Cosmetic Dentistry 

A beautiful smile with healthy teeth and gums is not just something for the lucky few but something we can all enjoy. At the Amery House this is what we strive to provide for our patients, to the highest level and quality. 

Cosmetic dentistry has become increasingly popular in recent years and involves a variety of treatments aimed at improving the appearance of teeth. We can correct pre-existing conditions such as crooked teeth, or, if it's the shape, size or colour of your teeth that bothers you, we can fix that too!  Cosmetic dentistry has changed our world, and it can change yours.

Cosmetic Bonding & Mercury-Free White Fillings 

Cosmetic bonding

With bonding, we can close spaces between teeth, lengthen small or misshapen teeth, or whiten stained or dark teeth. We can shape and colour a single tooth or improve your entire smile. When teeth are chipped or beginning to wear, bonding can protect them from damage and restore their original looks.

      Original chipped tooth                                      Tooth after cosmetic bonding      

The Procedure

Bonding your teeth with a material called composite resin requires just one appointment. First we roughen and prepare the teeth and apply a conditioning gel. Then we place the composite resin, sculpt it to the desired shape, and harden it with a harmless, high-intensity light.

Once in place, bonded restorations are very strong. Bonding can drastically improve your smile - the final result is beautiful and natural looking teeth.

Mercury-free white fillings

At the Amery House we provide our patients with mercury free fillings.  Silver amalgam fillings contain about 50 percent mercury, a chemical that has been scientifically shown to be more toxic than lead, cadmium, or arsenic. Concern has been raised that as an amalgam filling ages or begins to wear down low quantities of mercury may be absorbed into the blood system with negative side effects.

Amalgam fillings also absorb moisture and expand and contract with heat and cold. So as the filling ages it can fracture your tooth; we'll then need to place a crown on your tooth to save it. Furthermore, metal fillings often undergo metal fatigue, corroding and leaking over time. This destroys the protective seal of the filling and allows new decay to develop underneath it. This leakage can give a grey appearance to the entire tooth.

Fortunately, dental research has resulted in the development of new tooth-coloured materials that are not only durable and long lasting, but attractive as well. These materials, porcelain and composite resin, are designed to match the colour and contour of your teeth for a natural look and feel. 

Bonded directly to your teeth

Reasons for composite fillings:

* Filling dental cavities

* Replacing metal or amalgam fillings (When replacing amalgam fillings we use a high powered aspirator over the filling to ensure any mercury vapour is immediately taken through the suction).

* Repairing broken and chipped teeth

* Closing gaps between teeth

* Reshaping teeth

     Before: Amalgam fillings                                    After: White composite fillings              

                 Porcelain Crowns 

Porcelain crowns are a popular form of treatment for patients with damaged, cracked or broken down teeth. They strengthen your existing damaged tooth in order to preserve its functionality and they are also extremely versatile.

Crowns are designed to perfectly mimic natural tooth colour, so not only will your crown look exactly like the rest of your natural teeth, it will also perform exactly like your natural tooth would. The restoration is precision-crafted in a dental laboratory, so it will take two appointments to restore your tooth with a porcelain crown.

The Procedure:

On your first visit, we numb the area to make you comfortable. Using the handpiece, we remove any decay and shape the tooth so it will securely hold the crown. Next, we take an impression of your teeth. The dental lab uses this impression to make an accurate model of your mouth; then they use the model to create a crown that exactly fits your tooth and bite. In the meantime, we often place a temporary crown to protect your tooth.

On your next visit, we remove the temporary crown and try in your new porcelain crown. We check the fit, and when everything is right, we bond or cement the crown in place.

Reasons for crowning teeth:

* If your tooth has undergone significant decay and there is not enough tooth structure remaining to support a filling or an inlay and maintain functionaility.

* If a large portion of your tooth has fractured and it cannot be built up using traditional composite bonding procedure.

* Following a root canal treatment or a dental implant, a crown is often needed to protect and strengthen the tooth.

* If you have a large cavity and opt for the added support a crown offers to the tooth.

* If you grind your teeth and have a poor diet, acid erosion may reduce your teeth to a point where the only option available is to crown them.

* To improve the aesthetics of your smile - e.g  to align crowding or protruding teeth, close gaps, lighten tooth colour.

                        Before                                                                       After  

Porcelain Bridges 

If a tooth has been lost a cosmetic dental bridge can be used to "bridge" the gap between two adjacent teeth. The dental bridge is a false tooth that may be made of both porcelain and metal, or it may be made entirely of porcelain.

In the past, porcelain bridges were always built upon a metal core. That was the only way they could have enough strength to withstand the tremendous biting forces that are exerted on all of your teeth. That metal core is what creates the dark line at the edge of many bridges.

Advanced use of adhesives combined with the development of stronger porcelain materials allow us to make bridges entirely out of porcelain. All-porcelain bridges maintain a translucency that makes them hard to tell from natural teeth. It is highly aesthetic and retains a natural appearance under all light conditions. Without metal, the problem of a dark line at the edge of the gums is eliminated.

An all-porcelain bridge

There are several types of bridge, but some of them are not suitable for everybody. The choice depends on the condition and health of the adjacent teeth. You and your dentist will discuss the best options for your particular case.

Dental bridges are very quick, easy and painless to do.  They can stop teeth from drifting into gaps.  They will improve function, bite, chewing, cosmetics and help filling out the face where you have lost teeth.

A cosmetic bridge is usually a permanent solution and when done professionally can significantly enhance your smile and confidence.

Before	After

Cosmetic Veneers

Veneers are wafer-thin, custom made layers of porcelain which are bonded onto the front surface of the teeth to improve their cosmetic appearance. Many dentists use the analogy that dental veneers are for your teeth what false fingernails are for your hands.

Veneers can completely reshape your teeth and smile. By choosing veneers, you really are saying goodbye to stained, crooked, protruding, damaged or rotting teeth.

A translucent porcelain shell

The Procedure

It takes two or more appointments to restore teeth with veneers. First, we examine your teeth and perhaps take x-rays. Next, we shape and roughen the teeth so that the veneers won't look thick or bulky. 

After preparation we take impressions of your teeth. The moulds are sent to a lab where the technician uses the moulds to make precise working models of your mouth.  It is on these models that the technician artistically craft veneers to fit the prepared teeth.

During the second appointment we place the veneers onto your teeth to make sure they are a good fit.  We prepare the teeth for final bonding, then use an adhesive to bond the veneers to the teeth. A harmless, high-intensity light hardens the adhesive. We then check your bite and make any minor adjustments necessary.

Once in place, veneers virtually become part of the teeth. You can use them like you would your own teeth because the bond is extremely strong. The final result is beautiful and natural-looking teeth.

Reasons for porcelain veneers:

* Damaged or chipped teeth

* Crooked teeth

* Discoloured or stained teeth

* Unwanted or uneven spaces

* Teeth that are misshapen, too small or too large

* Cosmetically, to create a beautiful and attractive smile.