Cosmetic Dentistry
Cosmetic dentistry is a part of dentistry that deals with the look of a patient’s face, or their facial aesthetics. There are a variety of treatments that do this, which improves the way the teeth, gums and face look. This can include anything from teeth whitening and straightening, to veneers and bridgework.
While cosmetic dentistry also aids in the overall dental health of a patient, the primary function is to make a patient’s teeth, gums and face look better. We want to give our patients a smile that they can be proud of, which contributes to the aesthetics of their face. Having a beautiful smile not only makes you look good, but also makes you feel more confident, and can even change parts of your life drastically. This is because many people are not confident in smiling because their teeth are crooked, discolored, or they have missing teeth. While these may seem like simple problems, they affect the self-esteem of those affected, and can have adverse effects on their social and professional lives. So getting a nice looking smile will make patients feel more confident, and give them opportunities to be more open with others and feel comfortable in their social and professional settings.
Cosmetic dentistry includes treatments that straighten teeth through invisible braces, and whitens teeth through systems that apply a gel onto the teeth and use a special light to make the chemicals react and whiten them. Cosmetic dentistry also treats problems with the gums because they also play a key role in keeping teeth in their proper place. They also contribute to the health of the teeth and mouth, and keeping the gums clean will give the patient better looking and stronger teeth. Some patients may suffer from “gummy smiles” which show more of the gums when they smile. This can be treated with cosmetic dentistry so that the gums are lifted and more of the teeth show, rather than the gums. Again, this contributes to the patient’s self-esteem and confidence in showing off their teeth and not being self-conscious about their looks.
Having a good looking smile means that people can interact more freely and comfortably with their friends, family and colleagues, and can take on tasks and challenges that they felt uncomfortable with previously. For example, a person may have been shy to speak in public because they had crooked teeth, but with cosmetic dentistry, they can fix that problem and have no worries about showing off their teeth.