Your New Year Smile Plan
01/10/2008
By Dr. Steven Goldy
The New Year is now well under way. Many Americans take stock of their lives at this time of year and make plans to improve their looks, their health and their lifestyle. A smile makeover can improve all of these areas.
The looks part is obvious. A new smile can really make a difference. Your smile is the first thing that people notice and leaves the most lasting impression.
In many cases the reason your smile needs a makeover may be affecting your health. Damaged and discolored teeth often have an underlying health cause and misaligned and decayed teeth are known to contribute to a number of health problems from migraine headaches to heart problems. Very recent studies have uncovered new and important relationships between your teeth and your overall health.
A new smile can also have impact on your lifestyle. Studies show that people with an attractive smile feel better about themselves, do better at work, make friends more easily and have better relationships. So a smile makeover could be just the investment you need to fulfill all your New Year resolutions.
A smile makeover refers to any combination of cosmetic dental procedures that enhances the beauty and appearance of the smile, correcting almost any problem:
· crooked teeth can be straightened (or appear straighter)
· chipped, broken teeth can be repaired
· missing teeth can be replaced
· gaps between teeth can be closed
· gummy smiles can be recontoured
· stained, discolored teeth can be whitened
Smile makeovers typically use porcelain veneers, porcelain crowns, porcelain inlays/onlays, implants and bridgework. Veneers are thin shells of fired porcelain that are placed on the front surfaces of the teeth. Offering a natural look and feel, veneers allow the cosmetic dentist to dramatically change the length, width, color and shape of a tooth. Restoring teeth to their natural beauty, veneers also resist staining, creating an enduring white, bright straight smile.
There is a relatively new type of porcelain crown that has a zirconium core underneath to improve the strength when compared to a typical all porcelain crown. This “Lava” crown has become very popular amongst today’s astute cosmetic dentist.
The use of implants to replace missing teeth has risen in popularity in the last decade. They have now become “state of the art” and are the first choice in replacing missing teeth. With advances in bone augmentation and soft tissue procedures, cosmetic dentists can recreate the natural contour of the gum tissue (which is often lost from an extraction) along with the placement of a completely lifelike restoration to achieve a dramatic improvement in even the most badly damaged dentition.
With digital imaging procedures; you can preview your new smile before any work is actually started.
Visit our office in Beverly Hills to give you back you back the smile you once had, or give you the smile you never dreamed was possible.
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