Patients often come to our practice seeking advice on ways to correct aesthetic dental problems. These patients may require cosmetic dental procedures or treatment for a number to correct a variety of cosmetic defects - to repair a malformed bite or crooked teeth, to treat an injury, or just to improve their overall appearance. For these and many other reasons, cosmetic dentistry has become a vital and important part of the dental profession. But whatever their reason for seeking treatment, the ultimate goal is to restore a beautiful smile.

In the past decade there has been a dramatic increase in the demand for cosmetic dentistry.  We all understand that having a healthy, bright, beautiful smile enhances our appearance and allows us to increases self-confidence.  Thanks to the advances in modern cosmetic dentistry, cosmetic dentistry is no longer a luxury reserved for movie stars, and our San Bruno, CA Cosmetic Dentist Office is able to improve your smile with quick, painless and surprisingly affordable treatments.

Common cosmetic dental procedures can be performed to correct misshapen, discolored, chipped or missing teeth. Procedures used in the practice of cosmetic dentistry can also change the overall shape of teeth, whether they are too long or short, have gaps, or simply need to be reshaped to create a more attractive smile.

• Some of the more common procedures involve:
• Change the size, shape, and alignment of certain teeth
• Fill in unattractive spaces between teeth
• Improve or correct bites
• Lighten or brighten the color of teeth
• Repair decayed, broken, cracked, or chipped teeth
• Replace missing teeth
• Replace old, unattractive dental treatments

Which techniques should be used to improve your smile? Before making any decisions, your dentist will need to do a complete dental exam. It is very important to identify any underlying issues that may affect the results of any cosmetic dental procedure. The professionals at San Bruno Cosmetic Dentistry will also discuss your about your lifestyle to determine the best treatment for you. Contact your cosmetic dental professional for more information and to take the first step towards obtaining the smile of your dreams.

A beautiful, healthy smile can make a great first impression, but if you have crooked or uneven teeth, you may be less than confident about your smile. If you’ve been putting off having this corrected because you don't want to endure the process and time involved in wearing traditional braces, you are not alone. But there are options to correct alignment issues and give you back your beautiful smile. Today, let's take a look at some of the advantages of using the Invisalign™ system.

What makes Invisalign aligners preferable to traditional braces?

• Easy Treatment Plan: Your Invisalign™ treatment starts when we take the X-rays used to create a 3-d digital image of your mouth.  Next, you’ll be given a series of custom-made aligners that you will take home and change about every two weeks. You will see the difference in your smile every time you change aligners! You will be scheduled for checkups every six weeks or so at San Bruno Dental Medicine so we can monitor your progress.
• Convenient: Simply wear your aligners throughout the day, removing them to eat. This allows you to eat foods you love without the worry of particles getting stuck in wires and brackets.
• Easily removable: You will continue to brush and floss your teeth as you normally would. Your Invisalign™ aligners can simply be brushed and rinsed in lukewarm water.
• Adaptable to your active lifestyle: Since Invisalign™ aligners are nearly invisible; most people won’t even notice you’re wearing them. You don’t have to worry about the discomfort of metal braces and wires that can poke and irritate your mouth, and if you’re involved in contact sports, Invisalign™ aligners are easily removed, enabling you to wear a protective mouth guard if necessary.

How long does the entire process take?
It’s difficult to say exactly how long you will need to wear your Invisalign™ aligners since everyone is unique. Contact the San Bruno General Cosmetic Dentist for a free consultation to evaluate your individual situation. Generally speaking though, Invisalign™ treatment usually takes about a year for adults. For teens, the length of treatment is comparable to that of traditional braces, with less discomfort and the added advantage of seeing the improvement every time you change aligners!

Are you less than happy with the appearance of your smile? Do you shy away from business situations and social interactions because you’re self-conscious about your appearance? You may be surprised to learn that many issues that people think are purely cosmetic can also have an impact on your overall oral health.

Teeth that are cracked, decayed, missing, or incorrectly aligned not only mar your appearance and make you feel self-conscious, but they can lead to a variety of other problems including periodontal disease, jaw pain, and difficulty with chewing. Cosmetic dentistry can correct these issues, restoring your oral health and beautiful smile.

Cosmetic Dental Solutions

At San Bruno General Dentist we understand that every patient’s needs are unique. When you visit our office, we will work closely with you to find the solution that is right for you, correcting potentially harmful dental issues and giving you a smile you can be proud of.

Cosmetic dentistry offers several solutions for perfecting your smile:

• Porcelain Veneers can cover discolored teeth and correct problems like uneven spacing, gaps, and crooked teeth
• Dental Implants can be used to replace missing teeth and offer additional support against shifting teeth and jaw collapse
• Porcelain Crowns offer a strong, aesthetically pleasing solution for patients with cracked or chipped teeth
• Tooth-colored fillings prevent further decay while appearing natural, unlike amalgam fillings
• Tooth bonding corrects the appearance of broken, misaligned, or crooked teeth

There are almost unlimited options for creating a smile you can be proud of. In addition to correcting potential dental problems and ensuring your overall oral health, San Bruno General Cosmetic Dentist offers a wide range of cosmetic services from basic teeth whitening to more complex procedures such as dental implants. This combination of sound general dentistry combined with cosmetic dentistry offers a solution for every smile.

