One of the first things people notice is a smile, and first impressions are important. If your teeth are crooked or discolored you may want to consider cosmetic dentistry.

These general dentistry procedures have cosmetic benefits, and may be partially covered by insurance. Your dentist and insurance determine your cost.

FILLINGS

Tooth-colored composite fillings look best towards the front of the mouth. Direct composites are pressed into the tooth and hardened with a special light. Indirect composites, which are more expensive but usually look better, are made in a lab then cemented in place.

CROWNS

Sometimes referred to as "caps," crowns are used to repair badly damaged or weakened teeth. They're available in tooth colored porcelain for front teeth and can look very natural.

TOOTH REPLACEMENTS

Missing teeth can be replaced with a bridge or dental implant. Bridges, which anchor on the nearest teeth, can be removable, which you can take out and clean, or fixed, which can only be removed by a dentist. Dental implants are fused to the jawbone, covered with porcelain, and can be almost indistinguishable from natural teeth.

ORTHODONTICS

Braces correct crooked teeth and bite problems. And the newer ceramic brackets look better than the traditional stainless steel ones. Invisalign is offered as an alternative and uses a series of clear plastic aligners to reposition teeth.

The following procedures are considered purely cosmetic and are not covered by insurance.

WHITENING

Tooth whitening, or bleaching, is widely available and affordable. Over the counter whitening kits are available for less than $50.00, but for better results you should visit a dentist.

Starting around $100.00, your dentist can create custom mouth trays to be filled with whitening agent and worn for several hours each day. It takes a couple of weeks to see improvement.

Brite-Smile and Zoom are in-office whitening products and have been advertised for as little as $299.00. In both procedures, a whitening gel is applied to the teeth and activated with a special light. The process takes between 60 and 90 minutes and results are immediate.

Teeth stained on the inside, due to a dead nerve, can also be whitened. The dentist places whitening agent inside the tooth and leaves it for several days, secured by a temporary filling. This procedure may have to be repeated to reach the desired shade.

BONDING

Teeth that are chipped, cracked, or have gaps, can be corrected with bonding. A paste of composite resin is applied, then shaped and smoothed until it matches the tooth. This service runs from about $300 per tooth and up.

RECONTOURING

For $100 to $500 each, teeth can be recontoured, or reshaped, to change their length or size. During this painless procedure, small amounts of tooth enamel are removed with a sanding disk or fine diamond burs, then polished.

VENEERS

Veneers are super thin porcelain shells permanently bonded over teeth to close gaps and cover other flaws. They come in all different shades of white and can completely change a persons smile. Prices start around $975.00 per tooth.

Ask your dentist for more information on these cosmetic dentistry procedures and start your "smile makeover" today.

Learn more about this author, Cierna Ritts.
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