You don’t have to be in pain to want something different for your smile. Maybe it’s a chip you always notice in photos, or years of discoloration that whitening toothpaste never touched. Cosmetic dentistry at Mountain West Dental Specialists gives you options to improve those things, and when you feel good about your smile, you’re more likely to use it. That confidence can show up in photos, conversations, and everyday interactions in a way that’s hard to measure but easy to feel.
What Is Cosmetic Dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry focuses on how your smile looks. It includes treatments that brighten, straighten, reshape, or replace teeth to improve your appearance and boost your confidence. These changes might be subtle or more noticeable, depending on what you’re hoping to improve.
Cosmetic treatments are designed to support how you feel when you smile, but they often improve function too. Smoother, more even teeth are easier to clean. Replacing missing teeth can make eating and speaking more comfortable. And when you like how your smile looks, it can be easier to stay consistent with daily care. Every plan is different, and that’s the point. It’s built around your goals.
This type of dentistry is different from general care. General dentistry focuses on oral health with things like fillings, exams, cleanings, and other services that treat or prevent disease. Cosmetic dentistry builds on that foundation.
If there’s something you’d like to change or improve, there are several ways to get started. Let’s check them out.
Teeth Whitening
Whitening your teeth can be one of the simplest ways to upgrade your smile, and professional whitening makes the process easier than ever. At Mountain West Dental Specialists, we offer Las Vegas Philips Zoom in-office whitening, a trusted system known for its comfort, speed, and noticeable results.
The Zoom WhiteSpeed light-activated system uses a powerful yet gentle gel combined with LED technology to lift years of surface stains. The gel and light work together to break up discoloration without affecting your tooth structure. After three 15-minute sessions, completed in a single visit, your teeth can become up to eight shades whiter.
Zoom is effective for stains caused by coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco, or aging. If your teeth have deeper gray or blue tones from medications like tetracycline, results may still be possible, though they’ll likely be more gradual or less dramatic. Dr. Tomlin will perform a personalized shade assessment to set realistic expectations and determine whether this is the right approach for you.
Veneers
Veneers are all the rage these days, with celebrities and influencers flashing their perfectly pearly whites across social media. But veneers aren’t reserved for Hollywood. These thin, tooth-colored shells are custom-designed and bonded to the front of your natural teeth to improve color, shape, size, and symmetry. The result is a smooth, balanced smile that still looks like you, only more polished.
Veneers are a long-lasting option for patients who want a total smile upgrade, especially when discoloration, chipping, uneven sizing, or oral health is more severe or affects more than just one or two teeth. With them, our experts of cosmetic dentistry in Las Vegas can hide enamel discoloration that whitening can’t touch, mask small gaps or chips, and even make slightly crooked teeth appear straighter.
This option is considered a permanent treatment because a small amount of enamel is removed to prepare the tooth. Once that happens, you’ll always need some type of covering on that tooth moving forward. While the veneers themselves can last 10 to 15 years or longer with proper care, they may need to be replaced eventually due to wear, staining, or natural changes in your smile over time. Because of this, we might recommend teeth whitening or orthodontic methods if your concerns can be addressed with less invasive treatments.
Dental Implants
If you’re missing one or more teeth, dental implants offer a long-term solution that looks and feels remarkably natural. At Mountain West Dental Specialists, implants are used to restore single teeth, support bridges, or even replace temporary dentures with something more stable and permanent.
A dental implant has two parts: a small post that replaces the tooth root, and a prosthetic tooth that mimics the look of your natural tooth. The post is made from titanium, a material known for its strength and compatibility with the human body. Over time, your jawbone will grow around the implant, creating a strong foundation for your new tooth. This process, called osseointegration, takes place during healing and is part of what makes implants so durable.
Dentures
Tooth loss affects more than your appearance. It can impact how you chew, how clearly you speak, and even the shape of your face. Full or partial dentures restore those functions with a custom appliance made to fit comfortably over your gums and blend naturally with your features.
Modern dentures have come a long way. Thanks to updated materials and design, they feel lighter, fit better, and look more like natural teeth than the bulky sets many people remember. Full dentures replace an entire row of missing teeth, while partial dentures fill in specific gaps between remaining healthy teeth.
Some patients choose dentures as a temporary option while they prepare for dental implants. Others find them to be a more affordable, non-surgical solution that fits both their lifestyle and their smile goals. Dr. Tomlin can walk you through what to expect and help you decide which approach makes the most sense for your needs.
Are You Ready To Love Your Smile Again?
Liking your smile shouldn’t feel out of reach. Small concerns can carry a quiet, heavy weight, but you’re allowed to want more from your smile. More ease. More freedom. More of yourself, without the mental edits. The team at Mountain West Dental Specialists understands that. They’re experts in their field and would be honored to help you explore what’s possible and work toward the smile you’ve always hoped for. Contact our Las Vegas office today to get started!