Do you feel self conscious about laughing or smiling in front of other people? Do you try to hide your mouth’s problem areas from others? If you have stained, crooked, gapped, decaying or missing teeth, it’s easy to lose your confidence.
The side effects of poor dental health have negative consequences beyond an unattractive smile. Fortunately, modern dentistry and many cosmetic dentists provide a vast array of medical and cosmetic solutions to give you a healthy smile that you will be proud to show off to everyone!
Common problems that we can solve using cosmetic dentistry:
- Discolored & Stained Teeth
- Cavities & Chipped Teeth
- Crooked & Gapped Teeth
- Decaying & Missing Teeth
Discolored & Stained Teeth
Over time, the food and drink you consume can make your teeth go from pearly white to yellow. Each time you drink a cup of coffee or sip on a glass of red wine, you expose your teeth to damaging surface stains. In addition to eating and drinking, smoking stains your tooth enamel and damages your gums.
If you want to bring back some natural shine to your teeth, teeth-whitening toothpaste, gels and light applicators are readily available.
If you want to see more significant improvement, seek counsel and treatment from your dentist. Most teeth whitening procedures produce fast results and are the safest form of tooth bleaching. Thicker peroxide gels, potassium nitrate and fluoride desensitizers all help to control gum and tooth sensitivity.
If you have naturally discolored teeth, your best alternatives may be bonding resins and porcelain veneers. These products can be colored to match surrounding teeth and can correct a variety of dental disorders.
Cavities & Chipped Teeth
Unfortunately, much of the food you eat actually damages your teeth. The bacteria in your mouth take the sugars you eat day to day and turn it into acid, and the acid attacks your enamel and creates cavities. To protect a tooth from further damage and decay, dentists remove the plaque and prepare the cavity for filling.
If you have had several cavities filled, you may have a mouth full of metal. The drawback to metal fillings is their striking visibility against white enamel. Though rare, gold fillings can cause an electric current known as a Galvanic Shock. Silver (amalgam) fillings contain mercury, which presents its own health risk.
Fortunately, more aesthetically pleasing composite, ceramic and acrylic filling materials are available today. These materials more closely match your teeth, but they are no more permanent than metal fillings and can be more expensive.
The life of any fillings, crowns and chip repairs depends on their size, usage and how well you care for them. To maintain your teeth, brush and floss daily and maintain regular yearly appointments with your dentist.
Other Problems
Even with the greatest personal dental care you may find that your adult teeth are just a little out of place. If you already have relatively straight teeth with minor gapping, bonding could be used to fill in the gaps or realign them. If you have a mouth full of damaged or discolored teeth, porcelain veneers may be your best option. With veneers, the existing tooth is ground down and the veneer becomes the new front exterior shell. Veneers also help with cosmetic restorations for patients with enamel damage from long-term bulimia or methamphetamine usage.
If your teeth are decayed beyond repair or missing entirely, you still have options. Depending on the location and number of teeth lost, missing teeth can be replaced using dental bridges, dental implants and partial dentures. If your decay advances with gum periodontal disease and becomes beyond repair, dental implants provide an aesthetically pleasing permanent solution.
If you fail or neglect your oral cleaning routines or dental check-ups, you put your healthy smile at risk. Your oral health affects your overall health. A clean mouth not only reduces cavities, but improves the health of your entire body. Healthy teeth allow you to eat the food you need, while also reducing the amount of harmful bacteria you swallow.
We often do not appreciate what we have until it is gone. Take care of your smile and yourself — have cavities filled, chips repaired and teeth cleaned. Smiling improves your immune system, reduces blood pressure and conveys feelings of happiness. Remember, the world always looks brighter from behind a smile.
For more information on our Brighton cosmetic dentists and you can regain your confidence through cosmetic dentistry, contact our Brighton dentists or call us at 810.227.4111.
