Cosmetic Dentistry
Cosmetic Dental Care
As a West Linn cosmetic dentist, Dr. Dugger understands the importance of a healthy, great-looking smile. Unfortunately, a lifetime of eating and drinking our favorite foods can take a serious toll on the long-term health and appearance of our teeth and gums. Soft drinks that contain high levels of sugar and acid can cause tooth erosion. Wine, tomatoes, berries, and a variety of other enamel-staining foods can dramatically diminish the color and complexity of our smiles. Even normal wear can cause teeth to become cracked, chipped, and even broken.
Fortunately, Dr. Dugger offers a range of cosmetic dental care treatments designed to help restore the form, function, and appearance of our patients’ teeth. If you desire a whiter, brighter smile, or you want to improve the shape, color, or position of your teeth, Dr. Dugger can provide the care you require to help restore the confidence back to your smile.
How can I achieve a whiter smile?
That’s a question we hear all the time at Dugger Dentistry. Fortunately, Dr. Dugger can provide patients with a number of different procedures that work to whiten their smiles. We offer a professional alternative to over-the-counter whitening options that require no impressions or custom trays. Opalescence Go and Sheer White strips provide a fast and convenient way for patients to start a whitening treatment or for whitening touch-ups.
While teeth whitening will often provide the brighter, healthier-looking smile patients desire, these types of treatments are only effective at removing stains. In other cases, where the discoloration occurs beneath the tooth enamel, porcelain veneers offer a more effective solution. Our West Linn cosmetic dentist can help evaluate the potential for whitening your teeth, based on their current color and the causes of any discoloration. If teeth whitening treatments would prove ineffective, a patient may want to consider the placement of porcelain veneers.
Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are constructed of thin pieces of porcelain used to recreate the natural appearance of teeth, while also providing the comparable resilience and strength of natural tooth enamel. Porcelain veneers are a great choice for patients looking to make slight changes to the position of their teeth, or to change the color, size, and/or shape of their teeth.
Porcelain veneers are made of several thin layers of ceramic that act as a replacement for tooth enamel and an adhesive layer that holds the veneers into position. To prepare for a veneer, West Linn cosmetic dentist Dr. Dugger will need to remove a small amount of existing tooth in order to create enough room for the veneer to fit comfortably in the mouth and to restore the natural tooth function that improves the aesthetic appearance of the original tooth. Veneers are a great option for repairing fractured teeth, eliminating gaps between teeth, and correcting minor bite problems. Veneers are incredibly durable and can last for years when patients practice quality oral hygiene. Scheduling a consultation appointment with Dr. Dugger is the first step toward determining whether porcelain veneers are right for you.