Cosmetic dentistry focuses on correcting the alignment, colour and shape of the teeth, thus enhancing your facial appearance. One of the most popular cosmetic dentistry procedures is tooth bleaching. Tooth bleaching involves the use of supervised whitening systems that enhance dental appearance by improving discoloured or stained teeth. Veneers are a popular cosmetic dentistry procedure to correct heavily restored teeth, damaged teeth, or slightly misaligned teeth. Crowns, dental bridges, dental implants and dentures can be used as replacements for missing teeth or to correct uneven or worn dentition.

Dental bleaching or tooth whitening is a hugely popular procedure, especially in the field of cosmetic dentistry. Some of the causes of stained teeth are bacterial pigments, foodstuffs, smoking, as well as certain antibiotic medications like tetracycline. Tooth bleaching primarily involves at-home or in-office supervised whitening systems that help restore the sparkle to your smile by brightening discoloured or stained teeth. There are numerous methods for whitening teeth including bleaching strips, bleaching pens, bleaching gels, laser bleaching, and natural bleaching

It is an acknowledged fact that more teeth are lost due to gum diseases than to tooth decay. Preventative dentistry is the foremost key to good dental health. Periodontal, or gum diseases, refer to diseases of the tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth and is a major cause of loosening of teeth in adults. The mild form of gum disease is called gingivitis, in which the gums become red, swollen and are often prone to bleeding. The more advanced stage of gum disease is called Periodontitis in which the gums and bones supporting the teeth become heavily damaged. Consequently, the teeth become very loose and tend to fall.

Replacing missing teeth is very important, both for clinical and cosmetic reasons. If teeth are missing, your remaining teeth can move out of position, resulting in a misaligned bite. This can cause discomfort as well as increasing the risk of decay and gum disease. Also, if teeth are not replaced, facial muscles may begin to sag, making the face appear older. The patient's speech and ability to eat may also be impaired.

Having false teeth does not mean you are condemned to loose fitting dentures! Loose fitting dentures can be stabilized using implants or, if a tooth needs replacing, implants might be suitable, as might a bridge.

Tooth extraction is often done by a regular dentist or an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. The process of tooth extraction mainly requires removing a tooth from its bone socket. There two types of tooth extraction: simple extraction and surgical extraction. Simple extraction involves extracting an easily visible tooth and can be performed using a local anesthetic. Surgical extraction is performed on teeth that are not easily visible and is more sophisticated. Local anesthesia, conscious sedation or general anesthesia is used in this case.

Dental surgery refers to any one of a number of medical procedures involving modifying the dentition artificially. There are different types of dental surgery, including: Endodontic, Prosthodontic, Orthodontic and Periodontic.

Dental implants are considered the best substitute for natural teeth. Implant dentistry helps greatly to improve your appearance and self-confidence at any age. Dental implants are a suitable treatment for most patients aged 18 years and over. A dental implant is an artificial substitute or replacement for the root portion of your natural tooth. After insertion and a healing period of 4 – 6 months, an implant will support a crown, bridge, or secure a denture firmly in place. Titanium implants are well tolerated by bone and integrate easily with the surrounding tissue. During the placement of the implant, the goal is to achieve good primary stability or close contact between the implant and surrounding bone tissue. In time, the implant and bone ‘fuse’ or osseointegrate, thus creating a stable support for new teeth.

Veneers are extremely thin laminates or shells of tooth-coloured material made of ceramic, porcelain or other composite bonding material. They are cemented to the front surface of the teeth to improve cosmetic appearance. Porcelain veneers are used to mask unattractive, rotated or crowded teeth.

The use of dental implants to stabilize dentures has proved to be very successful for hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. There are two types of implant-supported dentures: bar-retained and ball-retained. In both cases, the denture will be made of an acrylic base that will look like gums, with porcelain or acrylic teeth that look like natural teeth attached. Bar-retained dentures require at least three implants. Ball-retained dentures need at least two.

• Bar-retained dentures - A thin metal bar that follows the curve of your jaw is attached to two to five implants that have been placed in your jawbone. Clips or other types of attachments are fitted to the bar, the denture, or to both. The denture fits over the bar and is securely clipped into place by the attachments.
• Ball-retained dentures - (or stud-attachment dentures) - Each implant that has been placed in the jawbone holds a metal attachment that fits into another attachment on the denture. In most cases, the attachments on the implants are ball-shaped (‘male’ attachments), and they fit into sockets (‘female’ attachments) on the denture. In some cases these attachments are reversed, with the denture holding the male attachments and the implants holding the female ones.

The Implant Process

• Implants are usually placed in the jawbone at the front of your mouth. This is because there tends to be more bone in the front of the jaw than in the back, even if teeth have been missing for some time. Once you lose teeth, you begin to lose bone in the area. Also, the front jaw does not have as many nerves or other structures that can interfere with the placement of implants.
• The timeframe to complete the implant depends on many factors. The shortest timeframe, including surgeries and the placement of the denture, is about five months in the lower jaw and seven months in the upper jaw. However, the process can take up to a year or more, especially if you need bone grafting or other preliminary procedures.
• Two surgeries usually are needed; one to place the implants in the jawbone under your gums, and a second three to six months later to expose the tops of the implant.
• A single-stage procedure is now sometimes used. In this procedure, your dentist can place the implants and the supporting bar in one step. The success rate of this procedure is high. However, it is moderately less successful than the more conventional two-stage procedure.

Bleeding from the gums is mainly caused by inadequate plaque removal from the teeth at the gum line. If plaque is not eliminated through regular brushing and dental appointments, it will harden into what is known as tartar. Over time, this leads to an aggravated condition called gingivitis, or inflamed gums. This can later result in increased bleeding and an exacerbated form of gum and jawbone disease called periodontitis.