Cosmetic Dentistry: What It Covers and What to Expect
Most people who look into cosmetic dentistry start from something specific they don't like: a chipped front tooth, a gap that shows up in photographs, a color that has drifted over the years. Cosmetic dentistry focuses on improving the appearance of your smile (Cleveland Clinic).
Reasons a person might choose it include chipped or cracked teeth, gaps or spaces between your teeth, misaligned teeth, misshapen teeth, and tooth discoloration and staining (Cleveland Clinic).
Which concern points to which treatment is a separate question, handled in a separate article on matching the treatment to the concern.
The treatments it includes
Teeth whitening is one example. Dental bonding is another, and it can change the shape of a tooth and conceal cracks, discoloration and other imperfections. Veneers are thin shells that adhere to the front surfaces of the teeth (Cleveland Clinic).
Two more involve reshaping. Tooth contouring removes small amounts of enamel to change the shape of teeth. In gum contouring, the dentist removes excess gum tissue and reshapes the gum line (Cleveland Clinic).
Two of these have articles of their own: what veneers are and teeth whitening options.
The downsides
The first is cost. Insurance usually doesn't cover cosmetic dentistry services, because insurance companies don't consider cosmetic procedures necessary from a health standpoint (Cleveland Clinic).
The second is upkeep. You'll also need a certain level of commitment to maintain your smile, and some treatments — porcelain veneers among them — may be irreversible and require replacement every few years (Cleveland Clinic).
The information above is general, so it doesn't tell you what a particular office offers or what anything there would cost. Our office is at 147 Main St, 2nd Floor, Lodi, NJ 07644, and Dr. Steven Liao is our dentist. If you want to take a next step, start with our first-visit page.
Sources
- Cleveland Clinic. "Cosmetic Dentistry." Updated 2024-11-06. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/23914-cosmetic-dentistry
