Enhancing Your Smile With a Cosmetic Dentist

A cosmetic dentist can help correct tooth imperfections and enhance a smile's appearance. From whiter teeth to overall smile improvement, cosmetic dentistry has something to offer just about everyone. If you are considering cosmetic dentistry, here is some key information to help you decide if it is right for you.

Overview of cosmetic dentistry

Any dental treatment where the key goal is to improve how teeth look can fall under cosmetic dentistry. Furthermore, cosmetic dentistry is not an official dental specialty but an area of dentistry concerned with improving the smile's appearance. Therefore, any dentist who offers cosmetic dentistry services can call themselves a cosmetic dentist. For this reason, we recommend seeking a cosmetic dentist who appears to invest in additional training and certifications in cosmetic dentistry and one with ample experience in the procedure one is interested in.

Popular smile-enhancing procedures

Here is a closer look at smile-enhancing treatments specific to cosmetic dentistry. Though a cosmetic dentist can recommend restorations like crowns, inlays, and teeth straightening treatments for cosmetic reasons, the following treatments are solely cosmetic. These procedures are available individually or as part of a smile makeover plan.

Teeth whitening

A leading reason people see a cosmetic dentist is the desire for whiter teeth. Professional teeth whitening can take several forms. Some cosmetic dentists offer in-office whitening treatments that are sometimes enhanced with lasers or a special light. However, most dentists offer a take-home system with custom-made trays and a professional whitening solution.

Dental bonding

Dental bonding is a versatile procedure that can fix tooth imperfections. The dentist applies a tooth-colored cosmetic resin to the teeth, shapes it, and hardens it with a special light. This procedure can fix minor chips and cracks, create a more aesthetically pleasing tooth shape, and even cover discolorations that do not respond to teeth whitening.

Dental veneers

These thin tooth-colored shells cover the parts of the teeth that are visible when a person smiles. A dentist can solve several cosmetic issues by placing a set of these porcelain or composite-resin veneers over the natural teeth. Dental veneers can create a smile uniform in tooth color, shape, and size. In addition, a set of veneers can make a smile appear straighter.

Who is a candidate for cosmetic dentistry?

Almost anyone who wants to improve some aspect of their smile is a good candidate for cosmetic dentistry. However, the teeth and gums need to be healthy. The patient also needs to commit to taking good care of their teeth. It is important that the patient has realistic expectations of the final results and follows the dentist's preparation and aftercare guidelines.