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You might think at first that cosmetic dentistry won’t address serious oral health issues, but that’s not entirely true. While the value of a beautiful smile can be measured in increased self-esteem and reduced emotional distress, fixing missing or broken teeth can also help with maintaining a healthy diet and avoiding painful and dangerous mouth and gum sores. Not only can feeling happy and self-assured about your appearance positively affect your general health, it will also give you more incentive to practice optimal dental care habits. This is why having cosmetic dentistry performed to improve your smile is so important.

Some Common Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures

Teeth Whitening: One of the most common cosmetic dental problems people face are dark, stained, and discolored teeth. Lifestyle (drinking coffee, smoking, and diet) choices can often contribute to the staining of teeth. We all want a dazzling, white smile, and your cosmetic dentist can help you achieve that look with teeth whitening. Depending on the condition of your teeth and the depth of discoloration, your teeth could be made significantly whiter in as few as 4 days.

Even if your teeth are too discolored to be whitened, porcelain veneers can be applied to your teeth to give you a natural looking, brighter smile.

• Chipped and Broken Teeth: Most chipped and broken teeth are the result of some sort of dental trauma. Even a small chip on one of your teeth can make you feel self-conscious about your smile. Cosmetic dentistry can address these issues with either composite bonding veneers or dental crowns. These treatments can provide a natural looking replacement for the parts of the tooth that is missing. This type of cosmetic dentistry can also be important for maintaining the health and integrity of the structure of your mouth.
• Missing Teeth: Having a missing tooth can be one of the most embarrassing dental issues people experience, especially if it is visible when they smile. Missing teeth are also a dental health issue. Teeth surrounding the gap where the tooth is missing can begin to tilt or shift out of place. This can cause improper forces to be exerted upon the remaining teeth, which can lead to a lot of additional dental problems. For decades, the most common and cost-effective way to replace a missing tooth was with a dental bridge. Now, a permanent solution that functions as a natural tooth is available with dental implants. Although implants are more expensive than a bridge, they provide the patient with a very natural looking tooth replacement that requires no different or additional maintenance than their natural teeth. People who have dentures may even opt to have all their teeth replaced with dental implants, and avoid the problems often associated with dentures.
• Misshapen Teeth: Not everyone’s teeth are all perfectly-shaped and matched. Some people have a mix of large and small teeth, rounded and sharp teeth that can make them feel uncomfortable when smiling, especially in photographs. A cosmetic dentist can fix this problem by creating uniformity in all your teeth by creating a veneer or a dental crown. You could also find this treatment makes chewing a lot more comfortable. And, the next time you are photographed, you may be wearing the biggest smile ever.
• Amalgam Fillings: Amalgam fillings are the silvery colored fillings that were used in dentistry decades ago. In addition to the fact that they are unsightly, they may cause health issues as well. The metals in these fillings are now known to be toxic, with 50% of an amalgam filling consisting of mercury. The remaining mixture contains tin, copper, and silver. Science has now proven that long-term exposure to these potentially toxic substances can lead to multiple health issues. If one of these fillings is cracked or broken, the harm to your health may be magnified. Luckily, this type of filling can be reversed. The amalgam filling can be removed, and replaced with a white, natural looking composite filling. This will stop exposure to the unhealthy compounds in the amalgam filling, while giving you a more natural looking smile.

If you suffer from any of the above cosmetic dental issues, correcting them without delay will provide you with amazing results, both in appearance, and in how you feel about yourself. If you think cosmetic dentistry might be right for you, call (954) 228-6714 to schedule a consultation with dentist Dr. Ernie Soto in Plantation, FL. Not only could you improve your dental function and overall good health, but you could greet the world with a beautiful, confident smile, for years to come.