Cosmetic dentist in Broadmeadows

What would you like to change?

• My teeth look stained or yellowWhat causes it, and which stains whitening actually shifts.→
• I want whiter teethIn-chair and take-home whitening, and who each one suits.→
• I have a chip or a gap that bothers meTooth-coloured material shaped onto the tooth in one visit.→
• I want to change the shape or colour of several front teethWhat veneers involve, and what they cost you in tooth.→
• My teeth are crooked or crowdedWhen straightening is the honest answer instead of covering.→
• I want to straighten my teeth discreetlyClear aligner treatment, provided here by Dr Fatima Kurnaz.→
• I have a heavily filled or broken front toothWhen a tooth needs covering for strength, not just appearance.→

Where should cosmetic treatment start?

With an examination, every time. Two things have to be true before anything cosmetic is worth doing: the teeth underneath are free of decay, and the gums are healthy. Cosmetic work bonded to a decayed tooth fails. Work placed against inflamed gums looks wrong within a year, because the gum line moves as it settles.

That means a check-up and clean comes first, and sometimes gum treatment before that. Where there is decay or gum disease, the honest sequence is to get your overall oral health right first and consider the cosmetic question after, not alongside. It is also where the photographs, x-rays and shade notes come from, which is what a real plan is built on rather than a guess over the phone.

Order matters once more than one thing is planned. If you want whitening and you also need work on a front tooth, the whitening goes first and the new work is matched to the shade you end up with. New dental work cannot be lightened later, so matching it to teeth you are about to whiten means matching it to a colour that is about to change.

Which option removes the least tooth?

This is the question worth asking, and the one most people never get told to ask. Enamel does not grow back. Once a tooth has been reshaped it needs covering from then on, for the rest of that tooth's life, and that is a commitment rather than a treatment.

So the options line up in a rough order, from the ones that take nothing away to the one that takes the most:

• Whitening changes the colour of the tooth you already have and removes nothing.
• Straightening moves teeth into a better position rather than covering them, so the tooth itself is left alone.
• Composite bonding and composite veneers are built up directly onto the tooth during the appointment. Nothing is shaved off, and the work can be repaired or added to later.
• Minimal-prep veneers are made thin enough to need only a very small amount of enamel smoothed from the surface. They do not suit every case, but where they do, the tooth is left almost as it was.
• Conventional veneers usually need a thin layer off the front of the tooth, so the veneer sits flush rather than looking bulky.
• Crowns cover the whole tooth and remove the most, which is why they are chosen for strength rather than for appearance alone.

The dividing line that matters is not the name of the treatment, it is whether any tooth comes off. Everything above the last two takes nothing. Once a tooth has been reduced, that tooth needs covering from then on. So the question worth asking is not "what are my options", it is "which of these removes tooth, and how much".

Material is a separate question from preparation, and it is where the natural look comes from. Veneers can be composite, porcelain, or a combination chosen tooth by tooth, and porcelain and mixed-material work generally gives the most natural result because of the way it handles light. Your dentist should tell you which material is being proposed for which tooth, and why, before you agree to anything.

Why are there no before and after photos on this site?

Because we are not allowed to publish them, and neither is anyone else. Australia's National Law restricts how registered health practitioners advertise, and that includes images that could create an expectation of a particular result. The same rule is why you will not find patient testimonials on this site either.

It is worth knowing when you compare clinics. A gallery of results tells you what was possible for someone whose teeth, gums and starting colour you know nothing about. What we can give you instead is a look at your own teeth, photographs of them, and a written explanation of what each option would and would not change.

What does cosmetic work need afterwards?

Looking after it, and more attentively than natural teeth. Cosmetic treatment is not fit and forget. Whitening fades and gets topped up. Bonding and composite veneers get polished, repaired and occasionally added to. Every piece of work has an edge where it meets your own tooth, and that edge is where plaque collects and where a problem starts if it is not cleaned properly.

So the routine matters more after cosmetic treatment, not less: cleaning between the teeth, regular check-ups and cleans, and telling us early if something chips, catches or feels different. Anyone who tells you a cosmetic result is permanent and maintenance-free is selling you something. We would rather say it plainly before you start than have you find out two years in.

What will it cost, and can you claim it?

Cosmetic treatment is quoted after the assessment, in writing and itemised, with the item numbers on it so you can check it against your cover before you commit. Nobody at Y3 Smiles Dental will quote cosmetic work over the phone, because the answer depends on how many teeth are involved and what condition they are in.

Health funds treat purely cosmetic treatment differently from general and major dental, and the rules vary from policy to policy. Some of what gets called cosmetic is claimable because it is also restoring a tooth. Take your written quote to your fund and ask about the specific items. Our health funds page explains how claiming works here, and payment options covers the rest.

Who will look after your treatment?

Cosmetic treatment at Y3 Smiles Dental is led by principal dentist Dr Fatima Kurnaz, a general dentist with a particular interest in clear aligners, veneers, composite bonding and conservative smile makeovers. She provides these treatments herself, and where a case is better handled elsewhere she will tell you so and refer you.

We are at Unit 1/34 King William St, Broadmeadows, open six days, and patients come to us from across Melbourne's north. If you have been thinking about this for a while and feel awkward raising it, say it at the booking. It is a normal thing to want. Back to the Y3 Smiles Dental home page.