The cosmetic touch to brighten your smile

The cosmetic touch to brighten your smile

Maria Kegel, Contributor, Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): What's in a smile? Plenty, if you ask your
dentist.

Whiter and straighter teeth can increase your self-esteem, so
says Dr. Iwan I. Kustarjo, a dental surgeon at Plaza Senayan in
Jakarta.

But the price of a pretty smile does not come cheap, with
prices for cosmetic dentistry procedures running into the
millions of rupiah.

Bleaching, bonding, laser teeth whitening, veneers and crowns
are some of the latest treatments offered by your dentist that
can be used alone or with each other to put that perfect smile on
your face.

"Cosmetic dentistry lets people smile, and encompasses
changing the size, shape and color of their teeth," said Iwan.

Improvements can be made in just one single trip to the
dentist. A temporary crown, bridge or filling can mask lost or
broken teeth, while bleaching takes as little as half an hour and
gives immediate results.

Bleaching is painless for the most part, and Iwan said
companies had greatly reduced or eliminated the teeth sensitivity
that patients used to report with the product's repeated use.

Although people prefer in-office bleaching for its
convenience, Iwan recommended it to be combined with bleaching at
home for a subsequent 12 days or nights for a better overall
result.

"In-office bleaching uses stronger chemicals than the gel you
take home, so it needs the dentist's supervision. It could burn
the gums if it's not done carefully, and we use a blocking agent
to protect them."

Bleaching, which affects the outer layer of the tooth, can
last up to two years, depending on the patient's personal habits.

Consuming grape or blackcurrant juice, coffee, tea, smoking,
and even eating Padang food can determine how long the bleaching
will last, said Iwan. The kunyit (turmeric) in Padang cuisine is
the culprit behind the staining.

"If these items are avoided, then the bleaching lasts longer."

While home-bleaching kits available from the supermarket have
a lower percentage of hydrogen peroxide and are safe for
everyone, Iwan said the lower content of chemicals means the
effects were minimal and a lot of gel was required. The mouth
trays also do not fit well as they are not customized to a
person's set of teeth.

"That's the difference with using over-the-counter kits. We
customize the mouth tray for each patient so that it fits their
teeth exactly, and we use a higher percentage of hydrogen
peroxide in the gel, so treatment time is reduced," he said,
adding that the trays from the dentist prevented the swallowing
of large amounts of gel when they were worn at night.

A one-hour laser treatment can speed up the whitening process.

The laser is only an activator and is used along with
bleaching as it accelerates the chemical reaction, he said.

"With the rapid advancements being made with the chemicals
used in cosmetic dentistry, there may be no need to use lasers
soon," he added.

Veneers are placed over the front of the tooth, and they are
used to change the color or shape of the tooth.

Teeth that are too small or large, crooked, chipped or oddly
shaped are good candidates for veneers.

A tooth is reduced and then covered with the composite resin.

Veneers are not as strong as the original tooth or other
materials used in dentistry, and last for about three to four
years, Iwan said.

There are other drawbacks. The composite resin changes color
after four years and they require maintenance as the bonding
materials tend to leak with use, he said.

"If you repair the leaks, the veneers will last longer."

A protruding tooth can be covered with a veneer, but it
depends on the degree of its protrusion or misalignment, Iwan
said.

"People mostly wear braces to correct their overbite, and then
you don't have to cut any enamel."

Bonding, which also combines bleaching, is reserved for teeth
that have turned gray or brown due to dead pulp, for example,
from a root canal.

Bleaching is carried out first to reduce the color, and then a
composite resin is used to restore the chipped or broken teeth or
to fill in any gaps.

Crowns are more permanent, but they have limitations, and last
for about 10 to 15 years, Iwan said, adding that most patients
preferred them because they were stronger and more enduring than
the other options.

But problems can arise when gums recede, he warned. The space
that opens at the top of the crown means cavities can easily form
there.

"As long as your gums don't recede, your crowns will last a
long time."