A New Year A New Smile
Date: January 9, 2015Category: Author: Infinity Dental Web
A new year has begun, and just like every year many people are looking for ways to make this year better than the last. One simple thing you can do is improve your smile. It has been shown that when a person meets someone new one of the first things they notice is that person’s mouth. Do they have healthy teeth? Are their teeth white? Are their teeth straight? For anyone who feels uncomfortable smiling, there is good news. Cosmetic dentists can now give anyone a great smile, and it is easier than ever before. Here are a few of the most common ways to improve your smile. These are just the basics, so remember your dentist would need to do an examination to determine what would work best for your mouth.
Porcelain Veneers: Veneers are best for people that already have a healthy mouth, but who have a few teeth that could be more uniform. The dentist goes in and removes small pieces of teeth where needed and replaces them with ceramics. A veneer usually only covers the front of a tooth, and you only get veneers on teeth that are visible. It is a cosmetic upgrade.
Invisalign: Invisalign is perfect for people who have a few teeth out of place, but want to avoid the hassle and pain of braces. Clear plastic aligners are used to gradually move your teeth into place, each set of aligners bringing your teeth a little closer to straight. After a few weeks or months, depending on how many sets of aligners your teeth require, you will get a straight new smile.
Dental Crowns: Crowns are best for people who have severe cavities, underlying tooth decay, or for someone who has a tooth that needs to be significantly reshaped. They are also used when a person has one tooth in particular that they chew heavily with. A crown will cover an entire tooth, and is usually only done in situations when people need more than just cosmetic upgrades. So if you have been neglecting going to the dentist, stop. They have seen everything and just want to help everyone find the right solution for their smile troubles.
But what makes a truly great smile?
Well, although it seems like something everyone already knows, there is still research being done to answer this question. A group of young men and women at Leeds college were asked to evaluate different smiles that had been photo shopped. In one set of pictures, a model’s teeth were yellowed, in another they were spaced apart. In a third photo they were tinted to a natural shade of white and in a fourth they were whitened to a level you can only achieve with bleaching.
So how did these smiles rank? Unsurprisingly the teeth that were yellowed received the worst results, followed by the spaced teeth. Researchers think that one of the things we find so attractive about a healthy smile is that it is a sign of a healthy person in general. So by that logic would someone with hyper-white teeth be viewed as hyper-healthy? The researchers found that no, there was no real difference between the hyper-white teeth and a natural shade of white. Just as long as the model had straight, clean, white teeth they made a great first impression.
Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.