Popular Cosmetic Dental Treatments

For anyone, having the perfect smile can do a lot to raise their self-confidence and self-esteem. This is where cosmetic dentistry comes in. This type of dentistry involves any dental procedure that improves the look of your smile.

Common types of cosmetic dentistry

When it comes to the perfect smile, there are a number of popular treatments available for your smile makeover.

Teeth Whitening – is the most popular cosmetic treatment. Eating, drinking, smoking or poor oral hygiene can result in the staining of teeth. To remove the stains involves treatments that requires the use of bleach or use of lasers to whiten teeth and enhance the appearance of your smile.

Teeth Straightening – is another treatment that can be used to improve the appearance or function of a person’s teeth. This treatment involves applying gentle pressure to your teeth by wearing a brace. The outcome is that it moves the teeth back into the right place. There are different types of braces available. Some of these can be taken out – Invisalign for example.

Bonding – is a process to repair teeth that are broken, chipped or discoloured. It involves applying enamel-like dental compound onto the surface of the tooth which is then shaped, hardened and polished. The result is that it blends in with the rest of the tooth’s surface.

Bridges – are false teeth designed to fill in the gaps left by missing teeth. Two crowns that are on either side of the denture are used to hold it in place. Such treatment comes with risk and requires a commitment from the wearer to good oral hygiene.

Veneers – are custom-made porcelain laminates that are fused directly onto your teeth. They can help fix teeth that are chipped or discoloured. They can also contribute to straightening out teeth that are a little crooked.

Implants – are different to bridges. They replace teeth that are missing. Treatment involves surgically placing the implant in the jawbone and is permanent. Implants act as the anchor for an artificial tooth such as crowns, bridges and dentures.

What are the benefits?

Cosmetic dentistry treatments have advantages. Apart from improving self-confidence and self-esteem, other benefits include improving:

  • Appearance of teeth and gums.
  • A person’s bite.
  • Colour of teeth.
  • Shape and position of teeth.

Depending on the individual there may be other benefits that are specific to them.

What Can Be Treated with Botox?

Over the years, botox has developed into a product with a diverse range of uses. Through the good and the bad it has begun to revolutionize how we use it in our everyday lives. The list of uses is forever growing as new technologies improve each day, but the most common uses are currently for medical, research and cosmetic treatments. Although it has historically been used mostly by women, over recent years it has begun to find a home with men as well.

Botox, also know as the purified form of botulinum toxin has been known to ease the pain of chronic migraine suffers through regular injections, whether that be weekly, monthly or yearly. These types of injections are available as on option on the NHS in parts of the UK, and is offered as part of a safe and effective treatment for adult sufferers.

As well as injections in the forehead, it is also used for those who suffer from excessive sweating. It works by blocking out the signals the brain sends to the sweat glands, which balances both the problem and the condition for months at a time. These types of injections are currently used in the feet, face, armpits and forehead.

The most common use of botox is through cosmetic procedures – preventing wrinkles. It is achieved by injecting the toxin into the facial muscles (most commonly the wrinkles between the eyebrows) to paralyse them. However, results aren’t seen instantly, but they can normally be seen within 3-5 days. Many private clinics, such as NW1 Dental Care in Camden, offer botox treatments to patients.

Over recent years it has been found to minimise the look of crow’s feet and superficial wrinkles, but as something that is still new to the market, it is not yet known what the long term side effects are.

Through the use of medical and cosmetic needs the different uses all have one thing in common. The biggest benefit to the injections are that they are used to relax the muscles, whether it be facial or not, and overtime, the long term use of these injections is to prevent the muscles from repairing themselves to their original state.