Do You Need Cosmetic Dentistry?
When you visit your dentist for your biannual checkups and cleanings, they are performing preventive dentistry. Together you are working to prevent dental problems from developing such as cavities, gingivitis, and periodontal disease. There is also restorative dentistry which is used when something does develop, regardless of your hard work to prevent it, and your dentist needs to fix it by restoring your tooth with a filling, root canal, crown, bridge, or other dental treatment.
So, what exactly is cosmetic dentistry and do you need it? Cosmetic dentistry has to do mostly with “cosmetics.” The Merriam-Webster definition of cosmetic is “done or made for the sake of appearance.” Cosmetic dentistry is performed when you don’t actually need anything fixed, but you want a more esthetically pleasing smile.
The Overlap
Restorative and cosmetic dentistry can overlap and do quite often. For instance, you may have several issues going on at once such as stained teeth, missing teeth, a broken tooth, etc. In such a case your smile makeover would include teeth whitening to brighten your stained teeth; a bridge, crown, or partial denture to replace your missing teeth; and a crown to restore the broken tooth. As you can see, restorative treatments are also used for cosmetics.
At Our Office
At the dental practice of Dr. Jason Hutto, the cosmetic dental treatments we offer include: teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, and clear aligners to straighten teeth, but we also offer more than cosmetic dental treatments, we offer Botox® and Juvéderm™. Botox® is used to erase facial wrinkles, but can also be used to relieve symptoms of TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder). Juvéderm™ is a dermal filler that is used to reduce moderate to severe wrinkles in and around the lips.