Having a clean bill of oral health is always our number-one priority at Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry of the Keys. However, having good oral health is not enough for some, especially those who struggle to show off their smile because of numerous imperfections in their smile. Whether you have some stains that regular brushing cannot remove or you need to have a full-blown smile makeover completed, Dr. Cobb is prepared to answer the call! Contact our dental office today to learn more about how cosmetic dentistry in Big Pine Key, FL can benefit you!
Porcelain Veneers
When you have multiple imperfections you want to hide with a single treatment, there’s no option more comprehensive than porcelain veneers. In order to hide everything from stains, chips, cracks, gaps, and modestly crooked teeth, Dr. Cobb uses ultra-thin sheaths of porcelain to cover teeth, making your smile look beautiful while still maintaining a natural appearance. Each veneer is customized to your exact needs, from the color to the shape to the size, in order to ensure a lifelike esthetic.
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Lumineers
While porcelain veneers are effective at transforming teeth in just two appointments, they often require the removal of existing tooth enamel in order to sit flush and look natural. That’s not the case for this less invasive alternative, Lumineers. Since Lumineers are much thinner than traditional porcelain veneers, you don’t have to permanently alter your tooth structure just to have them placed. Plus, if you ever want to go back to your original smile, they can easily be removed.
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Metal-Free Dental Crowns
No one wants to have silver, metal, or other unnatural materials become visible in their smile. For all of our cosmetic and restorative treatments, whether they be veneers, fillings, crowns, bridges, or other services, we make use of tooth-colored materials that actually blend in with your existing teeth. Anything less fails to address the very problem you came into the dental office to solve in the first place! We’ll work with you every step of the way to ensure that your next smile makeover keeps your esthetics in mind.
Cosmetic Dental Bonding
If you’re looking for a more affordable solution for minor imperfections in your smile, cosmetic bonding is one of the most effective ways to restore cosmetically damaged teeth without breaking the bank. This technique uses composite resin to fill small cracks, chips, and even gaps in your smile, making it easy to make small touch-ups to specific areas of your smile and even act as instant orthodontics! Treatment only takes one appointment to complete in most cases, so you can leave the dental office with your new smile the same day.
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Teeth Whitening
While over-the-counter whitening products are ideal for removing surface-level stains from teeth, they aren’t going to remove all stains nor do so as effectively as professional-grade solutions. This is largely because only bleaching gels provided by Dr. Cobb contain higher strengths of hydrogen peroxide, a common ingredient found in whitening treatments. With our take-home whitening kits from Philips, you can whiten your teeth on the go and keep them white in between visits!
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Smile Makeover
Choosing a single cosmetic treatment can be difficult or even impossible, especially if you have several imperfections you want to address. In the event that teeth whitening, cosmetic bonding, or porcelain veneers aren’t enough on their own, we encourage you to consider building a smile makeover treatment plan with our dental office! Approaching care in this way ensures that all of your specific needs are addressed upfront and that all of your smile concerns are satisfied when treatment is complete.
Understanding the Cost of Cosmetic Dentistry
Even if cosmetic dentistry sounds good, you may worry about its price. After all, its services usually aren’t covered by dental insurance. Truthfully, though, the cost of cosmetic dentistry varies by price. You’ll need to see Dr. Sutter for a precise estimate. Once that’s done, we’ll find ways to make your care affordable. Our team can even guide you through our cosmetic services and financing options. To learn more, just keep reading or call our office for the details!
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Which Cosmetic Dental Service is Right for Me?
As you pursue cosmetic dentistry, your aim is likely one (or more) of three things: whiter teeth, straighter teeth, or differently-shaped teeth. That said, our offerings don’t all have these effects. Their prices also differ. So, you should review the available cosmetic services before deciding anything.
With all that said, our practice has the following cosmetic options:
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Cosmetic Dental Bonding – Dental bonding applies tooth-colored resin to your teeth. In doing so, it hides minor smile flaws like stains, chips, and cracks. The procedure is quick and cheap, but its effects are short-lived; you’ll need a touchup fairly often.
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Teeth Whitening – Teeth whitening brightens your smile. Namely, it uses a special bleaching gel to remove stains from your enamel. While the procedure works well and takes little time, it’s moderately priced and only affects tooth color.
