Treatments

Every option, and the reason for it.

A treatment list is only useful if it comes with the thinking behind it. Here is what I offer, who each option genuinely suits, and where each one falls short.

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Dental implants Replacing a single tooth, or several, with a fixed restoration that behaves like the tooth it replaces. View → Full-arch rehabilitation A fixed, full set of teeth supported by implants, planned digitally, delivered in stages, built to be maintained. View → Porcelain veneers Minimal-preparation porcelain, designed around your face rather than a template. View → Composite bonding Hand-sculpted composite for edges, gaps and shape. Conservative, reversible, done in a single visit. View → Crowns, onlays & bridges Rebuilding heavily restored or worn teeth with as little further tooth loss as possible. View → Clear aligners & whitening Straightening and lightening first, so that any restorative work afterwards can be smaller. View →

Fees are specific to each case and each practice, and are always confirmed in writing before treatment begins. I do not publish price lists, because a figure without a diagnosis behind it is not information, it is guesswork.

Treatment

Porcelain veneers

Veneers are thin porcelain restorations bonded to the front of the teeth to change shape, colour, alignment or proportion. Done well, they are almost undetectable. Done badly, they are the most obvious thing in a room.

The difference is almost entirely in the planning. I design veneers around the face, lip line, midline, the way you actually smile and speak, rather than to a fixed template. Before any tooth is prepared, the proposed result is tested in your mouth as a trial smile, so you see and approve the shape before anything is irreversible.

Who they suit

Chipped, worn or uneven front teeth
Persistent discolouration that whitening will not shift
Small gaps or minor rotations where orthodontics is not wanted
Ageing or failing older veneers and crowns

Honest limits

Veneers usually require some enamel to be removed, and that is permanent. They can chip or debond, and they will need replacing at some point in your life. If your concern can be resolved with aligners, whitening or bonding, I will offer that first.

Treatment

Composite bonding

Composite bonding is tooth-coloured resin sculpted directly onto the tooth by hand, usually in a single visit and usually without removing any tooth structure at all. It is the most conservative cosmetic option available, and often the most sensible starting point.

Who it suits

Chipped or worn incisal edges
Closing small spaces between front teeth
Reshaping teeth that are short, narrow or uneven
Masking localised discolouration

Honest limits

Composite stains and dulls over time in a way porcelain does not, and typically needs polishing every year or two and replacing after several years. If you drink a lot of red wine, coffee or tea, or smoke, expect it to need more attention.

Treatment

Crowns, onlays & bridges

When a tooth has been heavily restored, cracked or worn down, the question is how much can be saved rather than how much can be covered. Modern adhesive onlays let us rebuild the missing part of a tooth while keeping the healthy part intact, a full crown is often more than the situation requires.

Who it suits

Cracked or heavily filled back teeth
Teeth worn flat by grinding or acid erosion
Root-treated teeth needing protection
Older crowns and bridges that have failed or no longer match

Honest limits

Any indirect restoration is a repair, not a cure. Where the underlying cause is grinding, acid or gum disease, that has to be managed first, otherwise the new work will follow the old work.

Treatment

Clear aligners & whitening

Straightening and lightening are frequently the quiet answer to a cosmetic complaint. Moving teeth into the right position and lifting the shade can achieve much of what a patient wanted, without touching the teeth at all, and where restorative work is still needed afterwards, it can be smaller and more conservative.

Who it suits

Crowding, spacing or relapse after childhood orthodontics
Anyone considering veneers who has not yet explored alignment
General darkening of the teeth with age

Honest limits

Aligners require you to wear them, and retention afterwards is for life, teeth move back if retainers are abandoned. Whitening does not change the colour of existing fillings, crowns or veneers, so those may need replacing to match.

Treatment

General & preventive care

Implant and cosmetic work only lasts if the foundation underneath it is stable. Gum health, bite control, decay risk and grinding all get assessed and managed before elective work begins, and monitored afterwards for as long as I look after you.

This includes routine examinations, hygiene therapy with the practice team, night guards for grinding, and the management of periodontal disease in line with current UK guidance.

Common questions about cosmetic treatment

What is the difference between composite bonding and porcelain veneers?

Composite bonding is resin sculpted directly onto the tooth in a single visit, conservative, repairable and usually reversible, best for edges, chips, small gaps and modest reshaping. Porcelain veneers are made in a laboratory and bonded on: stronger, more stain-resistant and better for larger changes in shape or colour, but they involve some permanent preparation of the tooth. Where either would work, I will always put the more conservative option in front of you first.

Should I straighten my teeth before having cosmetic work?

Usually, yes. Aligning teeth first means any bonding or veneers afterwards can be smaller, thinner and kinder to the underlying tooth, and sometimes alignment and whitening alone achieve what you wanted, with no drilling at all. This is the sequence I recommend in most smile makeover cases.

How long does a smile makeover take?

It depends on what is included. Whitening and bonding alone can be completed inside a month. If clear aligners come first, expect six to twelve months of alignment before the finishing work. Complex cases involving implants or extensive crown work are staged over several months, with the result tested in temporaries before anything is made final. You receive the full sequence in writing before we start.

Will new crowns or veneers look natural?

That is the entire point of how I plan them. Shade, shape and translucency are designed against photographs of your face, tested in a trial smile you can wear and comment on, and only then made in porcelain by the ceramists I work with. The best compliment a result can receive is that nobody can tell.

I am nervous of the dentist, can you still treat me?

Yes. A large part of my week is spent with patients who have avoided dentistry for years. The first appointment is a conversation and an examination, nothing more; nothing proceeds without a written plan you have had time to consider, and sedation can be arranged for treatment where anxiety warrants it.

Cosmetic dentistry across Wiltshire, Somerset and Bristol

See 84 before-and-after cases →

Composite bonding, porcelain veneers, clear aligners, whitening and crown work are available at all four practices: Bath, Marlborough, Crewkerne and Bristol. Most cosmetic treatment starts with alignment and whitening because it keeps everything that follows smaller and kinder to the tooth. If you are weighing up bonding against veneers, or wondering whether straightening first is worth it, the questions above cover the honest answers I give in the chair.

Next step

Start with a conversation

Every case begins with an unhurried consultation: a proper look, a proper listen, and a written plan you can take away and think about. There is never any pressure to proceed.

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