If you are unhappy with the state of your teeth, jaw or any part of your mouth, you might have contemplated a cosmetic dentistry procedure as an option to “fix it up”. Cosmetic dental procedures take a lot of thought before a decision is made; you have to be aware of what options you have. Depending on the region and the dentist, you may be presented with as few as 5 options for cosmetic dental procedures or as many as 10. It depends on how they classify the procedures. I will talk about 3 in this article.
1. Whitening
This form of cosmetic dentistry is relatively well known, mainly because cheaper forms of this procedure are being commercialized in supermarkets. In case you were wondering, real bleach is not used. The chemical is toxic. Most likely, a compound that behaves like bleach is used to whiten teeth instead. Supermarkets also stock teeth whitening kits that you can use, but they usually require reapplication. Not everyone can actually have this procedure performed on them because they might be too sensitive to the “bleach” used to whiten their teeth. Their teeth might also be too thin; the whitener will further thin it more.
2. Gum Lift
This procedure is also relatively popular since there are a lot of people who are have a very “gummy” smile. This might make them feel somewhat self-conscious and they would prefer if they looked “normal”. This is how a gum lift works: just like in plastic surgery, the surgeon will cut the gum and reshape it so that when you smile, you can only see your teeth. Occasionally, the bones beneath the gums might be cut and reshaped as well to help achieve a better gum lift.
3. Veneers
Veneers are a procedure that are an alternative to whitening when people are particularly sensitive to the agents involved in the whitening process. Veneers are made from a very thin layer of porcelain and are used to cover your teeth so that when you smile, people just see the porcelain. They can also be used to cover up gaps. Since the teeth are in essence getting thicker, they might have to be reshaped slightly to accomodate the veneer to be installed.
Gum lifts, veneers and whiteners are three of the more well-known cosmetic dentistry procedures used to improve the apperance of your smile. It’s no accident that these procedures aren’t performed more often; they are quite expensive. Be prepared for huge quotes of over a thousand dollars.