Dental bleaching has failed to gain much popularity in Finland.

Cosmetic dentistry means procedures to correct flaws that affect dental appearance. Cosmetic dentistry includes dental bleaching, orthodontic procedures, replacement of dark fillings with tooth-coloured fillings, correction of disproportions of teeth and gums, teeth shape corrections and the replacement of missing teeth with bridges or implants. The price of dental bleaching, for instance, varies among private providers from 140 to 500 euros.

Many cosmetic dental procedures are done with some damage to the teeth by means of plastic ligatures to the surface of the tooth enamel. Ceramic materials are most commonly used for a more durable result. It also maintains its colour longer. In these cases some of coating must be honed off the tooth enamel to ensure that the ceramic material attaches securely to the tooth. Gum corrections are performed when the gum line is uneven or when a large part of the gums is visible when smiling.

Cosmetic dentistry is not performed in public dental care nor is there a Kela reimbursement for the procedures. For this reason there are no statistics on the popularity of cosmetic dentistry but its popularity has probably grown somewhat, the Dental Association’s operational manager Matti Pöyry surmises. “By far the largest part of private sector treatments are still the same basic healthcare that municipal health centres provide,” Pöyry says.

JAAKKO TAKKINEN,
ALEKSIS TORO – HT
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