Reasons for Having Cosmetic Dental Care
Perhaps you didn’t have the opportunity to wear braces while young, and may have been left feeling self-conscious about your uneven teeth, or maybe you have neglected to get proper dental care, and know that you need attention for dental diseases. Whatever the reason, if you feel self-conscious about smiling it can have a negative effect on your self-esteem, and in turn this can impact your personal and professional relationships as people respond to your smile, and may incorrectly perceive you as being standoffish or cool, when the real problem is lack of expert dental care.

Cosmetic dentistry is becoming far more popular, and over the past few years there have been huge advances in the techniques and materials used in cosmetic dentistry. A well-trained cosmetic dentist is able to create a natural and aesthetically pleasing smile, and although the process is sometimes costly and can be time-consuming, the results are long-lasting and well worth the effort and expense.

Which Dental Care Procedures Are Cosmetic?
Procedures which are often considered to be cosmetic include teeth whitening, veneers, crown and bridgework, white fillings and dental implants.

Teeth whitening is a purely cosmetic procedure, and has no other function other than helping someone appear younger and more attractive.

Having your teeth veneered is generally considered a cosmetic dental care procedure, although the exception might be teeth which are chipped, as veneers are a great way of mending slightly damaged teeth, or teeth which have suffered from a small amount of dental disease while retaining the maximum amount of tooth structure.  Getting your teeth veneered is a good way of correcting slightly crooked teeth, and if you are having a considerable number of teeth veneered you can also choose to go a few shades lighter, giving you a whiter and brighter smile.

Getting porcelain crowns fitted can also be considered a cosmetic dental care procedure, but is also an excellent way of restoring teeth which have suffered decay through dental disease. Porcelain bridges are also very good at filling in gaps created by missing teeth, and although they can be considered to have a cosmetic effect, they are also important for enabling someone to eat properly, and for making sure that the adjacent teeth don’t move around.

White or tooth colored fillings are a good way of restoring teeth which have suffered decay due to dental disease, and are just about essential for front teeth. They make a good alternative to amalgam or gold fillings in back teeth, and are virtually undetectable.

Dental implants replace gaps left by missing teeth lost to dental disease or trauma, and involve having a titanium post screwed into your jawbone so that a porcelain crown can be fitted over the top. This is the most up-to-date alternative to having dentures or a bridge, and although this dental care procedure is costly it is also highly effective, and if properly cared for should last a very long time.

Finding Expert Dental Care and a Great Cosmetic Dentist
In theory, it should be a relatively straightforward process to find a good cosmetic or general dentist to provide you with high quality dental care. In practice it’s not quite so straightforward, as any qualified dentist is able to call themselves a cosmetic dentist. Although it’s important to find someone who can bring a little bit of artistry into creating a beautiful smile for you, it’s also vital to find a dentist who can give you good dental care, and who will ensure that you don’t have any signs of dental diseases such as gum disease.

The majority of dentists are true professionals who take great pride in their work, and most attend a lot of courses ensuring they are well educated in the latest techniques and technology. This type of continuing professional education is essential, as dental care can change very quickly.

When trying to find expert dental care, ask your dentist if they have before and after pictures of satisfied clients, as most will keep a ‘smile gallery’ of their completed work. You could also try asking them which associations they belong to, and how long they have been practicing. Ask around family and friends to see who they recommend, and ask what kind of work they have had done, and if they had any significant complications.

If you think you need extensive work, for instance if you are suffering from significant dental diseases, then try to find out if your dentist has much experience in completely rebuilding someone’s smile. A lot of cosmetic dentists will call on other local surgeons who are experienced in doing more complex surgery, and this is often the best way of ensuring complete smile reconstructions achieve the best results.

Can My Dental Care Provider Give Me a Sneak Preview of My New Smile?
In short, yes, as there are a number of techniques which can be used to give clients a reasonable idea as to how their new smile will look. A lot of dentists use computer imaging to give you an idea, while others may use diagnostic models of your mouth. This is where an impression is taken of your mouth, sent to a dental laboratory so a plaster model can be cast up. The model is then adapted by the dental laboratory following your dentist’s prescription to give you an approximate idea of how your new smile will look.

Dental Care and Dental Diseases
It’s important that your mouth be free of any dental diseases before smile reconstruction can begin. Any sign of dental diseases such as gum disease or dental decay must be sorted out for any cosmetic work to be long lasting and effective. In truth, as explained above, restorative dental care to resolve dental diseases often has a cosmetic effect.