Ocala’s Choice for Cosmetic Dentistry

Crowns look and function just like natural teeth. A crown may be recommended if your tooth has extensive decay or cracks that a simple restoration would compromise the integrity of the tooth. A crown covers your tooth completely and fits snugly at the gum to protect what remains of the natural tooth.

Crowns restore the appearance of your teeth and help stabilize your facial structure. Being the same size and shape as the natural tooth, they keep your jaw and bite aligned.

This helps ensure that other teeth don’t shift locations or take on a greater share of the work of biting and chewing.

Missing teeth can lower confidence, but they can also contribute to other dental problems. If missing teeth are not replaced, your remaining teeth shift and bone loss may occur. Patients with missing teeth have many options; there’s no reason to live with the gaps.

A fixed bridge (non-removable) can be an ideal option for replacing missing teeth, literally bridging the gap where one or more teeth are missing. Usually made of porcelain (with gold underneath), a fixed bridge is permanently placed between two healthy teeth. Held in place by porcelain crowns, fixed bridges have a beautiful, natural appearance.

How about a safe, simple way to give you dramatically whiter teeth? With age and/or consumption of staining substances such as coffee, tea, soda pop, tobacco, red wine, etc., your teeth may become discolored.

There are many products on the market designed to help restore your teeth to their former whiteness. Professional whitening systems are available only in dental offices, and they undoubtedly provide the most effective and reliable results. We offer a professional home whitening system.

Bonding refers to tooth-colored restorative material that can be used to treat teeth in many different ways. The bonding material is a resin that strongly adheres to the tooth structure and comes in many different shades to match the tooth.

Modern bonding materials are long-lasting and blend in so well that they can hardly be detected. A bonded filling also requires the removal of less tooth structure. Bonding can be used to repair fractured front teeth or in cases where cosmetic improvement is desired.

The surface of a tooth at times suffers damage that is too extensive for a filling but not damaged enough for a crown. In such cases, an inlay or onlay is the best option for treatment.

The treatment is fabricated in a lab and then bonded to the damaged tooth. When the filling is just a small part of the tooth it is fixed with an inlay and when the whole top part of the tooth is filled an onlay is used.

Composite bonding is a treatment that uses composite resin for various purposes. It is most commonly used to fill cavities, repair a fractured or chipped tooth, and mask discolored teeth.

It is important that the bonding is done by a professional and maintained every few years so it remains in place.

Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth. A metal frame is surgically fitted into the jawbone where the implant will be placed. The frame provides support for the implant so it remains in place, especially while speaking or eating. Implants are a more expensive solution, but they are also more secure than other replacement options.

Dentures are used to replace missing natural teeth and they come in various types and shapes and are made of various materials. Both jaws can be healed with dentures – together or separately. So there are upper and lower dentures. Partial dentures deal with some teeth, full dentures – with the whole mouth. Dentures can be removable or fixed.

Some dentures require installation of dental implants and can be made off various materials. But most dentures are made from acrylic because acrylic is malleable and can be dyed to replicate the appearance of gums. Alternatively, flexible dentures are made of nylon. They are more durable and feel more natural, but they also cost more.