Cosmetic Dentistry

A Smile is Worth a Thousand Words

When it comes to making a good impression or building relationships in society, your smile is an undeniable asset. Its usefulness rises well above aesthetics. Good-looking teeth contribute to higher self-esteem – they allow people to move forward and face difficulties. Many cosmetic treatments are now available at La vallée depending on people’s specific needs, and at various price points.

Get to know the range of treatments and procedures we provide to correct imperfections, both large and small. Go ahead – give yourself a boost!

And remember: there is no age for rejuvenating and embellishing your smile.

Dental Bleaching

Do you dream of a whiter smile? Bleaching is a simple and very common procedure that allows people to rejuvenate their smile and make their teeth brighter.

Since 2020, dental bleaching may only be performed by oral health professionals. This regulatory amendment plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality of care provided, because your dentist is the only person who is able to determine whether or not the state of your oral health is compatible with a bleaching treatment.

First, a dental examination is required to ascertain if a bleaching treatment may be administered. Your dentist will make sure you do not have any cavities, defective restoration work or any other dental issues that could impede treatment. It is also important to know that composite fillings, veneers and crowns are not bleachable. Our dentists will identify probable causes that contributed to the discolouration of your teeth and will propose the bleaching method that is best suited to your situation.

Learn more in our FAQs

Veneers

Veneers are a very popular way to improve the appearance of one’s teeth. They make people’s smiles younger and more harmonious.

Dental veneers are very fine shells that cover the visible part of teeth. They can be used to mask a tooth that is stained, chipped, discoloured or irregularly shaped. Your dentist may suggest veneers for slightly misaligned teeth or to hide a pronounced space in between two teeth, called a diastema or interdental cleft.

This type of treatment may only be achieved when the remaining dental structure is solid and relatively undamaged. In cases where teeth are too damaged, weakened or restored, dental veneers are not recommended. A dental crown may then be preferable.

Dentists always make sure to install veneers of which the colour matches that of your teeth. It is sometimes advisable to undergo a dental bleaching treatment before getting veneers done.

Learn more in our FAQs

Dental Crowns and Bridges

Dental crowns are used to restore teeth that are very broken down, extremely jeopardized or weakened. Crowns provide such teeth with protection, by covering them entirely with a dental cap to better solidify them. In addition to improving masticatory function, this treatment allows for aesthetic improvement. Indeed, the colour and shape of a dental cap may be modified or corrected as desired. Dental crowns are recommended when teeth cannot be repaired using conventional obturation, because crowns are much more resistant.

A fixed bridge is a permanent solution used to replace one or many missing teeth. It is referred to as “fixed” because it cannot be removed by the patient. It truly is worthy of its name, and we often use the image of a real bridge to best convey what the treatment consists in.

Learn more in our FAQs

Diastema Closures

Although a wide space between two teeth may not cause functional problems, people whose teeth feature this distinctive trait, especially when it is between the upper central incisors, are sometimes uncomfortable with the way it looks. Depending on the case, there is a range of possible solutions, such as adding a veneer or a crown. Orthodontics may also be called for. Your dentist is best suited to the task of assessing your situation and proposing appropriate action.

Tooth Replacements

There are currently many available options for replacing a missing tooth. These solutions can help boost self-esteem, improve the appearance of a person’s smile, enhance health and allow a patient to chew more comfortably. 

 

  1. Removable prosthesis – complete or partial: If you opt for a treatment of this type, we will be happy to refer you to a denturologist.
  2. Fixed prosthesis, known as “fixed bridge”: See fixed bridge section.
  3. Fixed prosthesis, attached to an implant: Receiving a dental implant is the only dental care treatment that can truly replace an entire tooth, from its roots to its crown.

To find out more, see the implants FAQs.

Cosmetic Gingivoplasty

Uneven gums on your anterior teeth may affect the attractiveness of your smile. When anatomically feasible, we can recontour your gums using a laser in order to give them a more harmonious appearance. This type of treatment is quick and easy, and may change the way your smile looks, making it much more attractive.

Sometimes, simply recontouring gingiva proves insufficient. Occasionally, the bones supporting the teeth need to be minimally reduced. In such cases, a few stitches will be needed for maximum healing.

Icon Treatments

Many people are bothered by the presence of permanent stains on their teeth. These can be whitish, yellowish or brownish, and are often already present from a young age, appearing as adult teeth emerge.

Icon technology uses a microfluidic resin to penetrate the porous net of tooth enamel and reinforce its affected portions. This way, the appearance of unwanted stains is minimized. Stains may even disappear altogether.

Given in a single session, this treatment can have a satisfactory result, quickly.

Clinical Crown-Lengthening

This minimal surgical procedure consists in replacing the bone and gums surrounding teeth when cavities are overly deep or teeth are too severely fractured, or to adjust portions of teeth to improve a patient’s smile.

This type of procedure is generally performed when a cavity is so deep that it comes too close to the tooth’s supporting bone and interferes with the casing of restoration work to be done. By completing this treatment, the dentist gains the necessary access to proceed with restoration.

When a tooth is fractured, crown-lengthening may help prevent its extraction.

 

Another hidden advantage of this cosmetic enhancement? It allows patients who have small dentition to even out their gums in order to add some height to their teeth. Indeed, there is no need to settle for small teeth.

A few stitches and approximately two weeks of requisite dental care – that’s all there is to it!

Selective Recontouring

Administered in a single session, without the need for anesthesia, selective recontouring allows your dentist to slightly correct the shape of your teeth and obtain excellent results. Selective contouring is effective when it comes to:

  • Rounding a tooth that is too pointy or too square
  • Shortening a tooth that is too long
  • Balancing one or more uneven teeth
  • Adjusting a tooth that is slightly too wide in order to make it narrower
  • Correcting the angle of a tilted tooth or one that encroaches on an adjacent tooth

Speak to your dentist to find out if a few slight improvements could make your smile even more visually appealing.