Cosmetic Dentistry

A smile changes the way a photograph looks and the way a conversation feels. When you stop covering your mouth when you laugh, plenty else tends to shift along with it.

What Is Cosmetic Dentistry?

Cosmetic dentistry covers treatments that change how your teeth look and feel, while keeping the underlying health of your mouth in mind throughout. At Refresh Dental, this includes teeth whitening, veneers, crowns and bridges. None of these treatments replaces general dentistry. They build on it, which is why Dr Malunga usually checks the health of your teeth and gums before recommending a cosmetic option.

Who Is This Service For?

This service suits patients who are generally happy with their oral health but would like to change something about how their smile looks, whether that is discolouration or a chipped tooth. As with all treatment at Refresh Dental, this is family dentistry from age twelve upward, so teenagers and adults are both welcome to ask about cosmetic options, though some treatments are only offered to adult patients.

Teeth Whitening

Stains build up over years of coffee, tea, red wine, and simply getting older. Professional whitening lifts discolouration more evenly than shop-bought kits, under Dr Malunga's supervision, and is one of the more affordable ways to refresh how your smile looks in photos and in person. Sensitivity for a day or two afterwards is common and usually settles on its own.

Veneers

Veneers are thin, custom-made shells fitted over the front of a tooth to change its shape, colour or alignment. They suit chipped, uneven or heavily stained teeth, and can close small gaps without the time commitment of orthodontics. The process involves a short preparation appointment followed by fitting once your veneers are ready, usually across two visits a couple of weeks apart.

Crowns and Bridges

A crown covers a damaged or weakened tooth entirely, restoring its shape and strength while also improving how it looks. A bridge replaces one or more missing teeth by anchoring a replacement to the teeth on either side. Both are custom-made to match the rest of your smile, and both can follow on from other treatment, such as a large filling that has not held up over time or a tooth lost to decay.

Looking After Cosmetic Work

Whitening, veneers and crowns all last longer with the same basic care as the rest of your mouth, meaning regular brushing, flossing and a six-month cleaning to keep staining and plaque from building up around the edges of any restoration. Avoiding excessive coffee, red wine or tobacco in the days after whitening also helps the result last.

What Happens During a Consultation?

A cosmetic consultation starts with a conversation about what you would like to change and a look at your current oral health, since some cosmetic work depends on healthy teeth and gums underneath. Dr Malunga will explain which options suit your situation and what each one involves, including roughly how many visits to expect, before you commit to anything.

Realistic Expectations

Results vary from patient to patient, depending on your natural tooth colour, the condition of your teeth, and the treatment chosen. Dr Malunga will talk you through what a particular treatment can and cannot do for your smile before you go ahead, so there are no surprises once the work is done.

Choosing What Suits You

Not every patient needs every treatment, and Dr Malunga will not suggest one just because it is available. If whitening would achieve what you are after without the cost of veneers, she will say so. The goal is a smile you are comfortable with, reached in the simplest way that gets you there.

Patients interested in broader skin concerns, such as fine lines or old scarring, may also want to ask about facial aesthetic treatments, such as micro-needling or a chemical peel.