7 Problems a Cosmetic Dentist Can Fix
A smile is not only socially important: it can also affect your career. In fact, over 70% of adults believe that an unattractive smile can hurt their careers, according to an American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry survey.
But what makes an attractive smile? Most people can look in the mirror and identify some aspects of their smile that they would like to improve. Here are seven problems with your smile that cosmetic dentistry can fix:
Stained Teeth
Teeth can become stained for many reasons. The most common culprits are coffee, tea, and wine, but even certain fruits and vegetables can damage your smile. These foods and drinks will stain a layer of protein that overlays the tooth enamel. Often, these stains are only surface-deep and are easy to remove.
Deeper stains are more difficult to remove. These include:
Tobacco: Smoking and chewing tobacco can cause deep discoloration of the teeth. The likelihood of stains increases with more frequent use.
Medications: Some medications discolor teeth. Examples include common medicines such as allergy medications, antibiotics, and blood pressure medications.
Disease: Dental diseases, as well as some infections, can cause teeth to become discolored.
Poor oral health care: Improper brushing can allow plaque to harden into tartar. Tartar buildup will make your teeth appear yellow.
Age: The dentin below the enamel has a naturally yellow tint. As we age, the dentin becomes yellower and the enamel thins. This combination causes teeth to appear to turn yellow as we age.
Trauma: When the root of a tooth is damaged, the pulp inside the tooth can die. Even after a root canal, a damaged tooth can still appear gray.
One solution to stained teeth is teeth whitening from a cosmetic dentist. In-office teeth whitening is much more effective than at-home kits. When you have your teeth whitened, your family dental practice will apply a bleaching agent that is much stronger (up to twice as strong) compared to the bleaching agent used in DIY teeth whitening kits. When you visit the cosmetic dentist, the bleaching agent is applied to your teeth, then activated using an ultraviolet light. A tooth whitening procedure usually takes 30 to 60 minutes to complete.
Gap Teeth
While tooth gaps may be cute on little kids, they make most adults self-conscious. Tooth gaps, or diastema, may occur due to trauma, such as a chipped or crooked tooth. However, for most adults, gap teeth occur when the teeth are too small relative to the jaw. Teeth gaps can also form from thumb sucking or tongue thrusting. These childhood habits can cause teeth to grow in crooked, leaving gaps between the teeth.
Gum disease can also cause gaps to appear between teeth. When gums are not well cared for, they can recede and allow small gaps between teeth to appear, primarily at the gumline.
Cosmetic dentists have a few tools to deal with gap teeth. If the gaps are due to gum disease, a dentist may recommend a dental scaling and root planing procedure. In this process, the plaque and tartar at and below the gumline are removed, and the tooth roots are smoothed below the gumline. This provides a clean, smooth surface for the gums to grow over. As the receded gums grow back, the tooth gaps are closed.
Another option for closing gaps in teeth are dental veneers. Veneers are thin sheets of resin or porcelain that are adhered to the surface of your teeth. By positioning the veneers properly, the veneers can cover teeth gaps. Veneers are fitted by taking images and impressions of your teeth. The veneers are custom sculpted for your teeth at a dental lab. When the cosmetic dentist receives the veneers, they will prepare the teeth by shaving a thin layer from the enamel, then bonding the veneers to the surface of your teeth. The dentist will then check your bite and make any final adjustments to the veneers.
Crooked Teeth
Like gap teeth, crooked teeth occasionally occur due to trauma. For example, contact sports, such as football, boxing, or similar sports, may result in teeth that are knocked out of place.
However, the most common cause of crooked teeth is genetic. When the jaw is too small relative to the teeth, they will grow in crowded and tend to push each other out of alignment. Conversely, when the jaw is too big relative to the teeth, they can "float" out of place. In either case, the teeth may visibly turn or tilt.
Similarly, the upper and lower jaws may be misaligned. In addition to a noticeable overbite or underbite, misaligned jaws can cause aches in the head, jaw, and face since muscles are strained with each bite.
Crooked teeth can be corrected with braces or teeth aligners, such as Invisalign. In either case, an impression is made of the teeth and a plan is designed to correct the crooked teeth.
Traditional braces use bands, brackets, and wires to straighten teeth. Specifically, bands and brackets are bonded to the teeth and an archwire is attached to guides in the brackets and bands. An orthodontist can bend the archwire at specific points to cause the adjacent teeth to move in the desired way. In this way, the braces guide each individual tooth into the proper alignment. If the jaws are misaligned, headgear, elastic bands, or springs can be used with the braces to pull the jaws into alignment.
Teeth aligners, such as Invisalign, use a series of plastic trays that fit over the teeth to guide the teeth into alignment. Specifically, the teeth impressions and the dental plan are used to create a three-dimensional computer model of the starting and final positions of the teeth. A set of aligners is printed using a 3D printer, with each aligner corresponding to a slightly different position for the teeth. Each aligner is worn for about 22 hours per day for about two weeks, before moving to the next aligner in the set. By the time the last aligner is reached, the teeth have moved to their final positions.
Missing Teeth
Missing teeth usually occur due to trauma, such as an accidental impact to the mouth or face. The underlying cause could include such wide-ranging reasons as a fall, a fight, contact sports, or an automobile accident. Missing teeth can also occur due to poor dental hygiene, drug use, or other health issues.
In any event, missing teeth can severely impact your smile. A cosmetic dentist has a few options available for dealing with missing teeth.
Dental implants consist of a post and an abutment. The procedure begins when the post is implanted into the jaw. This typically involves drilling into the tooth socket to implant the post and allowing the jaw to grow and heal around it. The abutment is attached to the post and a dental crown is bonded to the abutment. The dental crown is shaped like the missing tooth for a seamless smile. In this way, the dental implant and dental crown exactly replicate the appearance and function of a natural tooth.
When multiple teeth are missing, a bridge, containing multiple replacement teeth, can be held between two dental implants. This is exactly like the procedure described above, but rather than one dental implant, two dental implants are used to support the ends of the dental bridge.
Chipped Teeth
Chipped teeth occur in similar ways to a missing tooth. One method for addressing a chipped tooth is with veneers, discussed above. The thin veneer can be shaped to cover a missing chip from the tooth that it is bonded to.
Another method for fixing a chipped tooth is dental bonding. In this procedure, a resin material is applied to the chipped area and shaped to match the missing chip. The resin is then cured with ultraviolet light and any excess material is ground away.
Yet another option for addressing a chipped tooth is a dental crown. A dental crown is an appliance that is shaped to match the chipped tooth but fits over the entire tooth. It can also stop further damage from impacting an injured tooth.
Cosmetic dentistry can help your smile in many ways. Whitening your teeth can remove the stains and discoloration that can be unsightly. Dental veneers and tooth aligners can straighten teeth and close gaps. Dental implants and dental crowns can fill in missing teeth. If any of these procedures appeal to you, don't hesitate to contact Aesthetic Family Dental Care today.