10 Reasons to Invest in Cosmetic Dentistry

DDS Group is a Wall Street dentist––we treat patients every day who earn their livelihoods dealing with investments. Sometimes, though, the hardest investment to make is an investment in yourself. That’s why so many of our patients take years to finally get the cosmetic dental treatments they’ve been wanting. You may be reluctant to incur the expense, but we want to tell you - you’re worth it. If that’s not enough to persuade you, here are some reasons you should invest in cosmetic dentistry.

Unfortunately, stained and yellowing teeth are a normal part of the aging process. As we get older, our teeth slowly darken, changing from a pearly shade of white to a more dingy yellow. If you can’t go a day without a cup of coffee (or two…or three) and like to unwind at the end of the day with a glass of red wine at dinner, that can compound the matter. Even things out of our control, like the amount of fluoride we were exposed to as a child when our adult teeth were forming in our mouths, can stain teeth.

We offer two simple solutions for teeth with stains. The first is teeth whitening treatments with a bleaching agent. Our in-office teeth whitening system is much stronger than what you can buy over-the-counter at drugstores or on the internet and the results are faster and more dramatic. When only a small number of teeth are stained or if bleaching is not an option, we provide microabrasion, a procedure in which we remove a thin layer of tooth enamel, revealing the whiter enamel underneath.

Many patients struggle with the decision to pursue Invisalign treatment. “I’ve gone this long with crooked teeth––I’d like straighter teeth, but does it really matter at this point?” 

Here’s why it matters: teeth that are misaligned almost always cause bite issues. Very rarely does a patient present with teeth that are crowded or crooked and also have a flawless bite. You may not even realize the issues that an over-bite, under-bite, or cross-bite is causing you. Headaches, TMJ pain, and teeth that wear down unevenly are all symptoms of a misaligned bite, or malocclusion. You may breathe through your mouth instead of your nose, you may often bite your tongue or cheeks when eating, and your bite may even impact the overall shape of your face.

When you straighten your teeth, either with Invisalign or, in some cases, by getting veneers, you’re also eliminating malocclusion and the problems it creates.

Do you feel like your front teeth are too big compared to the rest of your teeth? Or maybe a nighttime jaw clenching habit has resulted in teeth that are short and unnaturally flat at the bottom? There are so many reasons why you might be unhappy with the shape of your teeth. Other than the aforementioned teeth grinding scenario, teeth shape is largely determined by genetics. 

Whether you feel like your teeth are too wide or too narrow; too short or too long, there’s always a solution. We can reshape your teeth by shaving them down if you feel they’re too long. Bonding can close spaces between teeth or add length to teeth that are shorter than you’d like. When you’re unhappy with all of the teeth that show when you smile, veneers are a great solution––they fit over your natural teeth, allowing us to start with a clean slate, so to speak, and create a smile to your exact specifications.

Cosmetic procedures often overlap with restorative dentistry. You may want a crown to replace that chipped tooth you’re self-conscious about, but it also protects your tooth from further damage and improves your bite. A dentist could recommend dental implants to help preserve the integrity of your jaw, but you might be more excited by the prospect of replacing missing teeth and restoring the appearance of your smile.

Because of this overlap, you may be surprised to find that some of the cosmetic treatments you’re considering are actually covered by your dental insurance plan too. Crowns and bridges are routinely covered by dental insurance, and even dental implants may be covered under certain circumstances.

When a tooth chips or cracks, it can make you feel embarrassed to smile. Luckily, fixing chipped teeth is fast, easy, and simple.

We use a procedure called cosmetic bonding to replace the missing piece of the tooth with a tooth-colored composite resin. We carefully shape the bonding material to make it appear completely natural––dentistry is truly an art and a science!––and then cure it with an ultraviolet light. No one will ever realize that your tooth isn’t 100% your own. When damage is significant, another solution is to apply a veneer to the chipped or cracked tooth.

When you’re missing a tooth that’s visible when you smile, you want to replace it right away to restore your appearance. When it’s a tooth in back…well, no one will see it, do you really need to replace it? 

Yes, you do. You should at the very least restore the visible portion of the tooth in order to maintain your ability to bite and chew. Getting a dental implant is an even better decision, though––implants replace the tooth both above and below the gumline, which helps prevent bone loss in the jaw. 

Replacing missing teeth is one of those cosmetic procedures we mentioned above where the benefits are not just aesthetic, but also functional.

Procedures like dental veneers and implants can be costly, but even affordable treatments like teeth whitening and cosmetic bonding can make a dramatic difference in your smile. You might not have a big budget, but you can still get a smile makeover that will wow everyone who knows you.

Many of our patients also use FSA or HSA funds towards the cost of their cosmetic dental treatments. We offer corporate rate and preferred rate plans to help you save on all of our dental services as well.

Uneven teeth aren’t just an aesthetic issue––they can cause malocclusion too. When teeth are all different lengths, it can make the mouth look disjointed, and it can also impact how you bite and chew food.

Solutions for uneven teeth include shaving them down to a uniform size, building them up via cosmetic bonding to make them match, using a combination of both of these procedures, or creating a completely new smile using dental veneers.

When our patients are proud of their smiles, it carries over into their oral health routines too. They floss a little bit better, brush a little bit longer––it’s only natural that after investing time and money into a beautiful smile, you’ll want to do everything you can to maintain it. 

There are other ways in which cosmetic dentistry can be a boost to your overall oral health. Teeth that are straightened with Invisalign can be easier to floss and brush thoroughly when they’re no longer crowded and overlapping. Going to the dentist more regularly means we have the opportunity to identify and treat potential problems earlier, when treatment is easier and less expensive.

We hear from our patients time and time again: they’ve been wanting to do this for years, but they just never got around to it. Does that sound familiar? We tell ourselves we’ll do it when things settle down with work, when we finish paying for braces for our kids––there’s always something that takes priority. 

It’s time to make yourself the priority. You deserve to have a smile that you can feel proud of; to laugh without covering your teeth with your hand. Wouldn’t it be nice not to feel a sense of dread every time someone wants to take your picture? It’s time to smile like you mean it––not with tight, closed lips, but a big, beaming, joyful smile. It’s not over-stating it to say that cosmetic dentistry can be a truly transformational experience.

If you’ve lived for years, decades, or even your whole life feeling embarrassed by your smile, it’s time to get that burden off your shoulders and move forward. Our entire team is here to support you through the process.

At DDS Group, we offer comprehensive dental care at our financial district office, from general dentistry to periodontics and cosmetic dentistry. If you’d like to learn more about the various cosmetic dental treatments we offer or make an appointment to see one of our dentists for a consultation, contact us at 212-269-6655.