It’s 2022, and February is already here. Have you started working on your smile? Of all adult Americans, nearly 33% feel that their smile could be improved. The goals they focus on are primarily cosmetic in nature. The most common complaints are excessive gums, misalignments, chipped teeth, discoloration, and dental gaps. Thankfully, all of these concerns can be addressed as part of a single treatment plan known as a smile makeover.
Is 2022 The Year Of Your Smile Makeover?
This comprehensive treatment plan is created as a unique process for each patient to address their specific concerns. Getting started on this treatment plan requires knowing what changes you want to make to your smile. Your best approach is speaking to your dental practitioner and sharing your concerns with them. They’ll go over your oral health concerns, identify your goals, and develop a plan to help you reach them. Common oral concerns addressed by a smile makeover include:
- Chipped or broken teeth
- Worn enamel
- Unevenly proportioned teeth
- Crowded teeth
- Teeth gaps
- Discoloration or stained teeth
Once you’ve discussed the road ahead with your dentist, you’ll be on the road to making 2022 the year of your best smile! There’s more to a smile makeover than inflating your vanity. There are so many areas of your life that a great smile impacts more than you know. Researchers have revealed that our smiles can impact our ability to get the job we want. It can turn a successful date into an unsuccessful one. It can also seriously impact our own self-esteem and how we see ourselves in the mirror. These just cover the visual elements of our smile!
Imperfections in your smile can have other, more serious implications for your oral health. Teeth with worn enamel can be exceptionally sensitive to heat and cold. Our teeth rely on each other for support and for staying in position. When you have a tooth gap, the neighboring teeth may not hold position under pressure as well. Misaligned teeth can create nooks and crannies for bacteria and plaque to hide and cavities to form.
What’s Involved In a Smile Makeover?
Every smile makeover is carefully designed to address the concerns of the individual patient. While some may need veneers and gum sculpting, others may find their concerns addressed with whitening and cosmetic bonding. Some common elements of a smile makeover include:
- Inlays and Onlays – Indirect fillings are used to address decay or damage to the tooth. They’re often preferred over fillings since they require less healthy material to be removed to produce the same results.
- Composite Bonding – Composite bonding is an effective way to address multiple types of dental concerns. It’s great for addressing small dental gaps, dental staining, minor structural imperfections, and restoring tooth shape.
- Veneers – When staining is set too deep for whitening and imperfections in shape and alignment exist, veneers can save the day. The process begins with removing a thin layer of enamel from the teeth, which are replaced by a ceramic layer.
Reach out to your cosmetic dental specialist for additional concerns. That first appointment can set you on the way to making 2022 the year your smile really shines!
