One of a person’s biggest assets is their smile. Teeth start off perfectly shaped and brilliantly white however, over time they become chipped, stained and they discolor. These are a few of the things that are detrimental to a beautiful smile, before long they are finding themselves holding their hand in front of their mouth. It does not have to be this way, a dentist in Chicago can help, he or she has a number of cosmetic dental procedures designed to improve the looks of anyone’s teeth. There are a number of things that the dentist will take into account before he or she recommends the course of treatment, in many cases the solution is either dental crowns or dental veneers.
There are similarities in both crowns and veneers, both are custom made to suit the individual patient and the purpose is to give the patient healthy, white teeth. The first step sees the dentist making a mold of the teeth in question; the finished mold is sent to a dental laboratory where they are produced by skilled technicians. When they are sent back to the dentist, they are fixed to the tooth using a special dental adhesive.
There the similarity ends; there are also significant differences between a crown and a veneer. Crowns encapsulate the entire tooth while veneers cover that part of the tooth, usually just the front, that shows when a person smiles broadly.
When preparing a tooth for a crown, the dentist in Chicago must first grind down the tooth, reducing it in size so the crown can fit over what is left of the tooth. The dentist will usually reduce the size of the tooth by as much as 2mm. A veneer on the other hand only needs to be reduced in thickness by about 1mm.
Dental crowns and veneers are used in different situations, crowns are normally used when it is important that the shape or color of the whole tooth. Crowns are also used when it is necessary to rebuild a tooth which has been damaged or was seriously decayed. Crowns are more often used on the teeth which are used to chew and grind food.
Veneers are not used for restorative purposes, they are used exclusively on sound teeth that have gaps between them or are stained and discolored. Veneers are the choice when it is the front teeth, the visible teeth that are being considered.
If you are looking for a dentist in Chicago that offers a wide spectrum of dental services then you are invited to contact Dental Magic. Family and cosmetic dentistry along with orthodontics and emergency care are all services offered by Dental Magic.
