They say the eyes are the window to the soul. While this might be true, we like to say that the smile is the measuring stick that everyone uses to develop a first impression of you. If you don’t feel confident in your smile, it can have a debilitating every time you have to meet new people, or take a picture, or speak in public. Thankfully, dental technologies have been developed in recent years that can make any smile, regardless of the damage, beautiful again.
Dental technologies are available to straighten out crooked teeth. Dental technologies make it easy to whiten discolored and stained teeth. There are dental technologies are successful at filling cracked teeth, replacing missing teeth. Whatever your cosmetic dental need is, there is probably a dental technology to meet it. We’ve listed a few common cosmetic dental solutions, below:
- Indirect Fillings
Almost everyone has a filling or two in their mouth. But in order to fill a cavity and prevent further damage, the exterior of the tooth must have enough structure to encase the the filling. If the tooth is too decayed to support a filling, an indirect filling is a good solution to provide support to the tooth’s structure, and to fill in gaps and cracks in the tooth that will continue to decay if unaddressed.
Indirect fillings are a composite resin that is made in a dental laboratory. Your dentist will apply it to your teeth with a adhesive dental cement. If the damage is minimal, then only the portion of the tooth that is weak is covered. If the cusp of the tooth is damaged, your family dentist might recommend covering the entire tooth with the resin. - Composite Bonding
If you have one or more teeth that are decayed, discolored, damaged, cracked or chipped, you might find that composite bonding is the most affordable cosmetic dental solution to regain your winning smile. When you get composite bonding, your dentist will remove the portion of the tooth that is decayed or damaged, and then fills it in with a composite bond and effectively molds it to look exactly like your original tooth (prior to sustaining the damage to it). Once the tooth has the desired appearance, the dentist cures the new tooth under a UV light. - Dental Veneers
Dental veneers are a common way to gain a perfect smile, even if your teeth are considerably “far gone.” When you get dental veneers, your dentist will create a ceramic tooth cover that perfectly fits over each of your damaged teeth. Because each tooth is custom made for your mouth, the final product looks completely natural, as if they were your own set of teeth from day one. Dental veneers are a good solution if your dental maladies include having cracked, or crooked teeth, or if your enamel has worn away on your natural teeth. - Teeth Whitening
Even if you take great care of your teeth, discoloration happens to all of us. Particularly if you consume acidic foods that are abrasive to the natural enamel, such as coffee, soda, or wine. Additionally, over time, basic factors in your lifestyle, such as medication you take, or smoking, can have a negative impact on the color of your teeth. However, professional tooth whitening is a very simple service that your family dental practice most likely offers.
There are at-home whitening kits which might be effective, but the best results com from getting your teeth professionally whitened by a dentist. When you get your teeth professionally whitened, the dentist while likely start with a deep cleaning to remove any buildup, tartar, or plaque that has accumulated on the surface of the tooth, so that the whitening process can reach the tooth directly. The whitening process that your dentist will administer varies from one dental office to the next. In most cases, the final result will be equal to or better than the color of your teeth prior to sustaining any discoloration.
Having dental imperfections can take a real bite out of your self-confidence. Instead of being stuck with a frowny face in your social media selfies because you’re ashamed of your not-so-pearly-whites, consider visiting a dentist and talking about getting the winning smile you’d always dreamed of.