Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry reverses damage to teeth that are the result of a poor diet, teeth grinding, bad habits like smoking, wear-and-tear, etc.

Cosmetic dentistry helps reverse the damage to our teeth that accumulates over the years. Most of us are born with healthy, beautiful teeth. Time has a way of changing things. Over the years, our beautiful teeth start to chip, break, and become discolored. Here are some of the reasons why teeth change their appearance as time passes:

Poor Diet

There are simply too many food items that stain our teeth. Things like coffee, tea, wine, berries, and just about all food additives cause teeth to turn yellower and yellower. Consuming acidic foods like lime, lemon, and carbonated sodas is especially harmful to our teeth. They cause the teeth' enamel to wear thin, giving them a dull-looking appearance. Chewing hard objects like ice, nuts, and nails cause teeth to chip and crack. All these things add up over time to make our teeth appear worn out and give us a less appealing smile.

Teeth Grinding

Grinding our teeth is a common bad habit that many of us have to deal with. Teeth grinding is typically exacerbated by the stress of daily life. Some people clench their teeth throughout the day. Others grind their teeth when they are asleep. Teeth grinding exerts a ton of additional unwanted forces onto the teeth. This causes teeth to break and crack at an accelerated rate.

Smoking

Smoking has a huge impact on the well-being of our teeth as well as the supporting bone structure. Heavy smoking stains our teeth and makes them turn yellowish-brown. It also leads to gum disease and bone loss which leads to tooth loss over time.

Medical Issues That Affect the Mouth

A large number of medical issues adversely affect our oral health. For example, digestive issues such as acid reflux, cause damage to the teeth. Systemic diseases like diabetes can damage our gums and cause bone loss. Additionally, there are a handful of medications that lead to dry mouth as one of their side effects. These medications reduce saliva flow which significantly increases your chances of developing cavities and gum disease.

Wear and Tear

Did you know that the average person chews some 250,000 times a year? That is a lot of chewing! Those of us with a heavy bite, poor teeth relationship, and other orthodontic issues, place even more force on our teeth. These unwanted forces add up to cause destructive wear to make our teeth look old and worn out.

Missing Teeth

When you're missing one or more teeth you place additional force on the remaining teeth. The more teeth you have missing, the more force you will place onto the remaining teeth. For example, if you are missing three or four back teeth, you are nearly doubling the stress placed on your remaining teeth! This is very harmful and causes serious consequences such as tooth loss, TMJ problems, etc.

As you can see, our dietary and lifestyle choices are responsible for our teeth cracking, staining, and looking less attractive over time. This causes our smile to look worn out, yellow, and less attractive. Consequently, we find ourselves smiling less often, taking fewer photos, and possibly avoiding social interactions, simply because we don't want to show off our teeth! Fortunately, cosmetic dentistry can fix all of these problems.