Cosmetic Dental Treatment: Should You or Shouldn’t You?

Most of the time, dental treatment is a necessity. You may have a cavity that needs filling, a decayed tooth that needs Root Canal Therapy, or just cleaning and polishing of teeth.

However, there is also an entire branch of dentistry that deals with correcting or improving your oral structures purely from an aesthetic standpoint. Cosmetic dental treatment involves procedures that modify your dentition in order for it to look more pleasing or attractive.

Cosmetic procedures are not necessarily performed to correct a dental problem as such. You may have healthy teeth all round, but you can still opt for cosmetic dental treatment, in order to improve how your teeth look or change your smile.

Since cosmetic dental treatment is a purely elective procedure, the question arises: should one go for it? The answer is not so simple since it depends on a lot of factors.

Let us first understand what treatments come under cosmetic dentistry

Dental treatments mentioned below all fall under the purview of cosmetic dentistry:

• Smile designing using composite
• Smile designing using ceramic crowns or veneers
• Tooth whitening
• Aligning teeth using braces
• Closing gaps between teeth
• Modifying the gums to look more appealing
• Repositioning the lip with surgery to improve smile
• Surgically adjusting the shape or relation of your jaws

When Should You Go for Cosmetic Dental Treatment?

There is no ‘one size fits all’ type of cosmetic dental treatment. The type of cosmetic treatment you need is heavily dependent on your current condition, how it affects your smile, the long term success of treatment, your budget etc.

You can think of going for cosmetic treatment if:

Your Front Teeth Are Discoloured

If your front teeth are discoloured permanently, and the discoloration does not resolve after cleaning, then you can consider going for cosmetic treatment like ceramic veneers. Discoloured front teeth can affect your confidence when you smile, and this can have an impact when you interact with people. You may become more and more hesitant to smile. Restoration of your smile can do wonders to your self-confidence in this case.

You’re Unhappy with Your Smile

You can have perfectly white teeth and still be unhappy with your smile due to the size, shape and positioning of your front teeth. To improve your smile, you can opt for braces, veneers, or smile design.

You Want to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Working in show business requires that you look your best most of the time. And if you have the need for smile correction or improvements, you may need to get cosmetic procedures done to achieve the best possible smile.

When NOT to Get Cosmetic Dental Treatment

• If you’re perfectly happy with the way you look, cosmetic procedures may not be required.
• Try not to get any cosmetic procedures done if the actual change in your appearance would be very minor.
• Do not go for a cosmetic procedure if it requires excessive modification of your existing tooth structure. Some cosmetic procedures of teeth require that your teeth be modified too much. Ask your dentist how much modification is required on your teeth, before going for such a procedure.

Final Word

Cosmetic dental procedures, if done correctly, can provide life-changing results for the patient. The advancement in this field is so great that a complete smile makeover is possible with conservation of your existing teeth.

But whether you actually require a cosmetic procedure is down to the above factors. Talk to your dentist about the pros and cons, risk vs. reward, long term success and other factors.