Your teeth can affect every aspect of your life, from work prospects to dating. Feeling confident in your smile can help you appear more professional, approachable, and engaging. While our first focus is always on helping you achieve great health, we value the impact of a beautiful smile as well. There are many ways cosmetic dentistry can enhance your smile and improve your life.
COSMETIC DENTISTRY OPTIONS FOR YOUR TEETH
Are you slow to smile because you’re ashamed of how your teeth look? Do you usually leave your lips together in pictures because you don’t want to ruin the photo? We have empowered countless patients to find pride in their smiles, starting with rehabilitating their teeth.
PORCELAIN PERFECTION: CROWNS AND VENEERS
Porcelain crowns and veneers are the best option for beautiful, long-lasting cosmetics and restorative treatments. Whether your teeth are worn, fractured, or discolored, porcelain will give you teeth that look naturally stunning. Crowns and veneers in the past left something to be desired. They frequently appeared mismatched or left a dark band of metal showing near the gums.
Thankfully, dental materials have improved by leaps and bounds, and it is now possible to craft porcelain restorations that match the rest of your teeth perfectly, both in color and texture. Dr. Anderson prides himself on creating beautiful, natural-looking porcelain that will leave you beaming.
QUICK-AND-EASY CHAIRSIDE VENEERS AND COMPOSITE BUILDUPS
Not every case needs porcelain. Some smiles are best served with composite resin. By adding a small amount of this material, we can reshape teeth and correct for color. We can even add length to worn or short teeth in some cases!
However, composites do demand more maintenance than porcelain, and may become stained or worn more easily. They’re not appropriate for every cosmetic need. This is a great option for small adjustments, and especially for younger patients as well as adults who aren’t quite ready to take the plunge into porcelain just yet.
INTERNAL BLEACHING
Many of us have had trauma to our front teeth. That trip-and-fall as a kid can come back to haunt you years or even decades down the road. If a tooth is damaged, the nerve inside the tooth can die and leave the tooth looking dark. The effect is not always immediate.
If you’ve had any root canal therapy on a front tooth, that tooth will likely become discolored over time. Unfortunately, these teeth will not respond to traditional whitening. But there is still hope! Internal bleaching involves accessing the back of the tooth in the same way we would treat a cavity (don’t worry, you won’t feel a thing!) and placing a small pellet of whitening agent inside the tooth. This can be a great way to correct that one dark tooth that always stands out in pictures.
REPLACE MISSING TEETH WITH IMPLANTS AND BRIDGES
Obviously a gap in your grin doesn’t do you any favors. Luckily, there are options to close that space and reclaim a flawless set up front. Aesthetically, implants usually get the best result. Although it is an investment and takes time to complete, implant therapy gives the most natural-looking, and most stable results.
However, implants do not work for every case. If an implant is not the perfect plan for you, there are always other options! A bridge involves affixing the replacement tooth to its neighbors on both sides. This is another great option for beautiful results, but may take more maintenance over time in some cases.
DON'T FORGET YOUR GUMS!
Your gums make all the difference in the appearance of your smile. Red, inflamed, irritated gums can ruin the appearance of even the most gorgeous pearly whites. So don’t neglect them in your smile makeover plan!
GUM CONTOURING
An uneven gumline can make the teeth look mismatched. Orthodontic treatment can leave your gums overgrown and puffy. Likewise, some medications also stimulate the gums to become enlarged. Whatever the cause, gum contouring can correct many aesthetic concerns that may make your teeth look less than ideal. For most patients, this is a fairly straightforward procedure with minimal recovery time.
CROWN LENGTHENING
Your gumline may also make your teeth look short or undersized. Similarly to gum contouring, crown lengthening can reshape your gums and enhance the appearance of your teeth. However, this procedure may be more involved, depending on your specific anatomy. In many cases, crown lengthening combines several treatments, and may involve the placement of crowns (as discussed above) to achieve ideal results.
A GOOD OLD-FASHIONED CLEANING!
Frequently, getting back on track with regular cleanings is all it will take to get your gums back in fighting shape. Even a few missed cleanings can lead to redness, swelling, and even bleeding in the gums. Obviously, our main concern is to restore your gums to their best state of health. However, healthy gums are beautiful gums! Once we get you back on track, you’ll be amazed at how much difference regular dental cleanings can make for your smile.
NON-COMMITTAL? NO PROBLEM!
Not every cosmetic concern requires invasive or permanent solutions. For many people, we can get amazing results with minimal treatment!
BOTOX® OPTIONS
If your smile shows more gums than you’d like, Botox may be a great option for you! By treating the muscles that pull on the upper lip, we can help decrease that gummy appearance when you grin. It may be a good idea to give Botox a try before jumping to crown lengthening or other permanent options. After several months, the medication will wear off, so this option is fully reversible.
WHITENING
If you’re unhappy with teeth that are darker or more yellow that you’d like, whitening might work for you! While it won’t treat every discoloration issue, professional whitening may be just the thing for many of our patients. It is a conservative, noninvasive way to enhance your smile and boost your confidence.
On the flip side of whitening is a procedure called infiltration. If you have spots that are too white, such as decalcification from braces or developmental spots, we can help reduce their appearance with a minimally invasive resin treatment and mineral boost.
If anything is keeping you from feeling 100% confident in your smile, there is no shame in fixing it! Here at Anderson Family Dental, we believe in improving lives with great dentistry. We take pride in crafting teeth you will want to show off. Check out our smile gallery to get an idea of how we can help. Then, schedule a visit to talk about how cosmetic dentistry can enhance your smile today!