Much like cosmetic surgery, cosmetic dentistry is a branch of dental medicine that deals with improving an individual's smile. In a nutshell, cosmetic dentistry mainly focuses on aesthetic aspects rather than an individual's dental health.

In recent years, various trends have taken over the field ranging from teeth whitening to orthodontics. Here are some of the most current trends applicable in cosmetic dentistry.

Dental veneers and dental implants

Dental veneers are a type of overlay made of composite or porcelain that is used to repair gaps in the teeth and cover discolored teeth as well as broken or cracked teeth. The veneers get attached to the teeth via a strong adhesive, thus covering the above teeth defects to give an individual a beautiful smile. Veneers made of porcelain are cheaper than composite veneers. However, porcelain veneers are more susceptible to getting damaged than the latter.

Dental implants, on the other hand, are prosthetic teeth replacements installed in place of missing teeth. They usually get applied when an individual decides to skip the use of dentures or bridge appliances. The implants get fixed by using a surgically placing a metal rod in the tooth root area upon which the artificial tooth/teeth get permanently mounted. No adhesives get utilized for dental implants.

Composite bonding

Composite bonding is the use of a composite material that resembles a tooth's enamel to reconstruct the missing part of a broken tooth. In this procedure, a cosmetic dentist gently uses the composite material to restore and reshape a broken tooth.

The material is usually in semi-solid form, thus facilitating the sculpting of the tooth, and it gradually gets hardened using a high-intensity light. Composite bonding ensures that the new tooth matches the rest of the teeth, thus restoring your smile with an entirely uniform look.

Overlays and inlays

Also referred as indirect fillings, overlays and inlays utilize composite or porcelain to artificially fill the cavities, replace tooth decay as well as fix structurally damaged teeth.

Unlike traditional tooth fillings that get bonded to an individual's tooth during a visit to a dentist, inlays and overlays are prefabricated in a laboratory before they get fitted and bonded.

A cosmetic dentist then utilizes a strong dental adhesive compound to fix and bond them to a tooth. The main advantage of inlays and overlays over traditional fillings is that they last longer than the latter.

Custom polymer trays for accelerated orthodontics

Traditionally, orthodontic treatments utilized brackets and wires systems which lasted from 18-36 months to rectify an issue. However, nowadays, custom molded polymer trays have facilitated what cosmetic dentists have termed as accelerated orthodontics because they have significantly reduced the treatment period to between three and six months.

Hence, an individual's can get a rectified smile in a fifth of the time it takes the bracket and wire system to correct the smile. For more information, contact a professional in your area or visit a website like http://www.dentalsmile.com.au.