Downsview Dental Care Cosmetic Dentistry A Smile Worth Paying For | Page 6

What dental work is considered to be unique to
Cosmetic Dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry uses the same techniques as in restorative work such as dentures, crowns,
implants, veneers, and onlays and overlays in order to repair the structure of the teeth prior to
performing cosmetic procedures. However cosmetic dentists also undertake non-structural work
such as teeth whitening using bleaching or lasers and gum depigmentation. Indeed prior to any
cosmetic work being undertaken the cosmetic dentist will ensure that there is no decay to the teeth
or that there are other oral health issues that need to be remedied before work takes place. So for
example the patient will typically undergo an x-ray to determine that no root canal work is
required on the tooth or teeth that are to be worked on. As a result most cosmetic dental work
although being predominantly about appearance does require a sound and healthy basis of
standard oral health to begin with. Therefore the patient will typically undergo a full dental check-
up, diagnosis and repair of any outstanding issues before the cosmetic procedures take place. In
short it is only the dental treatment which is concerned with the appearance of the teeth and the
enhancement of the patient’s smile, which are deemed to be cosmetic.