A smile is something that makes us, as well as others around us, feel good. But if you feel ashamed of your teeth and hesitate to smile, this simple and refreshing act of smiling may make you self-conscious. It affects all spheres of your life, relationships, friendships, and even success at the workplace. 

Cosmetic dentistry can help you achieve a beautiful and healthy set of teeth to regain your self-confidence. Today’s world has changed manifolds in various ways, and attractive appearance is in high demand, and it has made the field of cosmetic dentistry advance and grow in leaps and bounds. 

People used to have this misconception that cosmetic dentistry is superficial, but it is essential to understand that this type of dentistry has many oral and overall health advantages.

Let us learn more about cosmetic dentistry and its many benefits.

What is Cosmetic Dentistry?

This dentistry is a branch of dental procedures that aims to improve your smile’s appearance.

• Common procedures that come under this branch are 
  • Teeth whitening – You can safely lighten the color of your teeth with a professional in-house teeth-whitening procedure.
  • Veneers- Veneers are thin and strong shells made of medical-grade ceramic, which adhere to the top of your teeth. Veneers can conceal a wide range of cosmetic imperfections in your teeth.
  • Dental bonding – In this procedure, the tooth-colored composite resin is applied to your teeth to cover up craze lines, cracks, discoloration, etc.
  • Tooth contouring – You can change the shape of your teeth by removing small amounts of enamels.
  • Gum contouring – Excess gum tissues make our smile appear gummy or unbalanced. A dentist can remove this extra gum through the gum contouring process. This helps patients gain a more balanced and symmetrical appearance.
• General dental procedures come under primary dental care providers and cover preventive care, for instance, teeth cleaning, dental fillings, bridges, and crowns. A cosmetic dentist focuses on enhancing your smile by improving the appearance of your gums and teeth.
• People who often go for such dental procedures have the following issues:
  • Cracked or chipped teeth.
  • Discolored or stained teeth.
  • Spaces or gaps between teeth.
  • Misaligned or misshapen teeth.

Anyone with healthy teeth and gums can go for the cosmetic dentistry procedures. But if you suffer from cavities or gum disease, you might have to go for restorative treatments before getting cosmetic ones.

The Many Benefits of Cosmetic Dental Procedures

If you are not happy with how your smile appears, then cosmetic dentistry can improve your smile tremendously and improve oral health. These procedures have immense benefits, as described below:

• Better dental health – By straightening your teeth via braces or Invisalign, you get an attractive smile and improve your oral health. You can brush and floss your teeth properly once your teeth are straightened, as your toothbrush’s bristles can reach nooks and corners of your teeth, which were not easily accessible earlier. The dental plaque (a sticky film of bacteria inside the mouth) has fewer places to hide once you have corrected your teeth. 
• Relieves pain – If your teeth are crooked or not well-aligned, it could be causing neck and jaw pain or headaches. Orthodontics can help alleviate this pain by straightening and aligning your teeth.
• Confidence – By whitening your teeth, you can boost your confidence a few notches up. With an in-house professional dental whitening procedure, your smile gets a brilliant upgrade that reflects your self-esteem.
• Total smile makeover with veneers – Modern porcelain veneers is made of a thin layer of porcelain that is molded skillfully and permanently bonded to your teeth. They look like your natural teeth and can cover deep stains, chips, cracks, misshapen or misaligned teeth, and much more. Veneers can be placed on top of only healthy teeth and can be customized to opacity and color to give you that perfect smile.
• Fill awkward gaps in teeth with bridges – If you have a gap in your teeth either by birth or had to get any tooth extracted, it could be quite embarrassing. You can fill those gaps using porcelain bridges to give you a proper teeth alignment and a natural look. Porcelain bridges are semi-permanent, so your dentist can remove and replace them. They are a cost-effective long-term cosmetic alternative to the more expensive dental implants. A porcelain bridge could be more apt for you based on the health of your jaw, the location of the gap, the health of surrounding teeth, etc.
• Better appetite – If your teeth are out of place, you might find eating some of the hard, crunchy, or chewy foods difficult. But after cosmetic dentistry, your bite betters, and you can enjoy your favorite foods that earlier gave you issues. It will also increase your desire to eat.

Cosmetic dentistry has a short recovery time and gives impressive results for any appearance-related issue with your teeth. The procedures are based on the kind of look you need for your teeth (whitening, straightening, filling gaps, etc.) and are painless, and have a high rate of success.