Both general and cosmetic dentistry can help you restore your smile. However, these two dentistry branches have different purposes and involve distinct procedures.
Let’s find out more about the differences between the two.
What Is General Dentistry?
General dentistry focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide variety of oral health issues.
Some of the most common treatments include:
- Preventive services such as regular exams, teeth cleanings, and preventive treatments.
- Restorative services involve removing tooth decay and placing a filling or dental crown.
- Overall health concerns like oral cancer
What Is Cosmetic Dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry focuses on improving the appearance of your teeth, gums, and even your bite.
Here are some common cosmetic dental procedures:
- Teeth Whitening: Used to restore the natural color of your teeth or even make them whiter.
- Veneers: Used to treat imperfections such as a slightly crooked tooth, discolored teeth, or chipped teeth, or to cover gaps in between the teeth.
- Dental Bonding: Used to repair decayed, chipped, cracked, or misshapen teeth.
- Dental Crown: Used to replace the entire decayed or damaged tooth above the gum line, restoring its shape, size, and appearance. They are also used to complete a dental implant.
- Inlays and Onlays: Used to fill decayed or damaged teeth.
- Dental Implants: Used to replace a missing tooth from the root up
- Orthodontics: Braces and Invisalign are used to correct teeth alignment and bite-related issues.
- Gum Reshaping: Used to even out an uneven gum line.
The Difference Between General and Cosmetic Dentistry
Both general dentistry and cosmetic dentistry focus on your oral care, but, as we said, they do it differently.
Different Purpose
General dentistry’s primary purpose is to maintain the overall health of your teeth and gums.
Cosmetic dentistry, on the other hand, focuses on improving the appearance of your teeth, gums, and overall smile.
There are, however, instances where these two branches overlap. For instance, a dental crown could be considered both general and cosmetic dentistry: it restores the tooth’s function and improves its appearance.
Different Procedures
General dentistry offers procedures like routine dental check-ups, teeth cleaning, fillings, root canals, crowns, gum care, and so on.
Cosmetic dentistry treatments include teeth whitening, veneers, dental bonding, dental implants, orthodontics, and more.
The Dentist’s Training
All dentists receive training in general dentistry. But, to become a cosmetic dentist, a general dentist must pursue additional training and education in cosmetic procedures and techniques after completing dental school.
What You Want to Achieve
If you are only interested in routine dental care or treatment of dental problems like cavities or gum disease then a general dentist can help you.
But, if you are more interested in enhancing the appearance of your smile, you should probably get in touch with a cosmetic dentist.
Contact Elite Dentistry For More Information
At Elite Dentistry, we offer both general and cosmetic dentistry as we aim to help our patients treat all sorts of dental issues.
Get in touch with us, tell us about your problem, and we will schedule the right appointment for you.
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