin. We then polish it to give you a fresh, new smile.
Bonding is an obvious improvement over unsightly silver amalgam fillings. With the advancements in dental technology, bonding usually lasts for over 10 years. It is a safe, affordable and attractive solution for many dental problems.
Take advantage of Fort Mill’s most comprehensive and personalized family dental care. Dominguez & Rucker Family Dentistry, of Fort Mill, SC, is known for its comprehensive cosmetic dentistry, family dental care and superb patient convenience. Call us at 803.547.1888 or use our easy online Request an Appointment form to schedule your consultation. Se habla español!