A smile says a lot about a persons personality. Its the first thing people notice about others. White, even teeth are indicators of your overall health. Many people with stained, discolored or crooked teeth are self-conscious and avoid smiling and socializing. Cosmetic Dentistry can correct these issues and give you back your self confidence.

Cosmetic Dentistry differs from traditional dentistry in how they approach oral care. Traditional dentistry treats problems such as cavities, chips, decay and gum disease. Cosmetic procedures improve the appearance of the teeth and mouth. Where as the former is a necessary, and is usually partially covered by insurance, the later is considered a vanity procedure and is usually not covered.

There are several procedures to choose from, each with different life spans that alter your appearance by varying degrees. Costs also vary significantly, according to complexity of what you have done. Four of the most popular offerings are teeth whitening, dental veneers, dental implants and smile design. Most of these are offered by traditional dentists as well as cosmetic dental specialists.

Teeth whitening is probably the most common of all the oral improvement techniques. It is also one of the most affordable. The dentist makes a silicone impression of a persons teeth that is taken home, along with the dental grade whitening gel. The mold is filled the with the gel and then worn over night, for several weeks, or until you achieve the desired effect. While this will improve the surface appearance of discolored teeth, more complex methods are needed to fix shape and structure problems.

For decades, whenever people experienced tooth loss due to trauma or gum disease, they were fitted with dentures. These are a type of oral prosthetic that fit over the gums in one large piece and have to be removed for cleaning and sleeping. Who could forget the image of Grandmas teeth in the glass by her night stand? Within the last twenty years a revolution in tooth replacement has taken place in the form of dental implants. These titanium root based forms are embedded directly into the jaw bone and a crown placed on top. They last for twenty years or longer and perform like a natural tooth. They are expensive, but worth the cost for those with significant tooth loss.

Many movie stars owe their perfect smile to veneers. These are composite or porcelain laminates laid over the tooth that even the shape, improve crookedness and eliminate gaps. Recent improvements have made veneers very popular with image conscious consumers. They make a dramatic improvement in a persons smile and last up to twelve years. They are very expensive, however, with a full set costing thousands of dollars.

The concept of custom designing a smile is fairly new. This is an all encompassing experience employing an aesthetic designs as well as practical changes. Several cosmetic procedures are employed to achieve a cohesive and symmetrical finished appearance. This is the most costly of the three methods with some procedures costing up to $50,000.

Consumers now have many choices when deciding on cosmetic dentistry. Most dentists offer affordable payment plans and access to information to help make the decision easier. In the end, the consumer has to decide what a beautiful smile is worth to them.