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Metal-Free Crowns – Metal-free crowns are ceramic caps that protect teeth and improve their looks. As such, they can treat cavities while also blending with your smile. However, note that these crowns are a tad expensive.
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Veneers & Lumineers – Veneers are small, porcelain shells placed on the fronts of teeth. Meanwhile, Lumineers are veneers made of a thin, laminate material. Both can hide many smile flaws, but the latter are cheaper and less invasive.
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Smile Makeover – To be honest, a smile makeover isn’t a distinct service. Rather, it’s two or more cosmetic procedures combined into a single treatment. That means it’s the most expensive form of cosmetic dentistry.
Cosmetic Dentistry: An Investment Worth Making
True enough, cosmetic dentistry can be a big investment. However, rest assured: its treatments tend to pay off overall.
If you didn’t already know, cosmetic dental work has priceless perks. One is that it can boost your confidence by transforming your grin. From there, your improved attitude can make you more sociable with friends and family. Meanwhile, cosmetic dentistry can also help others think better of you. Improving first impressions in this way leads to new friends, promotions, and other great opportunities.
How to Make Cosmetic Dentistry Affordable
As said before, cosmetic dentistry isn’t covered by dental insurance. Still, there are other ways to make it affordable. In particular, there are a dentist’s financing options. The right one could ensure a gorgeous grin fits your budget!
For example, look at our practice. We happen to provide:
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Special Offers – Currently, our office is running a ‘Winter Whitening’ special. It would give you 10% off any Zoom! or Take-Home whitening treatments.
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Flexible Financing – As it happens, our team works with CareCredit. This company could break up the cost of your care into small, monthly installments. That way, you could pay for cosmetic dental work over time.
Here at Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry of the Keys, we want your pretty smile to be affordable. With that said, learn more about financing it by booking a consultation!
Cosmetic Dentistry FAQs
With so many different cosmetic treatments to choose from, it’s no surprise that plenty of patients have questions about what to expect. The FAQs below include a few queries that we’ve heard particularly often, and we have provided brief, easy-to-understand answers for each of them. Of course, we realize that these aren’t the only questions that might be on your mind; please schedule a consultation at our office if you’re interested in learning more about cosmetic dentistry.
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What are the Differences Between Lumineers and Veneers?
Lumineers and veneers are very similar by nature, but there are some important differences:
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Veneers are about 1.5 millimeters thick; Lumineers are much thinner at 0.3 millimeters.
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Veneers involve permanently altering your teeth while Lumineers do not.
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Lumineers are more translucent than veneers, which helps them look more natural.
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Veneers tend to be slightly more durable than Lumineers, although both can last a long time with good maintenance.
If you’re not sure which option is right for your smile, all you need to do is get in touch with us. Our team would be more than happy to explain the pros and cons of veneers and Lumineers.
What are the Top Perks of Getting Cosmetic Dental Treatment?
There are some advantages to improving your smile via cosmetic dentistry:
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You can have any number of cosmetic imperfections corrected with the right treatment plan.
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Not only will you immediately be able to enjoy the results, but you can expect to keep them for many years.
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You’ll likely be more confident once you no longer feel the need to conceal your teeth from other people.
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Certain improvements, like brightening yellowed teeth or lengthening worn-down ones, can help your smile look younger.
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Many people take better care of their teeth after cosmetic treatments to help the results last longer, which often leads to better oral health.
Does Cosmetic Dentistry Hurt?
Teeth whitening and cosmetic dental bonding are non-invasive, so there’s very little discomfort associated with these treatments. We likely won’t even need to use a local anesthetic. That said, it may be necessary to numb your mouth if your teeth need to be reshaped before receiving veneers or metal-free crowns.
Depending on the treatment, your mouth may be sore for a few days, and your teeth might be more sensitive than normal. These side effects should fade on their own after a while.
Is Cosmetic Dentistry Covered by Insurance?
The answer will be “no” in a majority of cases as dental insurance does not normally provide coverage for any kind of elective service. The main exception is if a cosmetic procedure has a clear benefit for your oral health. This can include veneers and crowns that are used to restore broken teeth. If you’re not sure whether your insurance plan will help pay for a particular treatment, we can review your policy with you. If necessary, we can file the paperwork for your claims.
