The tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth about cosmetic dentistry trends for 2013
Smile and the world smiles with you – unless, of course, you’ve got unfortunate teeth. Then the world is more likely to cough politely and look away.
But there’s a lot you can do these days to rectify dental problems with a whole plethora of treatments to choose from. For some people, however, that can be a problem in itself. So, we asked two leading Yorkshire dentists to talk us through some of the most popular options.
‘Patients are demanding better aesthetics, longer lasting results and more conservative procedures,’ said Dr Andrea Ubhi, who practises in York. ‘The trend is for orthodontic treatment followed by whitening, leaving an originally crooked, yellow smile, perfectly straight and white.
‘Advances in orthodontics have also brought us cosmetic braces, such as clear Invisalign braces and lingual brackets which are set behind the teeth so they don’t show at all. These give long lasting results, if retainers are worn post treatment and if the whitening is topped up regularly.
‘And let’s not forget dental implants. They’re huge now, as patients want to fill unsightly gaps with beautiful teeth.’
Dr Chris Siddons of The Burley Dental Suite prides himself on designing smiles that are individual, natural and within budget.
‘Many patients come to me for general improvement, often achievable using tooth whitening treatments, changing old discoloured and amalgam fillings for white ones and getting gums back to tip top health,’ he said. ‘Sometimes though we have to do quite a bit more.’
Dr Siddons places a great deal of emphasis on restorative dentistry using minimally invasive techniques and preserving as much of the natural tooth as possible when completing crowns, bridges and veneers.
‘Although with the advent of dental implants we often don’t place bridges for missing teeth as a carefully placed implant with a crown on top is a more modern, less destructive approach,’ he explained. ‘We can even rid a patient of their wobbly dentures by placing two or more implants and attaching a small unobtrusive new denture over the top, which sits securely in the mouth.’
Even traditional veneers have moved on, becoming more like thin false fingernails. Dr Siddons is an expert in the European same-day veneer system called Componeer, which he teaches to other dentists all over the UK.
‘I take a great deal of satisfaction in the finished product,’ he said, with a smile (not surprisingly). ‘We love it as a team when we hear from patients that at last they are able to smile. And when having photographs taken they no longer place a strategic hand over their mouth but belt out a huge grin. For us, that’s a job well done.’
