Working With a Cosmetic Dentist You Can Do More To Improve Your Health

As a cosmetic dentist, we know that some of the work we perform is still classified as dental work that improves the appearance, or aesthetics, of a person's gums, teeth, and bite without specifically focusing on the function of the teeth themselves. As science is changing, along with it our understanding of how the human mouth functions, more people are beginning to realize that while a gap does exist between cosmetic dentistry and functional dentistry, the gap is certainly not a wide one. There is much overlap between the two.  Cosmetic dentists are involved in numerous procedures that do more than just beautify a person's smile including gingivectomies, installing of bridges, and dental crowns to name a few. Each of these has implications far beyond the esthetic. They contribute to the health, wellbeing, and functionality of the mouth in its ability to be the first step in the digestive process.

When considering cosmetic dentistry, and its ramifications on the functionality of teeth we invite our patients to consider the humble dental crown. Considered by many, including many insurance companies, to be purely cosmetic in nature the dental crown has literally bridged the gap between what looks good and a functional application. When people damage a tooth today, they no longer have to content themselves to life without a tooth or wearing a denture.
Regardless, if the damage is caused by excessive decay or an accident, a dental crown can be put in place. The crown will stop additional damage to the tooth. It will also look, act, and feel like a real tooth. This ability to replace teeth has gone a long way in improving people's quality of life after tooth loss. Since you use your teeth for a number of things from biting to enunciation, having a convenient replacement feels a lot less like the cosmetic side of cosmetic dentistry and more like a functional one.  As a cosmetic dentist, we often use dental crowns to save teeth that would have otherwise been pulled.

Another condition that is common to cosmetic dentistry is misaligned teeth. Typically misaligned teeth manifest as an overbite, underbite, crossbite, overcrowding, or having excessive spacing between the teeth. This condition is known as a malocclusion in dentistry. Malocclusion is classified as a cosmetic fix, and as such repairing a persons misaligned teeth falls to the cosmetic dentistry experts. The reason it is so important to fix your teeth if they are badly aligned is twofold. First, people who have malocclusion tend to put more pressure on their teeth, jaw, and facial muscles. This results in teeth that are slightly more fragile and tend to break, crack, or chip more easily. The second reason it is important to have your malocclusion fixed is from an oral hygiene perspective. When you have teeth that are severely misaligned, it is extremely hard to get the excellent cleaning your teeth need to stay healthy. Even when teeth are perfectly aligned, there are some hard to reach spots that your toothbrush struggles to clean. When you add in the bad spacing or overlapping teeth, it becomes virtually impossible. Unfortunately, unbrushed portions of the teeth tend to develop plaque which can turn into bacterial infections, cavities, or more serious challenges like gingivitis. As such, working with a cosmetic dentist to correct the shape of your teeth, can improve your oral health as well.

How To Make Your Teeth Whitening Treatment Last Longer

What if teeth whitening could actually help you get a leg up in the world? Many people have never really stopped to consider this question. While there is certainly a craze going on at the moment, where more and more people are trying to give themselves the perfect Hollywood smile, few have ever stopped to think about how a brighter, whiter smile can actually help them in the world. Ironically this is the question that started mankind down the road towards having whiter teeth, and while the methods of getting there may have changed we are still looking for an advantage from our looks. Teeth whitening actually can provide this, and we have the statistical data to prove it. Of course, we understand that there are those who just want to have whiter teeth, with no other factor being quite as important. We also know that there are those who don't really care about whiter teeth, but here are some interesting facts collected in a number of recent studies.

The teeth whitening studies show that an overwhelming number of women tend to judge a man based on his smile. In other words, his teeth played a critical role in determining if he was interesting. The number of women, of those surveyed, who said they judge a man based on his teeth was over 71%. In similar fashion we found that of people applying for a dream job, 58% that had whiter teeth tended to be more successful in landing that job and even more impressively 53% of people who already had a job, and whiter teeth, tended to be favored for promotions and raises. In other words, we found that statistically people prefer whiter teeth. With this in mind, it is important that you keep your teeth white between treatments, which often are at least six months apart. Given that over time the natural dyes and coloring in food will impact your teeth, here are a few basic rules to remember.

Avoid foods that stain.  One of the easiest ways to influence how long it takes for your teeth to lose that beautiful “after teeth whitening” effect is to change your diet. Too many people are in a hurry and need stimulants, which the market is happy to provide. The world is awash with tea and coffee products which not only provide the burst of energy but also have the effect of staining your teeth. Both tea and coffee, when consumed in large enough quantities, can substantially ruin the whiteness of your teeth. Another culprit is cola products, which have high doses of sugar in addition to chemical color additives which can stain your teeth. Perhaps the worst of all of these are energy drinks, whose high sugar content and coloring can do serious damage to your teeth. Not only can they undo the work of a teeth whitening procedure but they also have the cumulative effect of equivalent to having your teeth swim in a pool of sugar water. If you must use these products we would recommend rinsing your mouth on a regular basis, and immediately after consuming any significant quantity of these products, to wash away the staining agents. The longer these staining agents remain in contact with your teeth, the more damage they can do.

You should also remember to brush your teeth after meals.  Even natural, healthy foods like blueberries can stain your teeth.  By brushing with a soft toothbrush, you can remove the staining agents so that your teeth whitening procedure will have the desired effect for a longer period of time.