There’s a huge selection of tooth whitening tray kits available in your supermarket.  But did you know that choosing a customized at-home tooth whitening kit from a qualified cosmetic dentist may prevent other dental issues arising from the use of over-the-counter whitening agents?

 

Home whitening tray kits cannot provide the exact fit obtained when using a custom made whitening tray provided by your dentist.  A custom tray is designed to minimize the contact of bleaching gel with gum tissue.  Trays that don’t fit properly can also cause irritation when the edge of a bleaching tray rubs against the gums.

 

When custom bleaching trays are used gum irritation can be kept to a minimum, helping to protect you against more serious gum issues (periodontitis, gingivitis) down the road. For this reason a custom-fit whitening tray is most important in instances where a relatively higher concentration whitener is being used. In order to provide a perfect-fitting customized tray, your San Bruno Tooth Whitening Dentist takes an impression of your teeth. The resulting custom-made tray is trimmed so that it covers the entire surface of each tooth, falling just short of the gum line. This special contouring not only protects the sensitive gum tissue but also eliminates irritation caused by tray edges rubbing against the gum line.

 

The fit of a custom-molded tray from your cosmetic dentist has other advantages:

 

Contact with the entire tooth surface: A uniform whitening effect is best achieved when the whitener being used remains in contact with the entire surface of a tooth.

Proper tray retention: It’s important that the whitening tray stay in place for maximum whitening action.  A custom-fabricated tray can virtually guarantee this type of fit.

 

Contact San Bruno Cosmetic Dentistry to determine if you’re a better candidate for an in-office whitening procedure such as the Sapphire Whitening System or a customized, take-home bleaching kit. Your cosmetic dentist is highly trained and dedicated to your overall oral health as well as helping you achieve a brighter smile.

If you’ve shopped for over-the-counter tooth whitening products lately, you were probably overwhelmed by the number of products available that claim to whiten your teeth. But how effective are they in reality? Let’s take a look at some of the more popular products on the market today and see how they stack up.

 

Whitening Strips

Whitening strips purchased at your local pharmacy have drawbacks. They do contain a peroxide-based whitening agent, but it is not nearly as potent as those safely used in our San Bruno Cosmetic Dentist office. Also, whitening strips only touch the front surface of your teeth, missing the spaces between your teeth. Though it is possible to remove stains over time with whitening strips it may take months to see any significant results.

 

Whitening Rinses

Whitening Rinses are similar to mouthwashes. They kill bacteria, refresh your breath and may help remove plaque. Unlike mouthwashes, whitening rinses contain hydrogen peroxide. Manufactures advise you to rinse your mouth twice a day for one minute each and state that it may take 12 weeks to see results. Most consumers report no difference after using, probably because the rinse barely touches your teeth for two minutes a day.

 

Whitening Gels

Whitening gels are clear, peroxide-based gels applied directly to the surface of your teeth. Instructions generally call for twice a day application for 14 days. Initial results are seen in a few days and final results are sustained for about four months. However, application can be difficult since teeth are required to be completely free of saliva before use.

 

Whether you choose a home whitening treatment option or an in-office whitening procedure such as the Sapphire Whitening System, you should consult with your dentist first. Our San Bruno, CA Cosmetic Dentist can examine your teeth and determine if there are any underlying issues with your teeth or gums that would cause problems as a result of using over-the-counter whitening agents.

It can be overwhelming for dental patients today to select a dentist who will not only make them feel comfortable but, just as importantly, one who can provide the range of services that will enable them to have “one-stop” convenience and avoid the hassle of running to different dental practices to receive the services and treatments they need and desire. Today’s blog will focus on the relationship between general dentistry and cosmetic dentistry.

 

General dentists are dedicated to preventing and treating oral disease such as cavities and gum disease. If you visit a general dentist and a problem is diagnosed, he or she will assess the best way to restore the tooth involved.

 

Cosmetic dentists perform elective dental procedures developed specifically to make your smile more attractive. Cosmetic dentistry procedures available include teeth whitening, tooth-colored fillings, Invisalign invisible braces, veneers, inlays, and dental crowns.

 

San Bruno General Cosmetic Dentist offers both general and cosmetic dentistry procedures. In some cases, there is a restorative procedure will include a cosmetic element. For example, if one of our patients comes in after sustaining a chipped front tooth, the tooth will need to be restored to prevent decay. Because of the chip, the tooth is also not as sound structurally, so it is more vulnerable to further damage. In this hypothetical case, the tooth also affects the overall appearance of the smile. Depending on the extent and type of damage, there are several restorative options. Dental bonding, porcelain veneers (or Lumineers) and crowns are all used to repair a damaged tooth.

 

As you can see, there is not always a definitive line between general and cosmetic dentistry. At San Bruno California Dental Office, our team provides full spectrum of preventative, restorative, and cosmetic dental procedures in a state-of-the-art, comfortable environment.