Are you looking to transform your smile and gain a confidence boost along the way? Cosmetic dentistry offers a range of solutions to transform the appearance of your teeth, including teeth whitening and more complex procedures like orthodontics and dental implants.
By improving the look and function of your teeth, cosmetic dentistry can enhance your oral hygiene and even help support your overall health. Explore how it can make a lasting difference in your life.
What is cosmetic dentistry?
According to the Australian Dental Association (ADA), cosmetic dentistry is a broad term encompassing “any treatment that changes the way your teeth look. This may be a change in the shape, colour, or position of your teeth.”
Treatment types
Want to brighten your smile, fix a chipped tooth, or correct misaligned teeth? Cosmetic dentistry offers treatments such as:
- Teeth whitening: Removes stains and discolouration from the teeth for a whiter, brighter smile.
- Gum contouring: Involves removing or reshaping gum tissue to improve the appearance of gums and teeth for a more symmetrical and balanced appearance.
- Bonding: Uses a tooth-coloured resin to repair chipped or broken teeth.
- Veneers: Utilises thin porcelain shells placed on the front surface of the teeth to improve their appearance.
- Dental implants: A procedure that involves the placement of artificial teeth roots into the jawbone to support replacement teeth.
- Orthodontics: Involves the use of braces or clear aligners to straighten crooked or misaligned teeth.
Misaligned teeth and your health
Some cosmetic dental procedures can improve the functionality of your teeth and jaw. By correcting alignment issues, you can address problems with your bite and reduce jaw pain. Misaligned teeth can impact your health in different ways:
- Higher risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Misaligned and crowded teeth can make it more difficult to clean your teeth properly.
- Jaw pain and headaches. Misaligned teeth can cause problems with your bite and jaw alignment, leading to jaw pain, headaches, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
- Speech difficulties. Misaligned teeth can also affect your speech, leading to low self-esteem and a lack of confidence.
- Breathing problems. Crooked teeth can affect your jaw, which may restrict your airway and lead to respiratory problems like sleep apnoea.
Orthodontic treatments like braces work to straighten crooked teeth and correct bite issues, making it easier to chew and speak properly. Nowadays, clear aligners like ClearCorrect are easily available and can treat a wide variety of complex dental conditions.
ClearCorrect aligners are completely removable, nearly invisible, and customised for a seamless fit. They feature a proprietary three-layer ClearQuartz material and a high, flat, unscalloped trimline that ensures precise and gentle tooth movements. Plus, they’ve been proven to be more stain-resistant than the leading aligner brand.
Take this online smile assessment to find out if you’re a candidate for ClearCorrect aligners.
If you have missing teeth, replacing them with dental implants can help prevent the remaining teeth from shifting and becoming misaligned. They help improve jaw function and provide support for the surrounding teeth and jawbone. Procedures like dental bonding and veneers work to repair damaged teeth, improving their strength and durability.
What are the benefits of cosmetic dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry has several benefits, which include improving how your teeth and gums look, feel, and function.
Enhanced self-esteem
A Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry study of 301 students ages 18 to 30 found that those most affected by poor dental aesthetics had lower self-esteem. In short, dental satisfaction is shown to have a positive effect on self-esteem.
Similarly, a Journal of Orthodontic Science study revealed that malocclusion (misaligned teeth) can impact self-esteem and that improving the dental appearance of misaligned teeth and bites can boost self-esteem.
Improved oral health
Cosmetic dentistry procedures, including orthodontics and implants, are not just about aesthetics; they also improve oral health. These treatments align teeth and replace missing ones, significantly reducing your risk of tooth decay. By maintaining healthy teeth and gums, you can prevent gum disease and avoid eventual tooth loss.
Maintaining overall health
According to the 2000 Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in America, oral infections can cause systemic infections in people with weak immune systems. Oral signs and symptoms may also be related to general health conditions. Chronic oral infections have been linked to health issues like diabetes, heart disease, and pregnancy problems. Researchers are studying to find out more about these connections. That’s why it’s so important to book that twice a year dental visit and look after your oral health!
Better and more comfortable dental function
Teeth that are damaged, misaligned, or missing can make biting, chewing, and speaking difficult and painful. Investing in cosmetic dentistry procedures can help restore proper function to your teeth and bite, preventing more serious dental problems in the future.
Improved speech
Missing or misaligned teeth can also affect speech and pronunciation. These dental issues may cause slurring or unclear speech. Cosmetic dentistry can address these problems, leading to clearer and more confident communication.
Improved appearance
Procedures such as teeth whitening, veneers, and orthodontics can enhance the colour, shape, and alignment of your teeth, improve your smile confidence, and boost your self-esteem.
Dental health as preventive care
You can prevent these dental issues from worsening by fixing problems like broken, missing, and crooked teeth. Maintaining good oral hygiene and preventing future dental problems also becomes easier, making cosmetic dentistry a long-term investment in oral health and wellbeing.
What cosmetic dental treatment do you want to have done? Save this article for your next trip to your dentist and discuss which treatment types suit you. Because who doesn’t love a great smile and healthy teeth too!
References:
2000 Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in America. (n.d.). National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Elyaskhil, M., Shafai, N., & Mokhtar, N. (2021). Effect of malocclusion severity on oral health related quality of life in Malay adolescents. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 19(1).
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). (2020, January 16). Misaligned teeth and jaws: Overview. InformedHealth.org – NCBI Bookshelf.
Militi, A., Sicari, F., Portelli, M., Merlo, E. M., Terranova, A., Frisone, F., Nucera, R., Alibrandi, A., & Settineri, S. (2021b). Psychological and Social Effects of Oral Health and Dental Aesthetic in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: An Observational Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 9022.
Taibah, S. M., & Al-Hummayani, F. M. (2017). Effect of malocclusion on the self-esteem of adolescents. Journal of Orthodontic Science, 6(4), 123.
Venete, A., Trillo-Lumbreras, E., Prado-Gascó, V., Bellot-Arcís, C., Almerich-Silla, J. M., & Montiel, J. M. (2017). Relationship between the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics and perfectionism and self-esteem. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry, 0.
World Health Organization: WHO. (2023b). Oral health. www.who.int.
