Cosmetic Dentistry – State College, PA
Correcting Flawless for Perfect Smiles
In this day and age, if you are unsatisfied with any part of your smile, whether it be due to stains, chips, cracks, or gaps, you can do something about it. With cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Donald Marks and our team can eliminate any flaw you have and give you a smile that’s fit for the red carpet. Now, you no longer have to just dream about having a bright and beautiful smile. To learn about everything we can do for you, contact us today for cosmetic dentistry in State College, PA.
Finding a Cosmetic Dentist
Are you interested in making cosmetic improvements to your current smile? If so, you’re probably thinking about which cosmetic treatment you’d like to pursue. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to know when a dentist has the necessary expertise to ensure your smile looks exactly the way you want it to. The last thing you want is for your smile to be permanently altered and look nothing like you thought it would following treatment. As you begin your search for a cosmetic dentist, it’s important to keep certain tips in mind so that your next cosmetic treatment meets your needs.
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Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers consistent of ceramic coverings that are bonded to the teeth to mimic natural enamel, and with them, we can:
- Instantly get rid of stains
- Close gaps
- Fix small chips and cracks
- Make slightly crooked teeth appear straight
- Make short or uneven teeth appear uniform
Each porcelain veneer is custom-made to a patient’s exact specifications, so whether you want to enhance a single tooth or make over your entire smile, you can trust them to deliver stunning results.
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Metal-Free Dental Restorations
Thanks to advances in dental materials, we can now repair teeth using ceramic restorations that are virtually identical to natural enamel. These are especially useful when repairing a tooth that shows when a patient smiles. We can even shade these restorations to ensure they’re colored-matched for a patient. They are just as strong as their traditional metal counterparts, but the end result is a beautifully restored tooth that no one will even notice.
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Cosmetic Dental Bonding
Cosmetic bonding is your quick and easy way to fix the minor stains, chips, and cracks that take away from your smile. For this treatment, Dr. Marks will apply a composite resin to your tooth, and then he’ll artfully sculpt it to hide any flaw you have. The entire treatment typically takes less than an hour and doesn’t require any local anesthesia. It’s a fantastic alternative to porcelain veneers, and the results can easily last for up to 10 years.
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Inlays & Onlays
Inlays and onlays allow us to restore your teeth in the most conservative way possible. They serve as a middle ground between fillings and dental crowns, which is why they are sometimes called “partial-crowns.” Made of porcelain, an inlay can repair the internal part of a tooth, while an onlay does this and extends all the way to a tooth’s cusps (the rough chewing surface). With them, we’ll be able to preserve more of your tooth’s natural structure while rebuilding them.
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ClearCorrect
If you’ve avoided straightening your teeth because you didn’t want to get bulky metal braces, ClearCorrect is what you’ve been looking for. It completely does away with the traditional bracket and wire system, instead using a series of clear plastic aligner trays to discreetly straighten the teeth. They are practically invisible to the naked eye, and a patient can even take them off whenever they need to eat or brush their teeth.
Teeth Whitening
Eliminating stains caused by tobacco, beverages, aging, and genetics is one of the best ways to turn back the clock and make a smile truly shine, and at our dental office, we have two great ways to help you do it. We have an in-office treatment with Glo Whitening that can give you dramatic results in an hour, or we can send you home with your own custom-made kit. In the end, either treatment can give you a smile that’s 6-10 shades whiter in no time.
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Understanding the Cost of Cosmetic Dentistry
We understand that cost is probably one of the main factors on your mind when you’re planning a smile makeover. Cosmetic dentistry has a reputation for being expensive, but it definitely doesn’t have to be! Even though most of these services aren’t covered by dental insurance, our team at Donald Marks Family Dentistry has other ways of helping you comfortably afford the cost of cosmetic dentistry in State College. Below, you can find some information that can be particularly helpful when budgeting for cosmetic dentistry.
Which Cosmetic Dental Service Is Right for Me?
When patients are looking to get more attractive smiles, they typically want to improve the size, shape, color, and/or alignment of their teeth. Depending on which of these changes you’re interested in making, your cosmetic dentist in State College can help you explore your options, as well as their price ranges. These options may include:
- Cosmetic bonding – Bonding is a wonderful solution for correcting minor gaps between teeth, chips, cracks, or stains. Often, bonding is one of the most affordable cosmetic dental treatments, but the results tend to only last a few years, meaning you have to consider the cost of redoing the procedure over time.
