3 Benefits of Cosmetic Dentistry

While prevention is always the best medicine, prevention alone can't fix every oral concern. Cosmetic dentistry, however, provides numerous procedures to give your smile a makeover. If you are hesitant about cosmetic dentistry even if you are unhappy with your smile, check out these three benefits.

To many, society seems to be less and less accepting of people without perfect teeth. So because you have a few crooked teeth or gaps, your confidence may drop drastically, making you want to hide your smile. Without help, your confidence may continue to fall, affecting your quality of life. You may no longer spend time with friends or limit your time in public, which can lead to depression and harmful distractions like drinking.

The way your teeth look is not the only thing that affects confidence. People with missing teeth or severely damaged teeth may have trouble talking or eating, which can further lower your self-esteem and make you not want to talk to people over the phone.

A cosmetic solution exists for any dental concern you have. For example, if your only concern is stained teeth, a simple teeth whitening visit can be enough to help. However, even mouths with missing or decayed teeth can be transformed with crowns, veneers, or composite bonding.

Teeth work best when they all meet at once. This allows the pressure from eating to evenly distribute. When you have a misaligned bite, however, some teeth hit each other first, which can prevent your mouth from fully closing. This forces these teeth to take all the pressure, which weakens them and increases the risk of damage.

Other types of malocclusion include crossbite, overbite, and underbite. In many cases, the misaligned bite is from a misaligned jaw, which may require corrective surgery to fix. However, less serious misaligned bites may be from injuries, impacted teeth, and mouth breathing.

Your dentist will determine the best course of action to correct your bite. Most commonly, braces correct a bite, but other cosmetic procedures are available for minor bite issues. If your front teeth don't meet, for example, the dentist may suggest porcelain veneers, which can make the teeth longer, so they hit.

Cosmetic dentistry can be costly, but in the long run, it may actually save you money. If you have weak, decaying teeth, even good bushing may no longer be enough to save these teeth. Over time, they may need removing and replacing with expensive dental implants. Instead of letting your teeth root away, however, you can cover, protect, and strengthen them with dental crowns.

A dental crown will prevent pressure points and weak spots on teeth while also making the teeth look nearly perfect by fixing many oral complications. Similarly, if your teeth are prone to staining because of weak enamel, causing you to need constant teeth whitening, you may actually end up saving money by just getting veneers, which are resistant to stains.

Finally, some cosmetic procedures actually make it easier for you to care for your teeth. Naturally, if you spend a fortune on your teeth, you'll likely have more motivation to care for them, but cosmetic dentistry can do more than motivate you. By fixing overly crowded teeth and impacted teeth, cosmetic dentistry makes it easier to floss and clean between those teeth, reducing the risk of future decay or tooth loss.

Cosmetic dental procedures aren't usually the cheapest option, but they can finally give you the beautiful and healthy smile you've always wanted. Plus, in some cases, cosmetic dental procedures now can save you hundreds or thousands in the future. For more information about cosmetic dental procedures, contact us at Eastland Dental Center & Professional Dental Care today.