The holidays are one time of year when you really want your smile to shine, especially since you’re likely to be in plenty of holiday photos. If your teeth are not quite as flawless as you might like, there are cosmetic procedures beyond just teeth whitening that can help improve your smile and give you the confidence to show those pearly whites in all your family pictures. Here are four popular options that might be a good choice for you.
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- Dental BondingFor most people braces and other orthodontic procedures are reserved for severely misaligned teeth, but what happens to someone who has only minor issues, such as a small space between teeth, or teeth that are chipped in a small area, cracked, broken, or even stained? For those people, dental bonding is an ideal non-invasive option. This procedure uses a tooth-colored composite resin that blends seamlessly with the appearance of your surrounding teeth, and can fill in the gaps that might exist in your teeth. It can often be done in just a single dentist visit, and provides a durable and long-lasting solution.
- Veneers
Veneers are custom “shells” that cover the visible area on the front side of your teeth, improving their color, shape, and overall appearance. Generally veneers will last longer than dental bonding, and they can be designed to perfectly match your existing teeth so there is no noticeable difference. Plus they are usually less invasive and less expensive than crowns or bridges. Veneers are ideal for teeth that:
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- Have large spaces between them
- Are chipped or worn out
- Have unsightly stains that cannot be removed with whitening
- Are crooked or misshapen
- Crowns & Bridges
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Crowns and bridges are small caps that cover your entire tooth to restore its normal appearance and shape. They are often used for the same oral health issues as veneers, but generally a crown is a more invasive procedure and would be used in more severe cases where a veneer might not provide the desired outcome. A crown is a covering for a single tooth, while a bridge is a way to replace a missing tooth with an artificial one that is supported on one or both sides with crowns that cover the nearby teeth. Crowns and bridges can be made of many different materials, but the most common is a porcelain or ceramic material that closely resembles your other teeth.
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- Implants
Missing teeth can do more harm than just making you self-conscious about your smile—it can also negatively impact your ability to chew and swallow properly, which makes it hard to get proper nutrition, and cause you to have trouble speaking. Dental implants in Meridian, ID have become a popular procedure to replace missing teeth. They look and feel completely natural because the implant is fused with the bone, just like the roots of your natural teeth.
Before deciding on any cosmetic dental procedures in Meridian, ID, it’s a good idea to consult with your dentist and learn about all the options, then discuss which one might work best for your situation.
