Health Concerns Can Be Corrected by a Cosmetic Dentist

As a cosmetic dentist, we understand how we can help your health and appearance at the same time. From time immemorial cosmetic dentistry has been setting the stage for the entire profession to advance. Historically, it was man's obsession with replacing teeth that lead to dental implants and dentures.  It was an obsession with whiter teeth that lead to the invention of the toothbrush, and a desire not to have dragon breath that lead to mouthwashes. Today cosmetic dentistry is viewed as a science focused primarily on the appearance of the mouth, teeth, and gums. While this certainly is true, we also perform a wealth of other procedures that directly influences how your mouth operates, and how healthy it stays. Accordingly as we get a better understanding of how the human mouth functions, more people are becoming conscious of the correlation between the cosmetic side of dentistry and its functional elements. Procedures like gingivectomies, crown placements, and bridges are all examples of cosmetic dentistry being both esthetically driven and fundamentally functional in its outlook.

Think of cosmetic dentistry in terms of a relatively common problem and procedure to correct it. A dental crown is a porcelain piece that fits over a damaged or broken tooth. The crown is designed to protect the remainder of the tooth, preventing it from further damage. When a tooth is damaged in an accident or due to decay, the crown can be used to replace the damaged enamel and provide the mouth with a functioning tooth. Naturally the crown we place in your mouth is made to look and feel like a real tooth, which is why crowns are relegated to the realm of cosmetic dentistry. Despite the fact that they are labeled as cosmetic, and some may consider these unnecessary, there are few patients in modern day America that would consider going without a replacement tooth. Imagine a world in which your child chipped off half a front tooth, and their only option was a gaping hole. This event would drastically influence their ability to bite, chew, and speak. It is in procedures like this that we start to see the overtly functional elements of cosmetic dentistry.

Another example of how a cosmetic dentist can help to maintain the overall health and wellbeing of your mouth can be found in another common condition, malocclusion. A malocclusion is more widely known as crooked teeth. It affects between 30% and 40% of the entire population. The treatment of a malocclusion and the straightening of teeth has been deemed to be a cosmetic procedure because untreated malocclusion does not pose a serious health risk to the patient nor does it affect the functionality of their mouth. What it does affect, however, is their ability to properly clean their teeth.

A mouth, typically, has some hard places that are difficult to reach with a brush. For people with crooked teeth, this problem can be greatly exasperated. When the gap between the teeth is narrowed because of an overcrowded mouth of overlapping teeth, brushing and flossing between the teeth can be nearly impossible. This inability to get all areas of the teeth clean results in a buildup of plaque in the places you cannot reach. Eventually, this bacterial buildup will result in problems that can range from small cavities to major gum diseases like gingivitis. As a cosmetic dentist, when we help to straighten a crooked tooth we are, therefore, helping to improve your oral health.