Cosmetic Dentistry: What a Cosmetic Dentist Can Offer by Meredi Wagner-Hoehn

Cosmetic dentistry focuses on improving your oral health and the aesthetics of your smile. Essentially, it takes general dentistry and adds a layer of beautification. Your cosmetic dentist not only prevents, diagnoses and treats oral decay and disease, they also use methods which result in the most aesthetically pleasing smile possible. This way, you get both the internal and the external benefits which dentistry can provide.

Here are a few areas in which your Austin cosmetic dentist can help you.

Treatments for Cosmetic Enhancement & Oral Health

Some of the treatments available at your Austin cosmetic dentistry clinic affect both your oral health and your resulting smile. A missing tooth, for example, can be debilitating for your self-esteem, as well as cause skin to sag around the cheeks and jaw. This makes tooth replacement a cosmetic procedure, as patients attempt to beautify their smile. However, a missing tooth can also cause a number of health problems. It can make it more difficult to brush surrounding teeth and gum tissue, creating gum disease and eventually further tooth loss. It can cause speech impediments. It can make it difficult to chew food, causing nutritional issues. A cosmetic dentist can offer a dental implant, a porcelain fixed bridge or a set of dentures to fill in the missing gap or gaps in your smile. In this case, the cosmetic dentist effectively treats both the health issue and the cosmetic concern.

Purely Cosmetic Treatments

Of course, a cosmetic dentist also offers a few purely cosmetic dental treatments – although almost all cosmetic dental services overlap with practical need. Teeth whitening is a classic example of specifically aesthetic dental procedures. Whether it’s an in-office treatment like Zoom!® whitening or a take-home bleaching tray, teeth whitening turns your teeth into a brighter shade of white, targeting a primarily cosmetic concern.

Giving Practical Treatments a Cosmetic Benefit

A cosmetic dentist also knows how to provide standard dental treatments with an aesthetic edge. Many teenagers require braces to properly functioning, beautifully straight set of teeth. However, those many months of metal wire lining the mouth can prove frustrating. A cosmetic dentist may suggest Invisalign® instead of the classic braces. Invisalign® is an invisible aligner which straightens and aligns the teeth into their ideal positions, just like braces, but without the aesthetic inconvenience.

If you’re interested in cosmetically enhancing your teeth while simultaneously addressing dental conditions, call Dr. Mike McCarty, DDS, today. Dr. McCarty offers free initial consultations at his convenient Austin cosmetic dentistry practice.