One of the things in life that you can give freely and make others feel better is your smile. Not only can it make someone’s day, it can make you feel great as well. According to a research study by experts at Wayne University, smiling can help extend your life by up to 7 years. However, you’ll be less inclined on sharing this gift if you’re embarrassed about your oral appearance and self-conscious when talking to others. Fortunately, cosmetic dentistry can help change your feelings about your smile. Additionally, cosmetic dental procedures doesn’t have to cost you a fortune or involve a complex process like they used to with conventional methods.

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Cosmetic dentistry includes numerous procedures that change the look of your smile. These include straightening, whitening and building on teeth, just to name a few. Cosmetic dental procedures are a part of your aesthetic dental treatment and are great solutions for the following dental health issues:

• Stained or discolored teeth due to prolonged tobacco use and certain medications
• Chipped, broken or worn teeth from trauma, biting down on hard foods, nail biting or teeth grinding
• Misaligned teeth
• Misshapen teeth
• Gaps between teeth

Essentially, cosmetic dentistry involves a smile makeover designed by you and your dentist to help you have a whiter, brighter, fuller smile that you can feel proud of.

You may be surprised at how many cosmetic dental procedures can improve your smile and your quality of life. To many, it can be the difference between finding a suitable job with growth opportunities or not. It can be instrumental towards finding the right partner in your life. It can also increase the chances of meeting new people that are suitable for long lasting friendships.

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One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to improve your smile is teeth whitening. This procedure can be performed by your dentist. Laser teeth bleaching is the quickest and least time-consuming way to whiten your teeth several shades in an hour. Take home whitening systems are also available where your dentist will take molds of your teeth for bleaching trays where gels are used to whiten your teeth at home. This procedure can help you improve your smile quickly and affordably, boosting your confidence without breaking the bank.

Dental bonding involves a tooth-colored resin that is applied to your teeth and hardened using a laser or ultraviolet light to bond the material to your enamel. Your dentist will then trim, shape and polish the material. This procedure can help repair cracked, chipped, broken or misshapen teeth and can replace old silver or amalgam fillings. It is a relatively simple way to make you feel better about smiling when interacting with others

Dental veneers are thin, custom-made coverings made of tooth-colored resin or porcelain that are applied to the front of your teeth. Prior to application, the dentist will remove a small amount of enamel before bonding the veneers. This procedure will change the color, shape or length of your teeth to provide you with a brand-new smile you’ll want to flash anytime you can.

Also known as a cap, a dental crown covers an entire damaged or decayed tooth above the gum line. Crowns can hold a cracked tooth together or keep a weak tooth from breaking. They can also be used to cover discolored or misshapen teeth. This procedure can improve the look of the tooth further back in your mouth that still show when you smile.

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Dental implants are made of titanium and replace tooth roots. They are inserted into the jaw of missing teeth, and the bone grows around the implant to anchor them securely and provide a foundation for replacement teeth. Not only will this procedure restore a functional bite, it will make the shape of your face look more natural.

These are just a few of the ways cosmetic dentistry can improve your smile, boost your confidence, and help you feel good about human interaction. Other procedures include inlays and onlays to fill damaged or decayed teeth and dental bridges that can fill in gaps from multiple missing teeth.

As we highlighted in more detail in a previous article called “The Evolution of Aesthetic Dentistry“. Both cosmetic and aesthetic dentistry involve improving the look of your teeth, and these terms are often used interchangeably. However, there is one key difference between the two. Cosmetic dentistry focuses on how close to perfect your smile can be, while the goal of aesthetic dentistry is to mimic nature as much as possible while correcting functional issues. In other words, if you want a “Hollywood smile”, cosmetic procedures may be more appropriate, and if you want to preserve your natural beauty and individuality, aesthetic dentistry is the way to go. Cosmetic dentistry and aesthetic dentistry can also be used in conjunction with one another. This helps to offer almost limitless ways to correct functional problems, improve the look of your teeth and gums, and create a smile that brings out your naturally unique look.

Do you have oral health issues that are lowering your confidence and making you ashamed to smile? Functional Aesthetic Dentistry can help restore your beautiful, natural-looking smile. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.