[Medical Today = Reporter Choi Min-seok] What's the most effective way to make others like you? I think a smile is the best way to make a good impression. When you smile, neat and white teeth can bring out the first impression, and most people tend to take care of their teeth intensively. As a result, many people have complexes with irregular shapes and arrangements and colored teeth.

Fortunately, with the recent development of medical technology, there has been a way to improve the slightly twisted arrangement and shape without necessarily orthodontics. Examples include dental whitening, gum surgery, and laminate procedures, among which laminate procedures are widely used, and unlike orthodontics, they can make relatively large changes within a short period of time.

Laminating is a procedure that can be expected to have a great aesthetic effect by slightly trimming the outer surface of the tooth and then adding strong artificial teeth similar to the surrounding teeth. It is mainly applied to the front teeth that are visible when laughing, and problems such as size, shape, degree of fracture, arrangement, and angle of other teeth can be improved as much as possible depending on the patient. In addition, there are many options because the color of the tooth can also be revealed step by step.

▲ Director Park Hyun-min (photo = courtesy of Lucid Dental Clinic)

However, before the procedure, the first thing to consider is not to delete teeth excessively. This is because if dentine or nerves are exposed due to tooth deletion, they may be exposed to various side effects such as tooth decay or problems with chewing function. Therefore, recently, a complete laminate procedure has been used, which has the advantage of having less risk of side effects because it minimizes tooth deletion compared to the existing procedure and does not feel foreign matter even after treatment. In addition, if you choose high-quality materials, you can expect highly satisfactory results.

"Even the laminate is called by various names, which are largely divided into three methods: gold leaf, press, and milling machine. It is important to proceed with the procedure in an appropriate way, prioritizing detailed diagnosis according to the patient's condition," said Park Hyun-min, CEO of Lucid Dental Clinic.

"Because of the nature of the laminate, the sensitivity of the tooth increases according to the amount of tooth deletion, so it is wise to choose a dentist who performs the procedure with the priority of preserving natural teeth, which are rarely deleted. In addition, it is also good to check whether artificial teeth are a place where handmade teeth can be made depending on the shape, location, and shape of the teeth depending on the individual."

Medical Today reporter Choi Min-seok (august@mdtoday.co.kr )