A healthy smile requires the right combination of good dental hygiene, regular dental exams and professional dental cleanings. Cosmetic dental treatments can add another dimension to your dental treatment plan, however, and can even improve both the function and the beauty of your teeth. As you age, your lifestyle habits will inevitably show up in your teeth. Soft drinks, wine, curries, smoking, nail biting and other seemingly innocent habits can all take a heavy toll on your teeth, leaving them stained, worn, or even chipped and cracked. Cosmetic dentistry can restore your teeth to their original color and appearance. A cosmetic dentist can reconstruct, restore, improve and perfect your smile, which can allow you to feel more comfortable about your overall appearance.
The popularity of cosmetic dentistry has soared in recent years due to dramatic advances in procedures and techniques and also as a result of patients becoming more aware of available treatments and products that can help them enhance their dental health and their smiles. Cosmetic dentistry can help you change a single aspect of your smile or help you make over your entire smile.
Teeth whitening is the most common procedure in cosmetic dentistry nowadays. Teeth usually become stained over the years, most frequently because of foods, beverages or tobacco. Dentists have several tools available to help you achieve a brighter smile, including take-home whitening gels and Zoom! whitening, which is an in-office whitening treatment that uses a special light to activate the bleaching gel. Teeth whitening procedures eliminate stains deep inside the enamel to help you look younger and fresher. If your teeth have been stained by medication or other internal factors, teeth bleaching may be less effective, and your dentist may have other options that can help you.
Composite resin fillings are another popular option in cosmetic dentistry. These tooth-colored dental fillings allow your dentist to restore decayed teeth subtly and naturally. Your dentist can also use composite resin to bond and enhance the appearance of chipped, gapped, cracked or otherwise damaged teeth. If your teeth have more than minor damage or several teeth need repairs, your dentist may suggest porcelain dental veneers.
Porcelain veneers are wafer-thin shells of porcelain that are custom-made to fit each tooth and can cover and camouflage any imperfections on the surface of your teeth. Some kinds of dental veneers require the removal of a small amount of dental enamel before they can be placed, whereas others are considered no-prep dental veneers and can be bonded directly to the surface of the teeth.
More serious dental problems, such as misalignments, misshapen teeth and lost teeth, can also be corrected through cosmetic dentistry, by such treatments as orthodontics, porcelain crowns and dental implants. Cosmetic dentistry these days can mean the difference between a smile you want to hide and a smile that just shines. Talk to your dentist today about your options.
At Wilshire Dental Care, our dentist provide various cosmetic dental treatment to enhance the smiles of our patients.