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Cosmetic Dentistry In Tampa

Cosmetic Dentistry

Everyone wants to have a healthy smile with teeth free from decay and gum disease. But everyone also wants to have a beautiful smile.  Dr. Rasmussen uses their general dentistry background to keep your mouth healthy, combining their extra training in cosmetic dentistry to give their patients beautiful, perfect smiles.

Cosmetic Dentistry Services: 

women smiling after reciving cosmetic dentistry in tampa, fl

What is cosmetic dentistry, and how is it different than general dentistry?

When you think of the dentist, you normally think of having the decay removed, and a filling placed. Or maybe having a tooth replaced with a dental implant. These are functional issues with your oral health, and those procedures fall under “general dentistry.” The idea of general dentistry is to keep your oral health in good shape.

Cosmetic dentistry is a sideline or specialty within general dentistry that focuses on the aesthetic aspects of the patient’s smile rather than the functional aspects. Cosmetic dentistry and general dentistry can have the same goal, for instance, when a dental implant is used to replace a damaged tooth. But usually, cosmetic dentistry has the goal of giving you a dazzling smile without addressing issues such as gum disease, decay, or other functional problems. Dr. Rasmussen uses cosmetic dentistry to improve patients’ tooth shape, position, whiteness, alignment, and overall appearance.

Why would a person be interested in cosmetic dentistry?

You can have a healthy smile that isn’t necessary a perfectly beautiful smile. Maybe you have some stained teeth from a reaction to tetracycline when you were a kid. Maybe you have a tooth that is healthy but is misshapen in some way. Maybe you have a gap between a couple of teeth.

Whatever the flaws with your smile, Dr. Rasmussen can use their cosmetic dentistry treatments to fix them aesthetically. These are common cosmetic issues that they could address:

  • Closing gaps between teeth
  • Whitening badly stained teeth
  • Straightening poorly aligned teeth
  • Replacing missing teeth
  • Fixing chipped teeth
  • Covering badly pitted teeth
  • Changing the shape of misshapen teeth
  • Lengthening overly short teeth
Different people that recieved cosmetic dentistry

Who is a good candidate for cosmetic dentistry treatment?

Chip tooth that can be corrected with cosmetic dentistry

As mentioned above, these procedures are only cosmetic, not functional. Good candidates need to have healthy teeth and gums before Dr. Rasmussen can make any cosmetic improvements.

If you have teeth with decay or deep cracks, those problems would need to be addressed prior to having any cosmetic work done.

Of course, this isn’t a rigid definition. For instance, a porcelain crown can save a tooth with a deep crack. At the same time, that crown can change the shape of that same tooth to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

What are the different tools used for cosmetic dentistry?

At Gentle Dentistry, Dr. Rasmussen uses a variety of different procedures to give our patients the whitest, most beautiful smiles.

Veneers — Ultra-thin porcelain shells are placed over the front sides of the teeth. Veneers can change the color or shape of the teeth. They can correct unevenly spaced, crooked, chipped, oddly shaped, or badly discolored teeth.


Composite Fillings — We place only composite resin fillings, which are the color of your natural teeth and invisible once in your tooth.


Bonding — Composite resin can be used to fix a flaw on a tooth, such as a chip. Or it can change the shape of a single tooth. Bonding is less expensive than a porcelain veneer, but it doesn’t last as long.


Whitening — We offer Boost™ in-office teeth whitening system that whitens teeth up to eight shades. We also offer at-home teeth whitening custom-fit trays and professional gel.


Invisalign — Although technically functional, moving improperly positioned teeth with the Invisalign system of clear aligners creates a beautiful end result with far less irritation and pain, and without the patient having a “metal mouth.”

veeners for cosmetic dentistry
teeth whithen for cosmetic dentistry

Is cosmetic dentistry work expensive?

As you would expect, the cost of these procedures varies depending completely upon what you have done. For instance, teeth whitening and dental bonding are not expensive. An Invisalign orthodontic treatment costs far more, but it needs to move all of your teeth. When Dr. Rasmussen gets an idea of what you’d like to change or fix with your smile, we can give you an estimate of the cost.

Dental insurance plans

At Gentle Dentistry, we believe that insurance plans and financial concerns should not prevent anyone from receiving quality, proactive dental care. Our In-House Dental Savings Plan is designed to help our patients receive the consistent, high quality dental care they need to maintain optimal oral and overall health at an affordable price. Individual annual membership plans start at $349, and cost-effective family plans can be customized to meet the needs of everyone in the family. Each membership plan includes free treatments, special discounts, cosmetic treatments, and much more.

Sign up for our Dental Savings Plan to start enjoying incredible benefits at Gentle Dentistry right away.

Click here to learn more about our dental savings plan