One: How long is the Recovery Time?
If you are unhappy with the appearance of your smile, then consider visiting a cosmetic dentistry San Antonio specialist. Modern dental techniques have led to a variety of procedures to improve teeth or gums. In many cases, a procedure can also make it easier to chew food or talk. The healing time for dental procedures varies, depending on how invasive it is, and a dentist can provide detailed information concerning recovery time. Some of the cosmetic dentistry San Antonio procedures available include:
• Teeth Whitening – requires two hours or less, and there is no recovery time
• Color-matching fillings – requires one hour, and there is no recovery time
• Crowns – crowns are made quickly, and patients recover the same day
• Dental bridges – at least two visits, but no recovery time
• Veneers – two office visits required, and recovery the same day
• Bonding – one visit to a dentist, and no recovery time
• Gum grafts – one visit but may need a day of recovery
• Gingivectomy – one visit but patients need one to three days to recover
• Orthodontics – multiple visits with braces or aligners worn for one to four years
It is important to remember that you might need less or more recovery time for an invasive procedure than someone else does. After some procedures, you must avoid drinking water or eating food to permit filling materials or adhesive resins to harden. Surgeries requiring removing gum tissue or drilling deep into a tooth can lead to a small amount of bruising or swelling that is treatable with over-the-counter pain relievers or ice packs.
Two: Will a Procedure Hurt?
Cosmetic dentistry San Antonio dentists can provide local or general anesthesia for procedures that involve making incisions or drilling into a tooth’s pulp. After a teeth whitening process, you might have minor sensitivity in the gums for a few days that gradually goes away. Small dental fillings usually cause no pain, and you will not require an anesthetic. For a larger filling, your dentist can inject a tiny amount of painkiller medication into the surrounding gum tissue to numb nerves. The placement of a crown requires chipping away enamel from a damaged or diseased tooth, and you are going to undergo sedation treatment and require mediation afterward. Bonding and veneer applications are typically painless, but gum surgery that requires cleaning dental pockets or cutting away tissue require anesthesia.
Three: Am I the Right Age for a Procedure?
The best way to learn if you are the appropriate age for a procedure performed by a cosmetic dentistry San Antonio dentist is by having an examination first. Teeth whitening procedures and the application of veneers are usually only recommended for adults, and children rarely require gum surgery. However, the best way to understand if the surgery is right for your age is with a consultation from a dentist.