- Teeth whitening – In practically no time at all, professional teeth whitening can dramatically brighten your smile and remove even severely stubborn discoloration. Whitening is usually on the lower end of the cosmetic dentistry cost spectrum, but like bonding, you’ll need regular touch-ups to maintain the results.
- ClearCorrect – For both the aesthetics and health of your smile, ClearCorrect can make a world of difference if you have significantly misaligned or gapped teeth. It’s worth mentioning, however, that the treatment can span a year or longer and can several thousands of dollars.
- Veneers – Although veneers can be the most expensive cosmetic dentistry option, they’re the most comprehensive way to transform every aspect of your smile. In just two visits, veneers can give you the smile of your dreams!
Cosmetic Dentistry Can Be Well Worth the Investment
The costs involved in cosmetic dentistry can be intimidating at first, but it’s important to remember that you’re making an investment that can pay major dividends as time goes on. If you’ve been feeling self-conscious about your teeth, fixing their cosmetic imperfections can give you a sense of confidence that’s truly priceless. When you feel confident about your grin, the people around you will take notice; you might enjoy better opportunities in your personal or even professional life!
How to Make Cosmetic Dentistry Affordable
Purely aesthetic dental treatments almost never qualify for coverage from insurance, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save on cosmetic services. As an alternative to conventional insurance, we offer an in-house dental savings plan here at Donald Marks Family Dentistry. When you sign up, you get 100% free preventive care and valuable discounts on many of our treatments, including cosmetic ones. Our practice also partners with CareCredit to help qualified patients pay for their treatments in low- to no-interest monthly plans.
To find out how much your cosmetic dentistry treatments will cost and how you can make them affordable, just request an appointment at our office. We look forward to helping you improve your look without breaking the bank!
Cosmetic Dentistry Frequently Asked Questions
Few things feel better than having a beautiful and confident smile that you can’t wait to show the world. Dr. Donald Marks and the rest of our team work closely with you to help you achieve personalized and long-lasting results. To make things a little bit more convenient for you, we’ve taken the time to answer some frequently asked questions about cosmetic dentistry in the section below.
Am I a Good Candidate for Cosmetic Dentistry?
Most people who are dissatisfied with some aspect of the way their smile looks could benefit from cosmetic dentistry. In most cases, the only requirements are that your mouth is infection-free, and you’re committed to an at-home dental hygiene routine. If you have oral health issues that need treatment, such as gum disease, we’ll have to address them before you can get cosmetic work done.
How Much Will It Cost to Improve My Smile?
Like most dental services, the cost of cosmetic dentistry will vary greatly depending on the difficulty of the procedure and the time required to complete it. Your cosmetic dentist in State College can come up with a personalized cost estimate based on your unique needs. Keep in mind that improving your smile is an investment in your self-esteem, confidence, and overall quality of life.
Can I Use My Dental Insurance to Pay for Cosmetic Services?
Unfortunately, most dental insurance policies don’t cover the cost of cosmetic work. However, certain procedures, such as metal-free restorations, may overlap into restorative dentistry, which is often at least partially covered by insurance. Our team would be more than happy to get in touch with a representative from your insurance company to determine your eligibility for coverage.
For uninsured patients, we can help you apply for low-interest financing through CareCredit. We also offer an in-house savings plan that nets you savings on many different kinds of treatments - including cosmetic dentistry!
Am I Too Old for Cosmetic Dentistry?
Not at all! We’ve had plenty of senior citizens come to our dental office asking how they can beautify their smiles. Teeth whitening is particularly popular with our older patients. Tooth enamel naturally thins as you get older, exposing more of the layer of yellowish dentin underneath it. Our potent teeth whitening treatment can brighten your smile by several shades to give you a more youthful and vibrant appearance.
How Long Will It Take to Makeover My Smile?
The answer to this question varies from patient to patient. For example, if all you want is a quick whitening, that can be completed in just one appointment. Other treatments, like ClearCorrect, can take several months to a year or even longer. Dr. Marks can give you a more personalized treatment timeline during your consultation to give you a better idea of how long you can expect to wait before reaping the benefits of a perfect smile.
