Cosmetic Dental Problems, Meet Your Solutions

When you look at the menu of cosmetic services your dentist offers, you might not see much value in them. However, it’s when you think of the common cosmetic problems these procedures address that you can more easily understand why your dentist offers them in the first place. In addition, you can get confused about which treatment will help you! What are some of the most common cosmetic dental problems and their solutions? Continue reading to learn more.

Problem: Tooth Discoloration

Try and you may, teeth eventually tend to look yellow or dull over time. With so many pigmented foods and beverages like coffee and chocolate, discolored teeth can make you look older or simply less radiant.

Solution: Teeth Whitening, Bonding, or Veneers

To correct the color and brilliance of your smile, you have several options to choose from. The simplest, least expensive choice is professional teeth whitening, which is substantially stronger than any product you can find in the store. Bonding and veneers entail adding either composite resin or porcelain respectively to your teeth to cover areas that are difficult to bleach out due to medication side effects, deeper staining, and other complications.

Problem: Chips, Cracks, or Worn Teeth

By the time you reach adulthood, your smile will likely have experienced quite a bit. Whether due to an injury, dental accident, or just wear and tear, your teeth can develop little cracks, chips, and signs of age. Unfortunately, these flaws draw the wrong attention to themselves and can be distracting.

Solution: Bonding or Veneers

Applied to only the front surface of your teeth, bonding and veneers purposefully cover these and other imperfections like small or misshapen teeth, little gaps between teeth, and slight misalignment. In these treatments, your dentist truly customizes your smile according to your goals and wants by hiding your flawed natural teeth and presenting lifelike perfection.

Problem: Gummy Smile

When your gum tissues cover too much of or overwhelm your teeth, it is commonly called a gummy smile. As long as you keep your gums clean and healthy, this problem is purely cosmetic, but it can encourage you to hide your smile when you laugh, talk, or pose for selfies.

Solution: Gum Recontouring

Traditionally, the gum recontouring procedure involved using a scalpel and healing for a couple of weeks with sutures. Nowadays, a soft tissue laser cauterizes the tissue instantly, reducing discomfort and bleeding while also expediting healing and a beautiful outcome.

If you know you have one or more aesthetic issues with your smile, don’t worry about selecting the right solution just yet. When you meet with your dentist during a consultation, they can provide insight and advice after examining your smile in person. They can go through your options, explain the processes and costs, and recommend the solution that will give you the best results!

About the Practice

At Applegate Dental, our four dentists aren’t in a rush to get you in and out as quickly as possible. At any time, they are willing to answer questions or clarify confusion so that when you choose your treatment, you feel completely confident and excited. Our years of advanced training and continuing commitment to education coursework, we feel comfortable using new technologies and techniques every day. Would you like to learn more about your cosmetic dentistry options? Call our West Seneca office at 716-668-4646 or contact us online here to schedule a consultation.