Aesthetic dentistry and whitening

The goal of dentistry is to offer patients solutions that revive the main functions of the teeth, and one of those is the aesthetic function.

Aesthetic dentistry is a discipline of dentistry that is focused on specialised treatments with the main goal of beautifying the patient’s smile.

Which are the most popular treatments in aesthetic dentistry?

A beautiful smile is comprised of lips, gums and teeth. So, any treatment that improves these three components of a smile can be considered a dental aesthetic treatment. Having a good smile is synonymous with health and social well being.

At ThePractice we put ourselves in charge of improving your smile via treatment of your gums and teeth.

Treatment of the gums

The alignment and condition of the gums is a fundamental success factor when designing a beautiful and natural smile. Many patients do not receive treatment for their gums before undergoing dental aesthetic treatments and the final result suffers greatly as a result. But it is imperative that the gums are shaped in such a way that they recuperate their colour and natural, healthy state. It’s also crucial to revive the structure that all beautiful smiles have. We must emphasise the importance of entrusting a specialised professional with this kind of treatment, someone who knows how to delicately handle the soft dental tissue.

Different types of dental treatments.

Dental veneers

A dental veneer is a thin layer that can be applied on the front of each tooth and which provides an improved smile, in terms of aesthetics. It improves the shape, colour and position of the teeth.
Dental veneers are especially valued as an aesthetic treatment because they help immensely in rejuvenating the dental appearance. It is very common for our teeth to be worn down as time passes, being rubbed on a daily basis.
The act of excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching is known as bruxism and unfortunately it’s very common.
It causes the jaw to clench while you’re sleeping or in stressful situations, accelerating the wearing of your teeth. This habit actually shortens the teeth and provokes dental aging.

Dental veneers solve this problem, reviving your smile’s size and natural shape.

Today, the procedure of adhering dental veneers is completely reliable and much more resistant to detachment. In fact, when the treatment is properly carried out and the technique is refined, the loss of the veneer is very unlikely.

Types of dental veneers

There are different types of dental veneers depending on what they are made of. The most common veneers are:

• Porcelain veneers.
• Composite veneers
• Micro veneers

Our specialist in dental aesthetics, Dr. Mariana Trincado, will evaluate and recommend to the patient the most appropriate type of veneers for every individual case.

Porcelain veneers

These veneers are made of porcelain and are used to recreate a 100% natural dental appearance. In addition, they are very strong and resistant, comparable to your natural tooth enamel. It’s the ideal material for patients who want slight alterations whether in the position or shape of their teeth, as well as in the size or colour.
To create veneers thin ceramic layers are fused using artisanal techniques, giving the shape and texture of the tooth enamel. The veneer is chemically adhered to the tooth, remaining firm and permanently attached to the tooth.

There are different types of porcelain veneers, as well as different commercial brands that make them. The most well-known brands are Da Vinci, Lumineers and Pearl. As a specialised clinic in dental aesthetics, we use and work with all types and brands of veneers. The most important thing complicity in the design of the smile, between the dental aesthetic specialist doctor and the ceramic specialist in the laboratory.

Uses for porcelain veneers
They are the perfect choice in many cases where the natural tooth presents a dark colour or irregular shapes. It’s also a good choice for chipped teeth, gaps between the teeth and for certain circumstances where the position of the teeth is compromised and where there exist minor problems of occlusion. For some people, superficial stains don’t respond well to whitening treatments. In these instances, a porcelain veneer can be the best option.

In summary, porcelain is the best treatment for:

• Changing or improving the colour of the teeth
• Realigning slightly crooked teeth
• Corregir la forma de los dientes
• Correcting the shape of the teeth
• Making it so that the gums are less visible when the patient smiles
• Aesthetically restoring the absence of teeth
• Eradicating the black gaps in the gums
• Closing the spaces between the teeth

Veneers can be the ideal dental aesthetic treatment for those people who are looking to improve the aesthetic of their smile in a natural way, while also contributing towards boosting their self esteem in a big way.

