Everyone wants to have a beautiful smile. But when you have teeth that are missing, crooked, stained or misshapen, your smile can feel less than beautiful. You may find yourself avoiding photos – or even worse – avoiding social situations because you don’t feel confident about your smile.

Fortunately, the smile that you have today can be changed through cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentistry is a general term for any dental procedure or a combination of dental procedures that are meant specifically to improve the appearance of your smile.

Cosmetic dentistry can improve your smile in several ways including:

• Straightening Your Teeth – To truly straighten your teeth, you will need to use either conventional braces or Invisalign aligners. If your teeth are only slightly crooked, however, it is possible to make them appear straighter through the use of veneers.
• Close Gaps Between Teeth – A small gap between your front teeth can be attractive, however, some people can be self-conscious if they have a very large gap. Procedures such as dental bonding or veneers can help to make gaps appear smaller.
• Whiten Your Smile – A whiter smile can make you appear to be years younger. Professional teeth whitening can give you a brighter and whiter smile. Dental veneers are also an option to make teeth appear whiter.
• Improve the Shape of Your Teeth – Misshapen teeth can make your smile look less attractive. For this problem, your dentist may recommend dental crowns, dental inlays or onlays, or veneers.
• Replace a missing tooth – while replacing a missing tooth is not strictly cosmetic, it will help to improve your smile – particularly if the tooth or teeth are near the front of your mouth. Options for replacing missing teeth include implants, dental crowns, bridges, and full and partial dentures. Your dentist will recommend a course of action determined by how many teeth are missing, where they are located, and your overall oral health.

Are these procedures covered by my insurance?

Procedures designed to replace and/or straighten teeth may be covered by your insurance if it can be demonstrated that they are being done for reasons other than being strictly cosmetic. Other procedures such as whitening are unlikely to be covered by insurance.

Nevertheless, the benefits you receive from having a better smile and increased confidence can be well worth it.

Contact Sunlight Dental today!

If you are unhappy with your smile, contact our office today. One of our dentists would be happy to meet with you and recommend procedures to help improve your smile.

If you are missing all of your teeth, there are several dental remedies available to replace your natural teeth. One of the best options however are full mouth implants or implant-supported full bridges or dentures.

Full mouth implants replace all of your natural teeth as well as some of the roots. Titanium  abutements or “roots” are inserted into the bone of the jaw. As the jaw heals, these titanium roots become extremely stable as they bond to the bone. Artificial teeth or crowns are then affixed to these titanium roots. In the case of full mouth implants, you will likely not have a root for every tooth, but some of your artificial teeth will likely be supported by a bridge.

The number of roots that you will need will depend on several factors. Every patient is different and your dentist will work with you to ensure that your treatment gives you the best smile possible.

Compared to conventional dentures, full mouth implants have several advantages:

• Look and feel like natural teeth

When it comes to finding a tooth replacement method that looks and feels natural, nothing beats implants. Not only do they look just like real teeth, but because they are so stable, they help you retain most of your chewing and talking ability. With conventional dentures, you may have difficulty eating certain types of food and it some cases, they can interfere with your speech.

• Help protect the bone

When you are missing teeth, the supporting bone structure begins to deteriorate or resorb.  This can happen even with traditional dentures. This can cause the jaw to have a collapsed appearance and negatively affect your smile.

With full mouth implants however, the titanium roots help to preserve the bone underneath.

• Long lasting

If cared for properly, you full mouth implants can last a very long time – maybe even a lifetime. Implants are cared for the same way that you would care for natural teeth – through regular brushing and flossing.

Contact Sunlight Dental Today

If you are missing your teeth and tired of wearing traditional dentures, then full mouth implants may be an option for you. Contact our office today for an appointment with one of our dentists.

If you’ve been in an accident or perhaps are just missing a tooth or two, your dentist may have suggested having a dental implant done. It seems like it’s straight forward enough, but do you know all the details about having a dental implant done? If this is a procedure you’re considering then here’s what you need to know about an implant.

What, exactly, is an implant?

A dental implant is, in short, a fabricated tooth that matches the shape, size and colour of your natural teeth. The implant itself is a replacement for the root, or foundation, of your tooth so that the portion of the tooth you see has something to secure to under your gums. You can have dental implants that are either permanent or removable, which your dentist can discuss the benefits of each with you to determine what’s right for you.

How are they secured?

Well, the short answer is your dentist will secure a post into your jawbone. The roots of your natural teeth go all the way down to your jaw, so it only makes sense that an implant would too. This post will be cemented in so that it can act as a really strong foundation for the tooth on top.

How long do they take to heal?

Depending on your dentist, it will probably take two trips to have a dental implant completely finished. In the first visit your dentist will prepare the space, or spaces, that will have implants in them. They will also complete the post portion of the implant, including drilling and cementing it in place. This procedure can take a couple weeks to heal as they do cut away some of your gums. Your dentist will likely want your gums to completely heal before the put the tooth portion on top of the post and make sure you didn’t have any issues with the post procedure.

If everything has healed well, your dentist will have a tooth made that looks like your other teeth, and ready to put on top of the post so you now no one would even know you were ever missing any teeth.

 What are the benefits?

If you have lost a tooth, especially one in the front of your smile, you probably feel like it’s the only thing anyone ever notices about you. An implant can help restore your confidence and make your smile perfect!

Another big benefit, especially if you’ve had dentures for the past bit is that implants make you feel like you’re using your natural teeth. They will fit better than even the best dentures because they aren’t removal and won’t shift during a meal.

Finally, other dental procedures – like crowns – require surrounding teeth to be reduced down to have crowns put on the teeth to anchor the crown or bridge in place. Implants, however, don’t affect any surrounding teeth so they actually support better oral health over time by keeping healthy teeth whole.

Implants can seem like a scary procedure, but if you’ve lost a few teeth implants are a great option to restore your chewing function and perfect your beautiful smile!