Smile designing in India- procedures, materials, benefits, cost and more

Esthetics play a vital role in our lives. All of strive to look better as it boosts our confidence and preserves our self-esteem. Smile is the most significant and noticeable aspect of the personality.

 

What does smile designing consists of?

Smile designing deals with all the dental issues need to enhance the smile, such as,

1. Teeth color

2. Restoring tooth decay

3. Rebuilding cracked or broken teeth

4. Replacement of missing teeth

5. Alignment of teeth

6. Jaw alignment

7. Contouring of gums

 

The procedures for the above issues are discussed below:

Teeth color

There are various causes leading to discolouration of the teeth.

External stains- these are the stains on the outermost layer of the tooth. These are mostly due to coffee, wine, cola or other drinks or food items. This also occurs due to smoking or tobacco intake.

Internal stains-  these happen due to discoloration of the inner layer (dentine). It has several reasons-

• Excessive exposure to fluoride (through water) in childhood.

• Use of a specific type of antibiotic, specially during pregnancy.

• Any trauma during childhood, causing damage to the pulp tissue.

• Advancing age

Congenital causes- in some cases, the outermost layer (enamel) or the inner layer (dentine) may be discolored due to congenital abnormalities.

 

Treatment-

1. The external stains can be removed by:

• Regular brushing twice a day

• Use of mouthwash

• Use of dental floss

• Regular cleaning by the dentist or the dental hygienist. The procedure is known as scaling and root planing.

• The internal stains are usually permanent.

2. If the stains are due to advancing age, use of antibiotics or fluoride exposure, bleaching is the first preference. Average cost for bleaching in India is around 500 USD.

 

 

3. In cases of congenital abnormalities or in cases where bleaching does not work, veneers or laminates is the treatment of choice.

4. Stains caused by damage to pulp tissue can be treated by Root Canal Treatment.

 

Restoring tooth decay

 

What is tooth decay?

The process of decay of outer surface of the tooth as a result of bacterial action. This leads to destruction of the tooth structure.

 

Methods to restore the tooth structure:

The decayed tooth structure is repaired by the filling the space with different types of materials.

There are 2 types of tooth restorations depending upon the area of destruction

• Direct restoration-  for small destruction, tooth-colored fillings are done with materials like composite and Glass Ionomer Cement. This may cost from USD 21 to USD 34.

• Indirect restoration- for wider areas of destruction, inlays and onlays are the choice of treatment.

1. Inlays- These are pre-fabricated filling placed in the tooth.

                        This may cost around USD 138 in India.

2. Onlays -it is also knowns as partial crowns.

                         The average cost revolves around USD 900.

Best dental hospitals and doctors in India  are available for Inlay and Onlay procedures.

 

Rebuilding cracked or broken tooth

For minor cases, filling and bonding is done with composite resins.

In cases where major portion of the tooth is broken, a dental crown is placed. 
 

 

Replacement of missing teeth

Replacement of missing teeth is done by 2 methods:

• Dental bridges

• Dental implants

 

Dental bridges-

These are the tooth-shaped cover placed over the damaged tooth. It is made to be looked like a natural tooth.

  Advantages-

• Cost effective

• Patient compliance

• Painless procedure

The cost of Dental bridges is approximately around 100 USD depending upon the material used.

 

 

Dental implants-

In this, a titanium screw is inserted in the gums, which acts as a dental root. After the healing is done, a dental crown,  which looks like a natural tooth is loaded over it. This is one of the best and permanent methods for tooth replacement.

For more details about dental implants, click here.

 

Alignment of teeth

In cases, where teeth are overcrowded or mal-aligned teeth, orthodontic procedures are available, in which braces are placed over the teeth for a specific period of time. Cost varies depending upon the types of braces.

• Metal braces - 1500 USD

• Invisible braces- 1800 USD

• Tooth-coloured braces- 900 USD

 

Jaw alignment

In some cases, where the esthetics and function cannot be improved by alignment of teeth, the position of the jaw has to be adjusted.

Types of surgeries:

• Maxillary osteotomy (surgery of upper jaw)

• Mandibular osteotomy (surgery of lower jaw)

• Genioplasty (surgery of chin)

The cost may vary from USD 700 to USD 1500.

 

Contouring of gums

 

This is mostly done to enhance the smile in cases where the gums are placed too high or too low. This is done with the help of LASER. For example, gum lift surgery, also known as gingivectomy is done to lift the gums. 

Other than the above surgeries, there are following procedures done in India including,  gum - depigmentation