Restorative dentistry is the management of diseases of the teeth along with their supporting structures, to ensure they can fulfill their functional roles for biting and chewing.

Cosmetic dentistry is generally used to refer to any dental work that improves the appearance of the teeth, gums and/or bite.

While cosmetic dentistry does not necessarily address the functioning of the teeth, the two aspects can be combined to give you the smile you desire while ensuring strong, healthy teeth.

What does cosmetic & restorative dentistry involve?

The health of your teeth and their supporting structures is essential, but the appearance of your smile can have a big impact on your self-confidence, so often restorative dentistry is done to fix major dental issues, such as missing or broken teeth, restoring your bite, while cosmetic dentistry can be done thereafter to reshape and brighten your smile.

Cosmetic and restorative dentistry may involve the following:

• Contouring & bonding
  

  For minor changes to the shape, width and length of your tooth, reshaping and contouring can be done with sanding and composite bonding.

  Small chips, cavities and minor discolouration of the teeth can all be rectified with composite bonding.

  Bonding is a tooth-coloured putty that can be moulded to reshape a tooth, fill in chips, fill cavities and even cover minor discolouration. It is thus both restorative and cosmetic as it can be used to enhance your smile. Bonding can last for a few years before needing to be replaced or reapplied and is therefore not a long-lasting cosmetic treatment.

• Crowns & bridges
  

  Crowns and bridges can be both functional and aesthetic, improving the appearance of your smile and the ability to eat, chew and speak.

  A crown or dental cap can reinforce and strengthen a cracked tooth, preventing it from further damage. A dental cap may also be used to improve the bite, but may also be used to restore the appearance and cover a stained and discoloured tooth.

  A dental bridge, on the other hand, is done to replace a missing tooth between two adjacent healthy teeth. A strong bridge can be created by placing a dental cap on each adjacent tooth – serving as an anchor for a false tooth to be placed in the gap, replacing the missing tooth.

• Veneers
  

  Porcelain veneers are thin custom-made shells to cover the front surface of the tooth. For discoloured, stained, gapped, crooked, uneven or chipped teeth, veneers can be placed to cover the front surfaces of otherwise healthy teeth, enhancing the appearance of the smile.

  Porcelain veneers are popular cosmetic dental remedies because once cemented in place they can change the colour and shape of the blemished teeth providing a more permanent and durable cosmetic effect than teeth whitening and bonding.

  On average porcelain veneers last between 7 and 15 years, and do not discolour over time making them perfect for a smile makeover.

• Dental implants
  

  Dental implants are a permanent option to replace one or multiple missing teeth. Provided you are a candidate, teeth lost due to injury, disease or decay can be replaced with an implant anchored into the jaw bone.

  One or two missing teeth in your mouth can not only affect the way you chew and speak but may lead to shifting of the teeth in your mouth and jawline, making you look older than you really are.

  While dentures are an option, they are not as comfortable as dental implants that are permanent, secure and natural-feeling. Dental implants are done to not only improve the way you bite, chew and speak, but to reinforce the jaw and restore the aesthetics of your smile.

• Teeth whitening
  

  For those unhappy with the stains and discolouration of their teeth, teeth whitening can enhance the brightness of your smile and boost self-confidence.

  We make use of the ZOOM teeth whitening system. It is designed to remove discolouration and stains that cannot be removed with normal brushing. During your consultation, your dentist will evaluate your teeth and see what treatment would be best to achieve the desired shade you are after.

  While almost all teeth whitening methods are similar, it is the concentration at which and the way in which they are delivered to the teeth that make the difference. Be it take-home teeth whitening treatments or professional in-office teeth whitening you are after, we can assist you in whitening your teeth to their true pearly white potential.

• Dentures
  

  Dentures are prosthetic devices constructed to replace one or more missing teeth for those who aren’t candidates for a dental implant or bridge.

  Dentures are made up of numerous acrylic teeth which mimic the natural tooth supported by the surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. They allow for proper biting and chewing, but can also have aesthetic advantages as they prevent the face and jaw from sagging.

  There are various types of dentures: full or partial and removable or fixed.
  Dentures can be flexible (flexite) or thin and rigid (chrome cobalt) depending on your needs. Generally speaking, dentures tend to be held in place by suction, or relying on clasping onto the remaining natural teeth or dental implants.