Cosmetic Dentistry doesn’t have to be complicated. Depending on the extend of existing dental problems, dentist can focus on one single cosmetic dental issue and the improvement can also be dramatic and satisfying to the patient.
I have recently finished a cosmetic dental case with this elderly lady. Upon looking at her teeth, she gives the chief complaint of crooked front teeth. She points to her front tooth that is sticking out.
Of course, there are numerous other dental cosmetic problems such as discoloration of her teeth, stanining, receded gum, etc. However, those full mouth reconstruction dental procedures such as veneers on multiple teeth, are often complicated, time-consuming and can be quite expensive. The patient chooses to focus on her front teeth. I then try to work with her, by using her existing dental condition as the starting point. I would propose a conservative cosmetic dental treatment option, ie dental crown/bridge for her front teeth. Her crooked tooth has bone loss and has some mobility due to some local trauma in the past and also some bone loss due to periodontal disease process. The tooth has guarded prognosis and so I propose to remove the tooth and then give her a new dental bridge.
The new bridge would serve two purpose. First purpose is to restore the extracted tooth. Second purpose is to reshape her other two adjacent teeth so that they will be more cosmetically agreeable to her rest of other upper teeth.
This is how she looks like after the entire treatments are fnished. She is very pleased with the result.