Cosmetic Dentistry, is it time for you?

"It's time for me!"

It seems like that I hear those four words a lot these days. Many times it is either a woman who has raised her family, and kept the home together for many years, and finally realizes that she would like to feel better about her smile, and her appearance.  Sometimes it is a man who has been working intensely at his profession for decades, and now just doesn't like the way his mouth feels or his smile looks!

What should a person do when they feel that it is their time?  I feel that the most important thing is to really start thinking of what are the most important issues they have, what bothers them the most. Here are the things I hear the most from people over 50:
   1. Tooth color. "My teeth are dark and yellow"
   2. Uneven color- many times there are crowns and tooth colored fillings that stick out, and the color is just all wrong.
   3. Wear- lots of us grind our teeth, and doing that for many years will often cause excess wear, and shortening of the front teeth, making them look too short, and the smile hardly shows unless the person pulls the lips way back, in an exaggerated smile. Often one or two teeth will be more worn than others, too.
   4. Uneven gumlines. Often, the gums may shrink back around some teeth more than others, and that makes some teeth look a lot longer than others. The eye likes things to be symmetrical and even.

Well, the next thing you do, once you know what you have issues with, is to call your local cosmetic dentist! And ask for some time to explain your issues and decide whether this office is going to be right for you! You are interviewing the dental office, in other words, because it is your choice to do that!

When you find an office where you are comfortable, your next step will be a very thorough examination, where ever single aspect of your bite (finding out why you were grinding your teeth, etc), your gum and bone conditions, the status of all the fillings and crowns, just to name a few of the things that are examined. Once that is done, it is very important that you understand all your options and to be sufficiently informed to make a decision that will make you happy for the long haul!

Having cosmetic dentistry done is much different than regular dental care,  the patient has the opportunity to get what they want to a great extent, and the best results come as part of a team effort, between the patient, the doctor and the dental team. It is a fun thing to be involved with, and so gratifying to be part of making people happy with their decision and their smile. Indeed, it was "Time for me!"