Our society places a high emphasis on appearances. We care how people view us and a lot of that has to do with what they see.
Because we want people to like what they see upon looking at us, we do many things to enhance our appearance. As more and more people look to procedures for improvement, new industries are being created.
One of these huge new industries is cosmetic dentistry. This industry strives to improve all tooth and mouth related appearance problems.
When we talk with people often the first thing we notice is their teeth. We take note of what they look like and commonly base our judgment of their hygiene on their teeth.
Because so much weight is placed on teeth and how they look cosmetic dental procedures are highly sought after. Regardless of the problem or need there is a cosmetic procedure that will fix it.
As we grow up our teeth take much abuse. From eating hard candy to opening bags, our teeth are used as tools.
When we use our teeth as tools they often receive chips and cracks. These chips and cracks can leave a smile looking incomplete or unattractive.
Dental bonding is a cosmetic procedure that repairs these chips and cracks. In order to do this, dentists mix up a composite material designed specifically to look like the rest of your teeth.
The dentist will then slightly roughen up the outer layer of the impaired tooth and apply the composite material. This is important because with the tooth roughened it has little tiny crevices where the composite material can bond.
People consider white teeth to be a thing of beauty. The whiter your teeth the crisper and cleaner your appearance is.
Because so many people are looking to whiten their teeth many at-home kits have hit the market. The problem with these kits is they can under-perform, be ineffective, or even over whiten.
When teeth are over whitened they have a translucency to them that is difficult to rectify. In order to avoid these problems you can get your teeth professionally whitened from the cosmetic dentist.
Teeth that are professionally whitened stay whiter significantly longer than those whitened at home. Dentists can also better control what the final color will be leaving your smile just the way you wanted it.
Something that causes even greater insecurity than chips and cracks is missing a tooth. Teeth are at times knocked out or never even grow in.
If a tooth is missing from a smile it has a negative effect on the overall appearance. Cosmetic dentists can actually fill in this gap with a prosthetic tooth.
This prosthetic tooth is initially designed outside of your mouth to look exactly like your other teeth. When successfully placed, it will look just as the missing tooth would have.
The dentist places a screw into your gum line where the tooth will go. Over time this screw will be slowly embedded into the jaw bone.
Once enough time has passed, usually a couple months, the screw will be securely implanted much like natural tooth roots would be. The dentist will then take the prosthetic tooth and attach it to the end of the screw.
Sometimes simply getting a tooth filled in or whitening your smile is not enough to significantly improve the overall appearance. This is the case for people that have inconsistent teeth that do not look uniform or lots of permanent stains and spots.
Cosmetic dentists can fix this through a smile makeover. This procedure is performed on all of the teeth so the whole smile can look beautiful and even.
In order to do this the dentist creates porcelain veneers that look just how you want them. These veneers are made with material that is stronger than your natural enamel so when they are properly placed they will actually leave your teeth more resistant to decay.
To place the veneers the dentist will slightly roughen the outer enamel of each one of your teeth. In doing this he is again creating a surface that will allow bonding.
It is important to recognize that in roughening up your teeth the dentist is in no way sawing them down or affecting their appearance. This way if you ever choose to go back to your natural teeth you can.
When choosing a cosmetic dentist seek out recommendations or ask to see a portfolio of work. All cosmetic dentists should have a portfolio highlighting their best work so you should look through it to make sure you like what he or she has done in the past.
Author Resource:-
Jack R. Landry is a former dental assistant and has authored hundreds of articles relating to oral health and cosmetic dentist in Las Vegas. He has been a guest dental lecturer for over 15 years.
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