Picture of a dental implant being installed

What Is Cosmetic Dentistry? [Guide to Types & Benefits]

Haven’t you found yourself instantly attracted to someone who flashes a beautiful smile? It’s only human nature to aspire to have a symmetrical, perfectly-aligned, clean and sparkling smile – it projects good health, grooming and care, and joy.

Everyone wants to look good, not just for others but also for themselves. With the intense focus on looking your best on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms, there’s a lot you can do to correct those annoying features that bother you. 

Your dentist-visits need not always be to fix a toothache or extract an infected one. Many of us have been dissatisfied with the way we look, and we’ve hidden our smiles for too long to avoid showing our teeth – but that’s yesterday’s news.

According to Beaverton Dentistry, “dental science and technological advancements work in combination to give you exactly the look you want, through the magic of cosmetic dentistry.

If you’d like to know more about this field, and make more appropriate, smarter choices, here’s where you can get the information you need.

Cosmetic Dentistry Explained

Contrary to our assumptions, several distinct categories come within the field of dentistry. Practitioners include general dental services providers, orthodontists, oral/maxillo-facial surgeons, periodontists, prosthodontists, endodontists, professionals certified in oral pathology, radiology, and pediatric and geriatric dentists and cosmetic dentists. 

Cosmetic dentistry is a branch of the profession that focuses on improving the appearance of the mouth, teeth, gums, and smile. It is less focused on oral hygiene and diseases but provides incidental benefits that make cleaning and maintenance of health easier and more convenient. It is important to understand that this field is not formally recognized by the American Dental Association as a special field. However, cosmetic dentistry is practiced by licensed and qualified dentists who have undergone specialized training in the field.

What makes it different from conventional dental work is that it combines several aspects of dentistry with the art and science of facial aesthetics. This latter aspect deals with the general positioning, alignment, color, shape, and artistic appeal of your face, teeth, and smile. Cosmetic dentistry is usually an elective choice made by patients. They are non-essential in terms of health and hygiene but provide several other significant restorative, psychological, and treatment benefits. 

Types of Cosmetic Dentistry

Below, you’ll find explanations of the different types of cosmetic dentistry.

Color Enhancing: Our teeth get discolored for various reasons – poor dental hygiene, habits such as tobacco chewing, injury/trauma, smoking, age, certain medications, heredity, excess fluoride in your water-supply and poor nutrition. Several cosmetic dentistry treatments, such as teeth whitening or teeth bleaching, can reverse discoloration and give your teeth back their original sparkle. The cosmetic dentist removes tartar/plaque build-up and other accumulated particles before using certain formulations/preparations to achieve the desired effect. This is also known as teeth cleaning.

Implants: When you lose teeth due to decay, injury, or age, they can be replaced with a variety of dental implants that are almost indistinguishable from the original. The dentist implants a metal device made of a material such as titanium that substitutes for the root of the tooth that has been damaged. The implant is anchored to the jawbone and is a permanent structure on which the artificial tooth is placed. It can also support crowns and bridges.

Bridges: Dental bridges replace lost or missing teeth. These are fixed appliances that are not removable.

Veneers and Composite Bonding: These are protective features that help to close gaps, improve the color/shape, etc. of the teeth. Veneers may be made from porcelain laminate and are fixed directly on to the tooth. Bonding is a process of applying a composite material formulated for dental work on the affected tooth. This material hardens to the strength of tooth enamel, and it can be shaped/contoured, and color-matched to repair/restore cracked/broken/damaged teeth. Bonding restorative work includes inlay and onlay procedures too.

Tooth Building and Shaping: If you have decayed, chipped, damaged, or missing teeth, you can reshape or rebuild them to restore them. Crooked or misaligned teeth can be corrected and given a better shape and position. Dental crowns and caps help to fit over these damaged teeth to protect them from further deterioration. Chipped teeth can also injure the tongue and soft parts of the mouth, leading to infections and ulcers. Gum shifting, lifting and shaping, and using invisible braces to straighten your teeth can improve your face and jaw’s overall appearance. 

Orthodontic treatments: If you thought orthodontics was only for children, you could think again! Today, orthodontic treatments are available for people of any age who want to correct over-bites or under-bites, buck teeth, crooked and misaligned teeth. These procedures may take a long time, and you may have to invest time, money, and effort to get the effect you want, but they’re certainly worth it in the long run.

Benefits of Cosmetic Dentistry

While cosmetic dentistry is mainly to enhance your appearance, it can promote good dental and overall health. 

Feel-good Factor: Cosmetic dentistry can instantly boost your self-confidence and self-image, and in turn, reflect on your personal and professional relationships. In many cases, these treatments have opened up new career opportunities and enhanced social status. 

Health and Hygiene: Crooked, broken, misaligned, and damaged teeth provide places where food particles and bacteria can accumulate and breed. Cosmetic dentistry corrects these problems and makes cleaning and flossing easier and better. Bad breath is often caused by bacteria build-up, while mouth ulcers and infections can occur due to damage and injury caused by chipped and decayed teeth. Getting your teeth attended to by a cosmetic dentist also helps you to get better nutrition. You may have been avoiding certain foods or been unable to chew properly. Treatment helps you to consume and process all the foods you need. 

Big savings: Cosmetic dentistry plays the role of preventive care of your teeth. Investing a smaller amount now can save you from spending a lot of money later on root canal treatments and other expensive procedures.