Cosmetic dentistry focuses on improving the appearance of your teeth, gums, and your bite. It can range from simple treatments like teeth whitening to more complex procedures such as orthodontics and dental implants. By improving the look and function of your teeth and gums, cosmetic dentistry can enhance your oral hygiene and even help support your overall health.
Treatment Types
Want to brighten your smile, fix a chipped tooth, or correct misaligned teeth? Cosmetic dentistry offers treatments such as:
- Teeth whitening: Remove stains and discolouration from the teeth for a whiter, brighter smile.
- Gum contouring: Involves removing or reshaping gum tissue to improve the appearance of gums and teeth for a more symmetrical and balanced appearance.
- Bonding: Uses a tooth-coloured resin to repair chipped or broken teeth.
- Veneers: Utilise thin porcelain shells placed on the front surface of the teeth to improve their appearance.
- Dental implants: A procedure that involves the placement of artificial teeth roots into the jawbone to support replacement teeth.
- Orthodontics: Involves the use of braces or clear aligners to straighten crooked or misaligned teeth.
Misaligned Teeth and Your Health
Some cosmetic dental procedures can improve the functionality of teeth and jaw by correcting alignment issues that can cause problems with bite and jaw pain. Misaligned teeth can impact your health in different ways:
- Higher risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Misaligned and crowded teeth can make it more difficult to clean your teeth properly.
- Jaw pain and headaches. Misaligned teeth can cause problems with your bite and jaw alignment, leading to jaw pain, headaches, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
- Speech difficulties. Misaligned teeth can also affect your speech, leading to low self-esteem and a lack of confidence.
- Breathing problems. Misaligned teeth can affect your jaw, which may minimise the size of your body’s airway and lead to respiratory problems like sleep apnoea.
- Dental injuries—such as chipped or broken teeth—can also be due to the lack of teeth and bite alignment, especially during sports or other physical activities.
Orthodontic treatments like braces work to straighten crooked teeth and correct bite issues, making it easier to chew and speak properly. Nowadays, clear aligners like ClearCorrect made of premium materials and customisable features for precision, comfort, and aesthetics, are easily available globally and can treat a wide variety of complex dental conditions as well. Learn more at clearcorrect.com.
If you have missing teeth, replacing them with dental implants can help prevent the remaining teeth from shifting and becoming misaligned. They help improve jaw function and provide support for the surrounding teeth and jawbone. Procedures like dental bonding and veneers work to repair damaged teeth, improving their strength and durability.
What Are the Benefits of Cosmetic Dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry has several benefits, which include improving how your teeth and gums look, feel, and function.
Enhanced self-esteem
A 2017 descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study of 301 students ages 18 to 30 found that those most affected by poor dental aesthetics had lower self-esteem. In short, dental satisfaction is shown to have a positive effect on self-esteem. Similarly, another 2017 study revealed that malocclusion (misaligned teeth) can impact self-esteem and that improving the dental appearance of misaligned teeth and bites can boost self-esteem.
Improved oral health
Cosmetic dentistry procedures such as orthodontics and implants also improve oral health by reducing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease that can eventually lead to tooth loss.
Maintaining overall health
According to the 2000 Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in America, oral infections can cause systemic infections in people with weak immune systems. Oral signs and symptoms may also be related to general health conditions. Chronic oral infections have been linked to health issues like diabetes, heart disease, and pregnancy problems. Researchers are studying to find out more about these connections.
Better and more comfortable dental function
Teeth that are damaged, misaligned, or missing can make biting, chewing, and speaking difficult and painful. Investing in cosmetic dentistry procedures can help restore proper function to your teeth and bite, preventing more serious dental problems in the future.
Improved speech
Missing or misaligned teeth can also affect speech and pronunciation, which you can improve with cosmetic dentistry.
Improved appearance
Procedures such as teeth whitening, veneers, and orthodontics can enhance the colour, shape, and alignment of your teeth, making you more confident about your smile and enhancing your self-esteem.
By enhancing both the appearance and function of teeth and gums, cosmetic dentistry can promote better oral health, improve your smile, and boost your self-confidence for a better quality of life.
Dental Health as Preventive Care
You can prevent these dental issues from worsening by fixing problems like broken, missing, and crooked teeth. Maintaining good oral hygiene and preventing future dental problems also becomes easier, making cosmetic dentistry a long-term investment in oral health and wellbeing. What cosmetic dental treatment do you want to have done? Save this article for your next trip to your dentist and discuss which treatment types suit you.
References:
Militi, A., Sicari, F., Portelli, M., Merlo, E. M., Terranova, A., Frisone, F., Nucera, R., Alibrandi, A., & Settineri, S. (2021b). Psychological and Social Effects of Oral Health and Dental Aesthetic in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: An Observational Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 9022.
Venete, A., Trillo-Lumbreras, E., Prado-Gascó, V., Bellot-Arcís, C., Almerich-Silla, J. M., & Montiel, J. M. (2017). Relationship between the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics and perfectionism and self-esteem. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry, 0.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). (2020, January 16). Misaligned teeth and jaws: Overview. InformedHealth.org – NCBI Bookshelf.
2000 Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in America. (n.d.). National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
World Health Organization: WHO. (2023b). Oral health. www.who.int.
Taibah, S. M., & Al-Hummayani, F. M. (2017). Effect of malocclusion on the self-esteem of adolescents. Journal of Orthodontic Science, 6(4), 123.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). (2020b, January 16). Misaligned teeth and jaws: Overview. InformedHealth.org – NCBI Bookshelf.
Elyaskhil, M., Shafai, N., & Mokhtar, N. (2021). Effect of malocclusion severity on oral health related quality of life in Malay adolescents. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 19(1).
