Teeth

Attractive teeth are often the finishing touch to any cosmetic surgical procedure: a beautiful youthful face with a smile that reveals yellow or crooked teeth takes away from the full impression. Your surgeon will generally work in cooperation with a dentist specialising in cosmetic dentistry. Such dentists have a variety of possibilities at their disposal and will be able to advise you fully. The most common treatment, and one which is very effective is bleaching, the whitening of teeth. Misaligned teeth and gaps can be treated without the need for braces by using veneers, exceptionally thin ceramic sheaths. Both methods described should only be carried out by dentists specialising in cosmetic dentistry.

Bleaching of Teeth

Deposits inside the teeth are caused either by colourings from food or other consumables (e.g. coffee, tobacco and red wine) which have penetrated from outside into the tooth, or other factors which influence the colour of the teeth from inside the body, such as medications or root fillings.
In such cases, cleaning the teeth alone is not sufficient and the dentist must carry out an internal brightening procedure, so-called bleaching. This is carried out by applying a gentle gel containing carbamide peroxide, which oxidizes the colorant, so that it “vanishes into thin air” and thus brightens the tooth.
If the whole dental arch is too dark, so-called “home bleaching” is recommended. A thin, soft plastic mould is specially prepared which only covers the teeth. This mould is worn for four to ten nights until the desired level of bleaching is achieved.

If individual teeth are to be brightened, the dentist covers the tooth to be treated with a highly concentrated gel activated under light. The gums are protected with a rubber dam.
Scientific experiments have demonstrated that bleaching causes no damage to teeth, fillings or crowns. The substances used are generally ph-neutral and do not corrode the teeth. Teeth may be more sensitive than usual temporarily during treatment, but this effect is not long lasting.
In most cases, the prospects for brightening teeth successfully through bleaching are good. If any discoloration does appear in time, a refreshment treatment can be performed. In the interests of the patient’s health, bleaching should always be carried out under the supervision of a dentist. We strongly advise against unsupervised home treatments with over-the-counter products, usually containing acidic brighteners and badly fitting bite moulds. Such treatment frequently damages teeth and surrounding tissues more than it helps them.

Veneer

Veneers are filigree ceramic shells moulded from impressions of the teeth, custom made by dental technicians on the instructions of a dentist. They can cover up “imperfections” of the front teeth invisibly, and thus make a significant contribution to an attractive and harmonious appearance.
Cover shells are used in cases where a visible front tooth no longer meets aesthetic expectations, e.g. through extensive filling, changes in the structure of the enamel or discoloration. Only the visible area of the tooth is prepared in enamel. This requires a wafer-thin enamel coating to be applied. Following this preparation, an impression is taken which is then sent to a dental laboratory. These dental technicians use the model to create individual ceramic shells in the desired tooth color. This shell, which is around 0.5 mm thick, is attached to the tooth with a special plastic (adhesive technique using an elastic dam).
The shells cannot be distinguished from the patient’s own teeth because they are translucent and the colour is matched exactly—an invisible “mask” for teeth which also protects them.