COSMETIC DENTISTRY – WHAT IS IT?
You may be one of a person with healthy teeth who is extremely conscientious about dental hygiene. Nonetheless, your teeth may be crooked, worn, chipped, or stained from coffee and/or tea, and it’s difficult and even embarrassing to smile.
If so, you’re a good candidate for Cosmetic Dentistry.
The fact is, practically nobody is born with a million-dollar smile. In addition, time and wear takes its toll on the healthiest teeth, regardless of care. A dentist who specializes in cosmetic procedures can work wonders in correcting a whole range of defects, ranging from stained teeth to “gummy” smiles, and even replace missing teeth – and only a dental professional would be any the wiser.
Best of all, most of these procedures are completely painless – and others cause only minor, temporary discomfort.
Back in the Dark Ages of Dentistry, dental fillings and other types of tooth restoration involved the use of metals – typically silver and gold. Sometimes, a porcelain veneer was added, but this was considered very expensive and highly impractical.
Today, the use of porcelain is almost universal, and other materials are used which resemble natural tooth material so closely that only a dental professional would recognize them as anything other than one’s own God-given teeth. Porcelain is also much stronger and durable than many people think – it’s commonly used on automotive brake shoes, and makes of the heat shields of the space shuttle – so imagine what it can do for you!
The most popular cosmetic dental procedure is teeth whitening, which is simple, inexpensive, takes less than an hour, and can be done either in the office or at home at the patient’s convenience.
Nearly everyone has a chipped tooth, or a few teeth that are misaligned. People with severely chipped or worn teeth and/or teeth that are visible crooked have several options available to them. Using porcelain veneers, tooth-colored resins and amalgams (a special type of compound), cosmetic dentists can restore or even reconstruct damaged and/or missing teeth that are virtually indistinguishable from natural ones.
Cosmetic dental procedures can vary widely in terms of cost and what is covered under typical dental insurance plans. Charges can even vary from one dentist to another, so it pays to do some comparison shopping. Depending on the procedure and materials used, cosmetic dental procedures can cost anywhere from $25 per to tooth $3500 as of this writing.
It is important that price not be your only consideration, however. Cosmetic dentistry is a highly specialized field and requires many hours of training above and beyond a basic dental degree. In addition, not all dentists are trained in all kinds of procedures. It is important therefore to investigate your chosen dentist’s background and verify his/her credentials.
Once you and your primary care dentist have decided that a particular cosmetic procedure is the right choice for you, he or she may refer you to a specialist. It’s also a good idea to talk with friends, family and acquaintances who have had similar procedures and ask for their recommendations. A little due diligence on your part will ensure that you get the results that you want at a cost you can afford.
