In years gone by many people considered cosmetic dentistry exclusively for the rich and famous or unnecessary treatment purely for personal appearance. However, the tide has turned with affordable cosmetic procedures widely available on the market, which do considerably more than make your teeth look pretty. Crucially these enhancements often have a big impact on self-confidence, helping change self-image, enhance the quality of life, and also improve overall oral health.
What is cosmetic dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry refers to cosmetic dental procedures that improve the appearance of your teeth, gums and bite. The primary goal of cosmetic dental treatment is to enhance your dental appearance and improve your smile, but some also have functional benefits.
How does cosmetic dentistry help?
Cosmetic dental procedures are primarily meant to improve your smile. However, they also provide several other crucial improvements.
- Oral Health Improvements: Some cosmetic dental procedures, such as bonding, dental veneers, and dental crowns, restore your teeth’s functionality as well, covering up cracks and fractures. Furthermore, having a better set of teeth makes people want to work harder to preserve them, so they brush and floss their teeth regularly, ensuring optimal oral health.
- Bite Alignment: Cosmetic dental procedures that straighten your teeth ensure bite alignment, reducing the chances of teeth grinding and malocclusion.
- Confidence Improvements: Cosmetic dental procedures help you achieve a perfect set of teeth, making you more comfortable smiling with a full set of teeth. You don’t have to hide your teeth or smile through pursed lips. As such, cosmetic dental treatment can also make you a more confident person in general, improving your mental health.
- Quality of Life Improvements: When you’re more confident, you smile more confidently, making you a more attractive and approachable person boosting the potential for success in your professional and social lives.
What can I do to improve the appearance of my smile?
You can do a great deal to improve the overall appearance of your smile. Cosmetic dental treatment includes several types of procedures, including orthodontics, prosthodontics, periodontics, and endodontics. The following are some of the most popular cosmetic dental procedures:
- Bonding: This involves the application of composite resin material over the tooth surface and polishing to resemble the rest of your teeth. The bonded composite resin material transforms your tooth’s appearance, covering deformities, cracks, and discolouration.
- Dental Veneers: These are thin wafers of tooth-coloured porcelain materials attached to the front face of the teeth to cover cracks, discolouration, and other deformities. The cosmetic dentist shaves off some of the surface enamel to make space for the dental veneers.
- Dental Crowns: If you have a weakened or severely cracked tooth, the cosmetic dentist may remove the upper portions of the tooth and attach a dental crown to project a flawless external appearance.
- Gingivoplasty: Cosmetic dentists remove or reshape the gum tissues and gum flaps to provide the ideal and proportional gum line. This is done to help you achieve an aesthetic smile with the optimal proportion of gums to teeth.
- Teeth Whitening: Cosmetic dentists apply a whitening gel or bleaching agent to your teeth’s surface and then apply laser light to catalyze the bleaching gel. This procedure removes the surface stains from your dental enamel, brightening your smile by several shades.
How much will it cost to fix my smile?
Cosmetic dental procedures are categorized as elective and non-essential dental procedures, i.e., you need them to look better, not feel better. As such, you can’t get insurance coverage for cosmetic dental treatment. However, our cosmetic dental specialists can help you with financing options to ease the burden of payments, with flexible payment plans tailored to each individual.
