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Cosmetic dentistry is a specialized type of dental service that improves a person’s aesthetic appeal – making your teeth look whiter, straighter, smoother, and more attractive.

Much like how dermatology separates the medical and cosmetic applications – such as the difference between removing a skin cancer vs. having a chemical peel – dentistry differentiates between cosmetic and regular (medical) dental services.

Cosmetic dentistry’s focus is on creating a positive change to one’s teeth and smile. A smile enhancement can have a very positive impact on a person’s self-esteem. When people smile, it releases endorphins, which are hormones that make a person feel happy.

Types of Cosmetic Dentistry Services

Let’s take a look at some of the professional options that are available in having a whiter, straighter, better smile:

Zoom! Teeth Whitening

Unlike those in-home treatments that can strip enamel from teeth, there are studies backing the safety of Zoom!® whitening when done by a board-certified dentist. Including prep time, the process takes less than an hour from start to finish.

Zoom! is a whitening gel whose active ingredient is hydrogen peroxide. When exposed to the Zoom! light, the peroxide is broken down, and oxygen enters the enamel and dentin – thereby bleaching the colored and stained areas safely.

Following some at-home instructions after the treatment, you can look forward to a brighter smile forever afterward.

Orthodontics

Not typically mentioned as a facet of cosmetic dentistry, the field of orthodontics has made great strides technologically. Instead of the old-style bands and braces on every tooth, there are now options of removable braces like Invisalign.

These “invisible braces” can be removed to eat, brush your teeth, or take a picture – so they are a vast improvement from yesteryear’s metal braces that looked unattractive and could be very painful. Invisalign aligners need to be updated about every two weeks to continue correcting your teeth, but they can give you a straight, beautiful smile with far less effort than before.

In addition to straightening a smile, advancements in dental implants can restore teeth lost over time for whatever reason. Besides being functional – and providing a better ability to chew food well – dental implants can restore a person’s confidence.

Sometimes teeth are fundamentally sound but they are stained, pitted, crooked, chipped, and ugly. If that sounds familiar, then it may be time to investigate veneers.

Veneers can give a person whose teeth are strong a gorgeous smile once again. Dental veneers are typically made of stain-resistant porcelain, and they are laboratory-made shells designed to be fastened to the front of teeth to improve a person’s smile.

The teeth are first filed down ever so slightly by the dentist, and then the dentist takes a mold of the teeth. This mold is then sent to a lab for fitting each veneer to the person’s own tooth. Dental veneers are done one by one – usually only one or several veneers are required – and they are not removable except by a dentist.

Caring Dentist in South Florida

If any of these options are something you might be contemplating, then look no further than Dr. Ernie Soto. We offer the latest advances in dental techniques, combined with IV sedation if desired, so we can get you in and out without pain.

If you are searching for a dentist who is truly compassionate, call us today at (954) 368-6264 or request an appointment online here. Your smile will thank you!