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A New Smile For a New You: Ways to Improve Your Smile With Cosmetic Dentistry

Are you concerned about not looking good while you’re living it up in the Detroit night life? Does posing for family photos illicit a cringe rather than a smile? No sense of humor on a work break when hearing a co-workers’ jokes? Maybe cosmetic dentistry is the answer to turning a wall flower back into a “people person!”

If you live in the area and are looking for a cosmetic dentist, Detroit has many available to choose from. Cosmetic dentists can work miracles on your smile with a variety of techniques. The three main types of cosmetic dentistry are whitening procedures, veneers and bonding.

Many of us have tried whitening in some form or other. There are toothpastes on the market that promise whiter, brighter teeth as well as strips and gels that you leave on for an extended period of time. Some of these home whitening products work very well, making your teeth up to four shades lighter by working to remove surface stains. If you have really dark stains from tea, soda, coffee or even from smoking a cosmetic dentist has much stronger bleaching solutions to actually change the color of your teeth, rather than working on the surfaces stains.

Veneers are thin shells of acrylic or porcelain which are cemented to the front of your tooth. If you have chips, gaps, stains or slightly crooked teeth the dentist can apply a veneer or several veneers depending on your need. These veneers will look natural and take very little getting used to. A dentist may have to reduce your tooth some before applying the veneer. This involves grinding away some of the outer enamel, so it won’t be bulky. They are more resistant to stains than bonding and while they won’t last forever you can expect about ten years of good use before you need to replace them.

If you dislike the idea of using veneers you can ask the dentist about bonding your teeth. They will use what you can imagine to be a cement like material for your teeth called ‘dental composite.’ This stuff has been used for years as a replacement for silver or gold fillings because it more closely matches the color of your teeth. That’s not the only use for dental composite though. It can be used to repair chipped or fractured teeth, fill gaps between teeth and even mask crooked teeth to give you a better smile. Where veneers are a thin shell, dental composite is a material that can be shaped and sculpted, then hardened. As a added plus when dental composites break or chip the dentist can usually repair it with more composite, rather than having to replace it.

Beyond the three procedures listed a cosmetic dentist in your area of Detroit can really provide you with a lot of options for fixing and improving that smile. All it takes is an appointment and a ready list of questions.