What Cosmetic Dentistry Covers
Cosmetic dentistry is any treatment done mainly to change how your teeth look. The same treatments often improve function as well.
There is no single cosmetic treatment. There is a set of them, and the right one depends on what is actually bothering you.
This page is the overview. Each treatment has its own page with the detail, linked as you go.
Start With the Problem, Not the Treatment
Most people arrive asking for a specific treatment they have read about. It is more useful to describe what you do not like.
- Colour. Teeth that are yellow or dull, but otherwise sound.
- Shape. Teeth that are chipped, uneven, worn or too small.
- Position. Teeth that are crowded, tilted or gapped.
- Gums. A smile that shows too much gum, or an uneven gum line.
- Missing teeth. A gap that shows when you talk or smile.
Naming the problem this way usually narrows the options to one or two. It also avoids paying for a treatment that was never going to fix it.
Changing the Colour
Whitening lifts the natural shade of the tooth. It is the least invasive cosmetic treatment, because nothing is removed.
It works on natural enamel only. Crowns, veneers and white fillings keep their existing shade.
See whiten my teeth for the options, or professional whitening for the in-chair treatment.
Changing the Shape
Adding to the tooth
Dental bonding builds up a chip or an uneven edge with tooth-coloured material. It is done in one visit and no enamel is drilled away.
Taking away from the tooth
Cosmetic contouring reshapes enamel that is uneven or too pointed. Small changes here make a surprising difference.
Covering the tooth
Veneers are thin facings bonded to the front. They handle colour, shape and small position problems at once, which is why they are popular.
Veneers are not reversible. Some enamel is usually removed, so the tooth will always need covering afterwards.
Rebuilding the tooth
A crown covers the whole tooth. It is used where the tooth is heavily broken down rather than simply the wrong shape.
Changing the Position
Moving teeth is often the better answer, even when the concern is cosmetic. Straight teeth are also easier to clean.
Veneers can hide mild crowding, but they do it by cutting the tooth. Aligners or braces correct the position itself.
See straighten my teeth for those options.
The Gum Line
Sometimes the teeth are fine and the gum is the problem. Teeth can look short because gum covers too much of them.
Tooth lengthening reshapes the gum line to expose more of the natural tooth.
What Comes First
Cosmetic work is done on a healthy mouth. Decay and gum disease are treated before anything cosmetic starts.
This is not a delaying tactic. Bonding placed next to inflamed gums fails early, and whitening over a cavity causes lasting sensitivity.
Where several treatments are planned, the order matters. Whitening is done before bonding or veneers, so the new work is matched to the final shade.
Your Assessment
- You explain what you want changed, in your own words.
- Your dentist examines the teeth, gums, bite and gum line.
- Photographs and sometimes a scan are taken.
- You are shown which options genuinely apply, and which do not.
- You get the trade-offs, including what is reversible and what is not.
- You receive a written plan with the order of treatment.
Ask what happens in ten years, not just how it looks next month. Bonding is repaired easily, veneers eventually need replacing, and whitening fades.
How Long Each One Lasts
Longevity varies more than most people expect, and it should shape the decision as much as appearance does.
- Whitening. One to three years, then a top-up.
- Bonding. Several years. It stains and chips, but is repaired easily and cheaply.
- Contouring. Permanent, because enamel does not grow back.
- Veneers. Many years, then replacement rather than repair.
- Crowns. The longest lasting, and the most tooth removed to place them.
Notice the pattern. The longer lasting the treatment, the more of the natural tooth is given up for it.
That is why your dentist starts with the least invasive option that will actually solve your problem.