With the many advances in cosmetic dentistry, we’ve come a long way from the days of wood-carved dentures and old teeth whitening methods using highly corrosive nitric acid to an overabundance of fluoride to today’s much safer and effective practices.

If you’re embarrassed to smile because of your teeth, it can have a negative effect on your self-esteem, on the other hand, a bright and cheery smile can have the opposite effect. If you have dirty appearing or yellow teeth people may unfairly characterize you as unhygienic or assume you don’t care about your appearance. On a job interview, it can even make the difference in landing that prized position.

Often yellow teeth or even very bad teeth can occur through genetics and may not reflect your hygiene practices at all, but the sad truth is we are often judged by our appearance. Someone who has a great smile, with white, straight teeth will probably exude more confidence and be perceived as a confident, successful individual.

There is strong evidence that an attractive smile can:

• Increase self-esteem
• Result in more business opportunities
• Enhance social interactions
• Studies have shown that a white, aligned smile signals a person that is healthy, smart and financially secure

Some types of cosmetic dentistry can not only improve your looks, but can improve your health. Having crooked teeth or a misaligned jaw can lead to functional problems, and overlapping teeth are often difficult to clean which can lead to gum disease, tooth decay and even tooth loss.

There are a wide variety of options to improve your smile available today, with some including:

• Veneers, such as LUMINEERS by Cerinate. As one of the biggest breakthroughs in cosmetic dentistry, they create the smile you’ve always wanted without going through a painful experience. LUMINEERS can correct issues like stained and discolored teeth, chipped teeth, crooked or spaced teeth and give you true “Hollywood” smile.
• Whitening, such as the Sapphire Chairside Whitening System, can give you a whiter smile in just an hour.
• Dental implants are much more affordable today and are used to support restorations that resemble a tooth or a group of teeth.
• Dental bonding helps to improve the overall appearance of teeth by using a tooth-colored resin material that is hardened with a special light, ultimately bonding the material to the tooth.

With so many advancements and affordable options in cosmetic dentistry today, isn’t it time you improved your smile, and your life?