What Can I Do to Improve My Smile
Home > Patient Education > What Can I Do to Improve My Smile
Brightening your smile can enhance your overall appearance. Most people have at least one aspect of their smile that they would like to improve. Fortunately, many options are available to enhance a smile’s appearance — from proper maintenance to restorative and cosmetic treatments.
Hatcher Dental Studio in Phoenix and the surrounding area can help you improve your smile. Our team will help determine the right treatment to help you meet your smile goals.
A beautiful smile is not only pleasing to the eye but also has social and health benefits. Some common reasons people seek treatment to improve their smiles include issues such as gaps, chips, stains, missing teeth, and large or receding gums. Since a smile is one of the first things people see, treatments to improve the smile can help people feel more confident about their appearance.
A healthy smile can enhance people’s relationships, communication, and self-esteem. The right treatment can correct damage and help patients smile with pride. According to at least one study, happiness with one’s smile has been directly correlated with higher levels of self-confidence. No matter the dental issue, there is a treatment that can help patients achieve the smile results they want.
Restorative dental procedures are available to help repair the appearance and function of a patient’s teeth. The primary focus of restorative methods is to replace damaged or missing tooth structures. There are two types of restorative methods: direct and indirect.
Direct dental restorations involve placing a filling directly into a prepped and cleaned tooth cavity.
The creation of indirect dental restorations occurs outside of the mouth cavity to fix more severe dental damage. The common types of indirect restorative methods include veneers, dental crowns, inlays, onlays, and dental bridges. Patients should consult our dentist to learn about the available options.
When done properly, teeth whitening is a safe procedure that does not damage the tooth’s nerves or affect the enamel’s mineral content. Although it is a minimally invasive treatment, some people may experience side effects like teeth sensitivity or gum irritation. Both of these side effects should diminish over time.
Teeth whitening is not permanent. The effects vary for each person but may last anywhere between three months to three years. Patients who receive this procedure will need to receive additional treatments to whiten intrinsic and extrinsic tooth discoloration every so often.
Dental crowns may be necessary for various situations to restore tooth appearance and function after a restorative dental procedure. Crowns can protect and reinforce cracked, worn down, or broken teeth. These dental restorations can also hold a dental bridge in place, cover misshapen or discolored teeth, or support a tooth with a large filling.
Teeth whitening solution removes stains from the tooth enamel. Dental restorations such as crowns and veneers do not consist of enamel but consist of strong materials designed to be stain-resistant. Crowns and veneers do not respond to teeth whitening. However, they should not stain or require whitening in the first place.
Veneers are a versatile dental restoration that can treat many dental issues. Typically, veneers protect and improve the appearance of teeth that have chipped, cracked, minor breaks, or have thin enamel. They can also cover stained or misshapen teeth.