I’ve always been transparent on my blog about my parenting experiences. Lately, dental work for my daughter has been a top priority. Having a few chronic medical conditions can impact a person’s teeth, and my daughter is up for thousands of dollars in dental work. Some of the doctor’s recommendations are popular cosmetic dental treatments to make sure her teeth appear bright white, straight, and healthy, while other suggestions are for the wellness and structure of teeth.
While there are many treatments for dental health problems, whether they’re emergencies or not, it’s important to remember that there are plenty of aesthetic issues that people have with their teeth and gums, which can seriously impact mental health and confidence. To combat these problems, many dentists offer treatments that can help to fix and improve smiles and bring back that self-esteem. Today, as a society, we consider mental health to be a very important aspect of our overall wellness, and having access to cosmetic dental treatments can be very beneficial to patients. Here are the six most popular cosmetic dental treatments which you could have, to improve the appearance of your smile.
Teeth Whitening
This is probably the most common procedure and is fairly straightforward and affordable compared to others. Whitening your teeth involves applying bleach to the teeth for a prolonged period of time or even using UV light. This can be done at home using whitening kits or products provided by your dentist, but for the best, most effective results, you’ll want to opt for a treatment that your dentist does. This will involve multiple sessions depending on how white your teeth are or how stained and discolored they are. The cost of teeth professional whitening treatment tends to be above $600 or so. There are also some whitening products you can purchase to do yourself entirely, but they are generally seen to be inferior compared to professional treatments.
Dental Implants
Whether lost through injury or decay, a missing tooth can be a source of great embarrassment, with the severity of those feelings dependent on where the gap is situated. Not only can this cause people to lose confidence, but a gap in your smile can significantly impact your ability to talk and eat certain foods. One popular remedy for a lost tooth is something known as a dental implant. This is where a metal screw, usually made of titanium, is implanted into the jawbone through the gums. Once that implant is in place, a crown is affixed to the implant, acting as a replacement tooth. These implants and crowns are fairly sturdy and should last for years. Luckily, if any damage were to happen to the crown, they could be easily replaced without the need for a new implant.
Aligners
Crooked teeth and misaligned smiles are commonplace in society, and quite often, they are minor issues that people can live with without it impacting their lives. But in some cases, crooked, overlapping teeth can cause significant problems regarding physical and mental health. It’s common for these problems to be identified early by dentists, treating children with aligners and braces before they reach adulthood. However, many people slip through the net and make their way into adulthood without this being treated. While it’s somewhat easier to treat a child with aligners and braces due to them still developing, adults can still receive this sort of treatment too. Take a look at the results you can get with ALIGNERCO, for example. These clear aligners help to straighten your teeth over time and are much easier to deal with than permanent braces. While you do have to wear them for a long time, you can still remove them to eat and clean your teeth.
Veneers
This option is popular for those that have substantial damage, such as eroded enamel, staining, or multiple broken and chipped teeth. A set of porcelain veneers can be constructed to fit over your real teeth. Your real teeth will be filed down then the veneers will be affixed to them permanently. These will then essentially serve as your real teeth for years if you take good care of them. This procedure is irreversible due to altering your real teeth underneath the veneers, so be certain that this is the right decision for you. Your dentist will be able to advise you and discuss the pros and cons of having veneers. This choice can also be very costly at between $1K to $2.5K per tooth, yet due to the long life span of these veneers, which can be over ten years, it may be worth it to you.
Gum Contouring
This procedure isn’t spoken about as much as the others above, but it is still a very popular choice for those that aren’t happy with how much gum shows when they smile. This is known as excessive gingival display or a gummy smile. To treat this problem, a specialist periodontist or surgeon can attempt a few different treatment methods, called gum or gingival contouring. First, they can surgically reposition the lips so that they are lower when smiling and hide the gums more. They can also directly sculpt the gums themselves to reduce their appearance, and they can also use laser treatment too.