The main benefits of this type of veneer include:
• They are stain resistant to coffee, wine, tobacco, juices, tea, etc
• They maintain their colour and shine permanently
• They provide superior resistance compared to your dental enamel
• They don’t require any specific maintenance, just the same as a normal tooth
• This treatment is especially designed to respect the dental texture as much as possible, so it’s the least minimally invasive of all treatments of its kind. In some cases the dental texture is completely preserved

Composite veneers

One of the best options to improve your smile is composite veneers. Also referred to as composite resin, today they are an excellent alternative to porcelain veneers.

Some even call it dental sculpting, because it involves artisanally sculpting each tooth, from the shape to the perfect characteristics, to achieve the desired look.

For this reason, this type of veneers always have the implicit signature of the dental aesthetic specialist who made them.

The creation of this type of veneer is carried out by applying layers of composite resin which are molded onto the patient’s natural teeth, using artisanal techniques, giving them the desired shape. Moreover, the dental aesthetic specialist should be able to mimic and match the appearance of the teeth in tone and colour. This whole technique requires a great deal of manual dexterity as well as an artistic touch from the specialist in order to create completely natural smiles.

Composite veneers are an excellent alternative to porcelain veneers in most dental aesthetic treatments when looking for a more economical and long lasting treatment.
It is a treatment that is designed to respect the dental texture as much as possible while achieving a well-designed smile in just one session. A natural smile is created through a combination of art and science, where the preparation of the tooth is minimal. In fact, in most cases no preparation of the tooth is needed.

What problems do they solve?

• Change or improve the colour of the teeth
• Align slightly crooked teeth
• Improve the shape of the teeth
• Close spaces between the teeth
• Eradicate stains on the teeth

Micro veneers

Micro veneers have recently be introduced, which are even thinner layers that, in special cases, can be used without preparing the tooth.

Are dental veneers painful?

Not one bit. The fact that the natural tooth is preserved as much as possible is one of the reasons patients don’t feel any discomfort whatsoever during the treatment.

Invisible orthodontics

Blanqueamiento dental

Dental whitening is a trendy aesthetic treatment, because it helps the patient achieve the desired white colour in their teeth. It’s an aesthetic dental treatment that’s non-invasive, doesn’t damage the teeth and give the patient a beautiful and attractive smile. It is currently one of the most utilised techniques in dentistry and dental aesthetics. This is due to the fact that a person with dark or neglected teeth tends to give off a negative impression that can be personally detrimental in today’s society.

Thanks to dental whitening, you can revive the natural shade of your teeth that you’ve been losing over the course of time, whether it’s due to your consumption of tea, coffee, wine, tobacco or other food and drinks. With just one 45-minute session you’ll manage to greatly improve the colour of your teeth and leave out clinic showing off the white smile you always wanted.

The results from chemical whitening dental treatments last approximately one year with the achieved colour. Afterwards it’s advised that you go in for an annual treatment to maintain the achieved colour.

Before undergoing the dental whitening treatment, it’s important to check the condition of the health of the teeth, since this could affect the patient’s oral health, causing, for example, hypersensitivity in the teeth.

At The Practice, we’ve adopted a better technique to whiten teeth with stable and long lasting results: the treatment involves a combined dental whitening technique, consisting of one 45-minute session with LEDs in the clinic and an at-home treatment over approximately two weeks with adapted splinters that should be worn for 4 to 6 hours a day, maximum.

To achieve the desired results, we apply a gel (carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide) to the teeth, which we activate using various types of light (laser, plasma, luminescent, etc…) and which penetrates the tissues of the teeth and break away the strongly pigmented molecules via oxidation. These molecules are not completely destroyed, but rather remain as smaller, unpigmented molecules.

With this technique we achieve a desaturation in the yellow colouring of the teeth, resulting in lighter tones.

Once the session at the clinic is over, the patient continues with a different treatment at home to achieve the desired results. For this, individual splinters are made and adapted to the patient’s mouth. These are then worn during the night along with a whitening gel.

Although there are other at-home dental whitening treatments available, the official college of dentists recommends that this type of treatment always be supervised by dental specialists. A bad dental whitening can cause a weakening of the teeth.

The Practice Barcelona has become a reference in dental whitening over the past few years. The positive results our patients have enjoyed have made them recommend our dental clinic as a place where the desired results are achieved in an efficient manner.