Nothing manages to boost our confidence like a beautiful, healthy smile. And while, ideally, our smiles would look perfect as they naturally are, unfortunately, things can happen!
Teeth aren’t always straight, white, and even. But, lucky for us, technology in dentistry has advanced far enough that we can have the smile we always dreamed of with the help of aesthetic dentistry!
Here are the most popular forms of aesthetic dental treatment available today.
1. Regular Trips to the Dentist & Hygienist
We would be remiss if we didn’t talk about the importance of regular dental maintenance first. The first step to a healthy smile is to take a trip to your dentist’s office every six months to get a cleaning and a checkup.
Not only does regular cleaning help keep your teeth sparkling and white but it can stop a smile-altering infection before it starts. If you want a pain-free smile that will boost your confidence, your first stop should always be to the dentist for a regular checkup.
2. Professional Teeth Whitening
While there are loads of products on the shelves of your local grocery store promising to give you a whiter smile, you can get your teeth whitening done by a professional.
The procedure can take anywhere between 60 and 90 minutes and starts with the dentist taking a record of the shade of your teeth when you come in. They’ll then polish your teeth to remove any plaque before they get started.
They’ll then isolate your teeth and gums to protect them from the solution. Once applied, a curing light will activate the chemicals to start whitening your teeth.
Once you’ve achieved the shade you want, you will rinse and be treated with an anti-sensitivity treatment. You can come back a few times until you reach the whiteness you’re looking for.
3. Dental Implants
If you have missing teeth, dental implants are a great option to restore the structure and appearance of your smile.
During this procedure, a dentist will surgically implant a titanium post into your jawbone. Over time, your bone will fuse with this titanium, meaning that the implant won’t slip or make noise.
You won’t get your new tooth right away, however. Your jaw will need time to heal and fuse to the titanium, creating a root for a new, artificial tooth.
At another appointment, your dentist installs the fixture that will hold your tooth. Once that heals, you’ll finally be able to walk out with a new permanent fixture in your smile!
4. Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers can help with fixing crooked, discolored, or unevenly spaced teeth. Rather than completely replacing or crowning your teeth, they simply affix a shell that will improve the look of your front teeth.
This is another procedure that will require two visits to your dentist, first to trim the enamel off of your teeth to create a place for the veneer to sit and also to take an impression of your teeth for the lab to recreate.
You’ll receive temporary veneers while you wait for your permanent veneers to arrive and, once they do, your dentist will install them.
5. Total Smile Makeover
Many dental offices, like this company, offer total smile makeovers. First, you’ll meet with a dental professional to talk about the different goals for your smile. A dentist will take a look in your mouth to get a good idea of what work you need to have done.
Then, over time, you will undergo a variety of procedures, from simple fillings or, in extreme cases, full and partial dentures.
6. Dental Crowns
A crown is a porcelain or resin copy of a tooth that fits overtop of your existing tooth, usually after having a root canal.
During a root canal, your dentist will clean out the infected root and pulp of your tooth and replace it with material that will allow your gums and jaw to heal. Afterward, they give you a temporary cap that looks like your regular tooth while you wait for your gums to heal.
A dental crown will recreate a perfect image of your tooth to fit overtop of what’s left of your existing tooth in order to protect it and create a more aesthetically pleasing smile.
7. Teeth Bonding
Teeth bonding is an affordable way to take care of teeth that have been cracked or chipped. It can also be used to fix teeth with large gaps or to even out the length of your teeth.
A dentist will use a resin to fill out the missing gaps in your teeth and cure it with a curing light. Then they will sand and smooth it down until the new resin matches perfectly with your natural teeth.
8. Gum Graft
If gum disease or tooth decay has been left to spread without intervention, it can cause your gum line to recede. This isn’t only hard on the aesthetic of your mouth overall, it means your teeth can come loose and fall out. It also leaves your jaw susceptible to infection.
A gum graft is used to replace missing gum tissue at the base of your teeth with gum tissue pulled from other areas of your mouth.
Schedule a Dental Treatment to Enhance Your Smile Today!
With the variety of cosmetic dental treatment options out there, you can rest assured that you can help build a smile you’re proud of showing off. There are treatments that run the gamut of price points and many dental offices offer payment plans if you’re afraid of the outright cost of fixing your smile.
Everyone deserves a chance to have a smile they love.
For more information about how to obtain (and keep) a healthy body, keep reading!
