Cosmetic Dentistry

This is a great solution for people who have otherwise healthy teeth, but would prefer them to be whiter.
Discolouration of the teeth is extremely common: in many cases this does not indicate a serious problem; however, heavily stained and yellow teeth can make people feel self-conscious, often stopping them from smiling and socialising. Fortunately, tooth whitening is by far the simplest and most straight-forward cosmetic procedure.

Non-invasive procedure
Tooth whitening is completely drill-free: there is no need to adjust the teeth in any way. The teeth are discoloured by “chromophore” molecules: chromophores are chemicals within foods (eg Tea, coffee, red wine) which discolour teeth. Whitening uses an active whitening ingredient: a peroxide gel (which breaks down to oxygen and water) that safely penetrates the enamel to reach and break down the chromophore molecules which toothpaste cannot reach. Dissolving the chromophore molecules whitens the teeth.

What is the process of teeth whitening?

Your treatment at Revitalise will require 3 short sessions.

SESSION 1
Before we begin the tooth whitening process we will first assess your teeth to ensure there are no underlying dental problems that might affect the success of the treatment: whitening is not advisable if cavities or active gum disease is present; we carry out a full dental assessment prior to whitening.

Once we have determined teeth whitening is possible and safe we will give your teeth a deep clean to remove any build-up or debris before we proceed with the whitening.
Impressions (“Moulds”) of your teeth are then taken so that we can make a custom whitening tray which is individually fitted to you.

SESSION 2
You will be provided with your custom trays and the whitening gel to bleach your teeth and some instructions.
For most people whitening requires daily wearing of the trays for around 2 hours (some people wear them whilst asleep for convenience purposes) for a 2-6 week period. It is important to wear the trays daily for the prescribed period.

SESSION 3
The dentist will review you to ensure you are entirely happy with the outcome

If for any reason you are not a suitable candidate for Invisalign, we can offer alternative treatment options. Our Six Month Smiles orthodontic treatment may be more suitable for some patients.

For patients with veneers and crowns, it may be possible to use Invisalign. However, we treat these cases on an individual basis and will be able to offer further guidance during this initial consultation.

Direct resin bonding involves in application of Dental Composite Resin (a special type of tooth coloured plastic) to the teeth. This is used to repair decayed, damaged or discoloured teeth or to improve the shape, which are perhaps too small, short or close gaps between teeth. Often we just add to the teeth and no drilling or injections are required. It is useful for minor-moderate corrections of dental aesthetic problems.

At Revitalise Dental we have special expertise in bonding: Dr Smithson pioneered this technique in the UK over 20 years ago and teaches this topic Internationally.

What is Involved?
At your initial consultation, the dentist will assess your general dental health to ensure that the gums and nerves inside the teeth are healthy.

For many cases, models of the teeth are taken using our digital scanner; we then carry out a computer mock-up of the anticipated final result so you can see the likely outcome prior to committing to treatment. We then use cutting edge 3D printing to print a life-size plastic model of your teeth: a custom-made plastic mould is then made which allows us to accurately transfer the shape of the computer designed teeth to your mouth. The resin is set with a specialised ultra-violet light and precision polished so that it is indistinguishable from natural teeth.

At a second appointment, the dentist will artistically bond composite resin to your teeth to emulate our agreed design. Often only one appointment is required.

If you are unhappy with the shape, size, and colour of your teeth, veneers can provide a solution with only minimal drilling of the teeth. Made from a strong ceramic glass, veneers are used to replace or improve tooth structure and enhance the appearance of your teeth, usually the front ones. They are a good solution for more extensive cosmetic problems which are too large for direct bonding.

Natural look

Will my veneers look “fake”?
Veneers are designed to cover the front of the teeth rather than replace the entire tooth: they are very similar in concept to false fingernails in so much as they are glued directly onto the front of the tooth. At Revitalise Dental we use ELab digital camera technology to closely match the shade of your natural teeth to your veneer, meaning that the result will be extremely realistic and indistinguishable from nature. Of course, if your aim is to have ultra-white “Hollywood” style teeth, we can easily achieve this too.

Strong and resilient

Veneers that are made from a ceramic are built to last a long time: with the correct care, you can expect a life expectancy of up to 15 years before replacement. Here at Revitalise, we want your restorative treatment to provide a smile you can share with the World for many years to come.

Get your new smile quickly

Ceramic veneers can take a little longer to create than other types of veneers due to the planning, design and preparation involved. However, we are unique in Cornwall having a dedicated onsite laboratory and team of professionals, who can deliver your new smile at a faster rate; often start to finish within a week.

What is the process of veneers?

On the day of the procedure, we remove a small amount of the surface enamel where the veneer will be placed: this is around 0.5mm at most; not only does this make room for the veneer but it also ensures your bite remains normal.
We then take an impression of your teeth either with a mould or digitally with our scanner.

The veneers are then custom made in the dental laboratory.

The process of placing the veneer is straightforward: we will first clean, polish and roughen the tooth surface, then apply a special adhesive to the tooth and carefully place the veneer. Using a high-intensity ultra-violet light we will link the veneer to the tooth: this process is known as “bonding”. Finally, we will assess your bite, polish the veneers to a mirror shine and make sure you are happy with the way your veneers look.

When would veneers be used?

• Repair a broken or chipped tooth
• Change the shape of a tooth – Sometimes a single tooth or even multiple ones can look different from the rest found in a person’s mouth. It’s not uncommon to have misshapen or small lateral incisors.
• Improve tooth structure – Veneers make it possible to give the illusion of straight teeth as well as improving alignment and closing gaps.
• Change the colour of the teeth – Discolouration of the teeth can be masked with a ceramic veneer.

When you have a tooth that is extensively damaged and a traditional filling or veneer will not work, crowns are an extremely effective treatment option. Made with a ceramic material or gold, we will create a ‘cap’ which fits over the natural tooth with an end goal of restoring the teeth to correct shape and appearance, whilst improving strength and longevity.

A crown will strengthen a broken tooth and restore it to normal function. With the correct care and maintaining a good standard of oral hygiene, a crown can last up to 15 years before it needs replacing.

The process of preparing crown

The placing of a crown is a routine procedure that can be achieved in one to two sessions: depending on the clinical situation, additional stages might need to take place before treatment can begin (For example root canal treatment or gum therapy).

For a crown to be fitted securely we need to remove around 1mm from the outer surface of the tooth (often this has already been lost and is the reason for placing the crown): this is done under local anaesthesia to ensure you don’t experience any pain. From here we will make a mould of your teeth and one of our technicians will prepare the crown to rebuild the tooth and replace all missing structure: our team is extremely skilled in matching the crown to the colour of your natural teeth so it will completely blend in.

Once the crown has been prepared we place it on your tooth using a strong adhesive so it remains securely in place; prior to this we make any final adjustments to ensure the crown is comfortable and correctly positioned.