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Dallas, TX – Cosmetic dentists have a wide range of corrective procedures at their disposal to help patients deal with many different types of dental issues. Some of these procedures require the repair or cosmetic correction of tooth damage and use various dental materials for the process. These dental materials have also improved greatly in recent years and provide the cosmetic dentist some of the most flexible and long-lasting solutions ever offered to help them restore your smile.

The most basic of these dental materials is used for filling a cavity in a patients tooth. The dental materials used for fillings can vary from simple amalgam to more sophisticated composite materials that better mimic the color and density of the original tooth. The choice between these various materials is left to the cosmetic dentist and patient to decide and an effective repair can be made with several of them. The amalgam tends to be a less expensive solution and is used by most general dentists to fill a cavity. The challenge with most amalgams is that they are silver in color and are obvious repairs since they contrast with the color of your teeth. Even though they prove to be an excellent choice for most repairs, many patients would select other dental materials instead to make the filling less obvious. There are several varieties of dental composites that can be prepared to perfectly match the color and shade of a tooth and will integrate so seamlessly with the original material that they are undetectable. These dental materials can be a more expensive than a standard amalgam filling, but provide about the same long-term durability. Some of these composites can be applied like standard amalgam and others require curing under a high intensity lamp as part of the procedure.

Another option for repairing cracked or discolored teeth is to apply a porcelain veneer to the patient’s teeth. This veneer is custom made for a particular tooth from an impression created by the dentist. Once created, the veneer is then applied to the tooth with dental adhesives to complete the repair. These porcelain veneers can provide many years of excellent use with proper oral hygiene and will perfectly match the tooth they are adhered to as well as other surrounding teeth.

When a tooth has moderate to heavy damage due to cavities, a cosmetic dentist may choose to install a crown on the damaged tooth. This crown will sit on top of the original tooth and provide the proper biting or chewing surface for the damaged area. These crowns can be made from several materials and are custom-made from a clay impression taken by the dentist, similar to the veneer. The most common type of crown is made of a metal material and is suitable for rear teeth that are less obvious. If the tooth is normally visible when smiling, the crown can be made with a metal base and have porcelain fused to the surface to imitate the original tooth. In either of these crowns, the underlying tooth needs to be shaped appropriately to accept the new crown and then have it applied to the tooth with dental adhesive. Once in place, the crown will function just like the original tooth for many years to come.