Cosmetic Dentistry 411

When people refer to the pearly white grins of the rich and famous as “million dollar smiles,” they’re only being a little facetious. After all, those perfectly aligned, brilliantly white and impeccably shaped teeth may very well have cost a lot to get that way.

The stars of the big and small screens, many leading high-octane lifestyles fueled by coffee, cigarettes and alcohol, can’t be expected to have naturally gorgeous smiles. They pay top dollar to the finest cosmetic dentists for professional tooth whitening; and considering a dazzling smile can make or break their career, the investment is typically well worth it.

But what about the rest of us regular folks? We rise early, sip lattes, and indulge in an occasional cigarette or cocktail, as well. Unfortunately, over the years, our teeth pay the price. But unlike the stars, many may not get away with deducting professional tooth whitening as a business expense.

So the demand for affordable tooth whitening for the average consumer sent the industry scrambling for solutions. The first attempt came in the form of over-the-counter tooth whitening pastes, gels, and strips. To this day, these products promise movie star whiteness but deliver B-film results at their very best. The true breakthrough for accessible tooth whitening doesn’t come from a box – it comes from technology.

The breakthrough technology is called Laser “Zoom” Bleaching and combines a topical bleaching gel along with a special light treatment that activates the whitening agent. This is the element that is missing in at-home whitening kits and provides a far more uniform and dramatic tooth whitening. San Diego’s Dr. Scott Meester and Dr. Mel Olafsen use Zoom whitening to get patients’ teeth up to 10 shades whiter in as little as an hour.

A properly trained and equipped San Diego cosmetic dentist can perform these procedures as quickly and easily as a routine checkup or cleaning. From fillings to fluoride, the field of dentistry is always evolving to better serve the masses.

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With the United States economy in such dire straits, it’s no surprise that many Americans are doing whatever they can to tighten the belt and save money where ever possible. Unfortunately, this can also mean settling for what would normally be considered a “Second Rate” alternative.

This trend seems to be holding true with the Cosmetic Dentistry field. Many Americans are finding that taking a quick trip down to Central or South America, or even heading up north to Canada, can sometimes save them hundreds or even thousands of dollars. But what price are we paying for cutting corners?

With the travel to a foreign country for the procedure itself, what becomes of after care? When we are trying to save money by visiting someone outside of the US, how do really know their experience and qualifications? With so many scary stories abounding on the internet in regards to people traveling to places like Mexico for things like breast augmentation or gastric bypass and passing away days later from improper medical practices or lack of sterility in the operating room, does a few more hundred dollars really matter in the grand scheme of things?

Personally, I would rather spend the money and save my health and peace of mind. What are your thoughts?

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Ever gone to get dental work done and felt frustration about the 4-6 hours of numbness which follows? Personally, I schedule dental appointments for the end of the day for this very reason. Its a bit inconvenient and I end up having to wait for days for an available appointment, but who wants to go back to work talking weird and drooling on themselves? Well it looks like a solution is on the horizon!

A company in San Diego, California has invented a drug called “Oraverse” which works as a vasodilator, allowing blood flow to return to the gums, lips and cheeks and allowing patients to regain feeling in as little as an hour. With so many cosmetic dentistry procedures being done under local anesthesia, a drug like Oraverse could make or break a patients decision on whether or not to have procedures done.

Personally, I love the idea of being able to have feeling back within an hour, but then again, I also like having an excuse to get off of work a little early every once in a while. No one likes the Dentist, but we sure don’t complain about the time off it requires to see them!

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Cosmetic Dentistry is constantly expanding and evolving to make dental solutions quicker, easier and more affordable. Such is the new procedure being offered by a Periodontist in New York who has begun using lasers to lighten the color of the gums.

Requiring only local anesthetic, gums cam be lightened in a single visit with minimal to no pain felt afterwards. Being that this is a relatively new cosmetic dentistry procedure, the long lasting results are theorized to be a permanent solution. Many patients are seeking this treatment, as they recognize that the gums serve as a frame for the picture your smile presents.

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All my life we have had a running joke in my family about the need for some sort of “bad breath corrective surgery.” You see, I come from a family of bad teeth, worse gums and an unreal knack for building plaque despite obsessive brushing, flossing, mouthwash rinsing, etc. Yes, I said it, my whole family has BAD BREATH! My Dad managed to fix his with an insane 2 day process of having every single one of his teeth pulled out and replaced with full dentures. Obviously he did not do this to correct his breath issue, (as I mentioned we have some really bad teeth) but it did cure it none-the-less. This got me thinking, IS there some sort of corrective surgery for halitosis?

To my utter surprise, the answer is YES! The awesome part is that even though the procedure technically falls into the “Cosmetic Dentistry” category, surgery is not really a part of the process! Using a device aptly named a “halimeter” (which is a fancy way of saying “meter that finds bad breath gas”) your dentist can  locate where your chronic bad breath problem areas are and figure out how to get rid of them.

No longer will I have to invest in pack upon pack of gum and mints! All of my hard work and dedication to keeping a tidy mouth will yield actual results once I visit my dentist to get this icky little problem nixed once and for all!

Stay tuned for future posts where I will talk about my consultation visit, the process and how effective the procedure actually was!

Have your own bad breath story, joke, etc? Post a comment here and let other halitosis suffers like myself know that we’re not alone!

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With a steady rise in the number of people visiting a cosmetic dentist, there has been more interest in the press recently regarding the phenomenon of perfectly straight, bright (almost blindingly) white teeth. This article by the BBC took a long standing stereotype, that all British people have bad teeth, and decided to find out if there is a fundamental difference in the importance of having healthy (or at least healthy looking) teeth, between Americans and the British. Turns out there that there seems to be quite a big difference, but the British are becoming more and more teeth conscious.

Before and After Example

With so many options to improve your teeth, anybody with bad teeth (British included) can now have nice straight, white teeth. Whether it be with invisalign, or porcelain veneers, you can get your teeth straightened up, and with various tooth whitening procedures available, you can get them movie star white as well.

In this day and age, there is no need to live with unhealthy looking teeth any longer. So if you are in need of some dental work, check out this cosmetic dentistry information site, to find a specialist near you.

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Finding the right cosmetic dentistry professional can be tough, especially if you live in a more rural area. If you are lucky enough to live in Los Angeles or New York, there is a wide variety of qualified dentists to choose from. However if you are looking for a dentist in Phoenix, your searching might be slightly more time consuming.

However no matter what procedure you are looking to have done, whether it be tooth whitening, a dental implant procedure, or porcelain veneers, there is always someone qualified out there who can help you out. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to find the right dentist for you.

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