Smiles are contagious. One big smile can make someone’s day. When we smile at someone, we give them something. A big smile tells others you’re happy to see them. It validates their presence and makes them feel like they matter.
Researchers have found that people who smile a lot are perceived as more attractive, friendly, competent, approachable and likable compared to non-smiling people.
There’s no ambiguity in a smile. It’s all good, right?
Not always. If you don’t like your smile, you might not smile very much. People may think you’re aloof or grumpy. In truth, you’re just embarrassed by bad teeth. Many people would rather appear unfriendly than return a smile with black, decaying teeth.
Rotting teeth and missing teeth are associated with the lower classes, poor job performance, poverty, ill-health, homelessness, violence and poor dental hygiene. Otherwise known as teeth shaming, those judgements are based solely on the condition of your teeth.
Look at movie villains. They always have bad teeth, while the hero has sparkling whites in perfect alignment. Image is everything. Studies reveal that people with good teeth are perceived more positively across the board than those with bad teeth.
You don’t have to live with bad teeth anymore. Thanks to the latest advances in Scottsdale cosmetic dentistry, you can now get a total smile makeover that will have you smiling at everyone you meet.
Regardless of what you’ve got now, a good cosmetic dentist can give you movie star teeth to rival those of Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts.
Smile makeovers can involve just one small but significant dental correction. They can also involve a complete makeover of the mouth and jaw. A smile makeover can resolve all of these problems:
Malocclusion is a bad bite. When you close your mouth, your upper and lower teeth don’t line up. You might develop an overbite or an underbite. Malocclusion is caused by teeth that are crooked, crowded or too large for your mouth.
Poorly aligned teeth can cause pain in the jaw and problems with chewing and biting. A Scottsdale orthodontist can reposition the teeth and jaw using clear aligners to align the teeth properly over time.
Braces are not a quick fix. Treatment is generally between one and three years with two years being the average. Most patients report for tightening every month.
The results are worth it.
A chipped, broken or fractured tooth should be repaired as soon as possible. Ignoring the damages can result in infection, nerve damage and chronic pain.
Early intervention corrects the problem and keeps the tooth healthy. A chipped or broken tooth that’s not repaired promptly can deteriorate over time. The injured tooth can develop new chips and cracks in the enamel.
Spaces between teeth can be caused by jawbone impairment or periodontal disease. Without enough gum tissue to hold teeth in place, they can move about in the mouth and eventually fall out. Teeth separated by gaps will shift toward each other in an attempt to correct the problem.
Orthodontic treatment or surgery may be used to draw the teeth closer together. Closing the gaps and spaces heightens the overall appeal of the mouth. If you have periodontal disease, a periodontist can provide specialized treatment to heal and restore the gums before your dentist performs other smile makeover procedures.
Professional teeth whitening might be all you need to add dazzle to your grin. Teeth whitening can remove brownish discolorations and yellow stains that can make your mouth look grungy and distasteful even after a professional cleaning.
Teeth whitening may not be enough to remove stubborn stains. In such cases, a smile makeover might involve porcelain veneers, crowns or composite bonding to cover the stained teeth. Discolored teeth can make you look older, whereas bright white teeth are associated with youth.
An accomplished family dentist will strike just the right balance between a smile that’s unnaturally white and one that looks bright, white and natural.
One missing front tooth can completely destroy an otherwise beautiful smile. Your teeth might be strong, straight and even, but a missing front tooth will spoil everything.
People who don’t know you will make unflattering assumptions about your income bracket, your employment status and your commitment to self-care. Lost teeth are bad for your bite and predispose you to getting cavities.
Many Scottsdale family dentists perform cosmetic procedures to restore missing teeth. Smile makeover options for missing teeth include partial dentures, dental implants and bridges. These treatments are all used to fashion new teeth that look entirely natural.
Upper and lower teeth that are chipped or otherwise out of alignment can be evened out with bonding. That treatment uses a tooth-colored composite resin to fill in chipped and uneven spaces.
Gummy grins can be transformed by a surgical procedure called gingivectomy. This crown-lengthening treatment removes excess gum tissue from the top of the tooth. That makes the tooth look longer and keeps the gums from taking over a smile.
A gummy grin can be corrected by reshaping and lengthening the two front teeth. That’s accomplished with bonding, porcelain veneers or gum line modification performed with a laser.
When a smile makeover is complete, all teeth should be similarly positioned, evenly white and proportionate to each other in both size and shape.
The underlying structure provided by a full set of healthy teeth can give you fuller lips, plumper cheeks and firmer skin. Oral maxillofacial surgery can transform an aging or unshapely face into a face that’s more symmetrical and youthful.
Talented, low-cost cosmetic dentists in Scottsdale can be hard to find. At Trinity Dental Care, the possibilities are endless.