All Smiles! A Complete Guide to the Different Types of Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures

For many aspects of our appearance, keeping them in top shape doesn't have any impact on our health. After all, you're not going to stave off the flu because you decided to brush your hair and wear a nice polo to work.

Teeth, however, are a different story. Teeth that are mis-spaced or missing can lead to everything from a heightened risk of tooth and gum disease to speech difficulties. But what can you do to fix these problems?

Well, you're in luck. We're here to break down all the different types of cosmetic dentistry procedures and the meaning of cosmetic dentistry! So without further ado, let's get started!

One of the first steps you can take to make sure you're a strong candidate for cosmetic dentistry is to maintain good dental health overall. Check with your local dentist to make sure you aren't suffering from cavities or other tooth and gum problems before you start. Otherwise, you run a higher risk of complicating the problem or suffering an infection from the procedure.

Brushing and flossing regularly will also help improve your chances of being healthy enough for cosmetic dentistry.

This also means smokers should consider quitting before signing on. This is because smoking puts you at a higher risk for gum disease and cavities. It also increases the time it will take from your mouth to heal from more invasive methods like dental implants. 

A general sign that you could benefit from cosmetic dentistry is if your teeth are crooked, bent, or out of place in some way. Stained or discolored teeth are also things that can get fixed with a good dentist. 

And if you're thinking you're alone in needing this stuff, don't! Not only do tons of people get cosmetic dentistry done every day, but tons of celebrities from Tom Cruise to Ben Affleck have too!

One of the first types of cosmetic dentistry most people tend to come across is teeth whitening. While some patients opt to do the procedure in-house, many dentists will also offer you the ability to use a special mold and gels to perform the whitening from the comfort of your own home. Different kinds of whitening toothpaste can also help in this department.

Another big feature of cosmetic dentistry comes with braces. With conventional braces, your dentist will glue brackets onto your teeth and string metal wire across them to help pull the teeth together and convert your mouth to the desired shape.

If traditional braces stick out too much for you, Invisalign retainers offer the same kind of treatment but without the average person being able to tell that you have something in your mouth. Invisalign will also allow you to eat the food prohibited by braces (like bagels and chewy candy) since the retainers can get taken out with ease. The trade-off is that the retainers will have to get swapped out often.

Fusing Stuff In

If your teeth are decayed or off-color, composite bonding could be the method for you. Your dentist will remove the "sick" part and then add a special composite resin mixture to the open area. From there, the mixture can get molded to fill in the gap in your tooth and create a fixed layer over it without needing to replace the whole tooth. 

You can also use a special mixture of various metals to help cover up the removed area. This kind of bonding lasts longer and is easier to insert than resin fillings, but are more visually apparent to others. 

You could also get inlays and onlays, special fillings made in an exterior lab (rather than by your dentist) that helps to patch the cracks in damaged teeth. Inlays refer to when the fillings go near the center of the tooth, while onlay refers to those covering the exterior points of the tooth. These fillings help to keep the bacteria left by tooth decay from spreading to other parts of your mouth.

If you want to look into the less-known sides of cosmetic dentistry, veneers are a good place to start. But what are dental veneers?

Well, they are thin ceramic shells made to look exactly like your teeth. They then go over top of your tooth to help conceal any cracks in the tooth or alter the size/shape of the tooth. They sit on the more expensive side of the dentistry spectrum but pack a lot of bang for their buck.

With some veneers, a top layer of enamel has to get removed for the veneer to attach. However, a special brand called Lumineers now allows veneers to attach without needing to sacrifice any enamel. However, you will have to cough up more cash.

If your teeth need to get removed completely, implants may be your best option. First, a tiny metal screw gets placed in your jaw to support the implant. After a waiting period for the gum to heal, your dentist can then add a crown to the screw to give you a "fake tooth". Despite the invasive procedure, these implants blend in very well with normal teeth. 

But what if you have an irritating gap in between two teeth that you can't seem to close? If that's the case, you'll want to ask your dentist about getting a bridge, or a modification on a crown that helps to cover up a sizable gap between two teeth.

And there you have it! Now that you know all about cosmetic dentistry's meaning and the different types of cosmetic dentistry procedures, you're ready to get out there and improve your smile today!

If you live in the Laurel, MD area, we here at Garland David DDS offer some of the best cosmetic dentistry services around! If you want to learn more or schedule an appointment today, reach out to us and let us know how we can help!