We all know the importance of strong, healthy teeth. Healthy teeth improve self-confidence, and they also enable you to smile at the world, while giving the world the opportunity to smile back at you! If you have strong, healthy teeth, chances are you feel better about yourself in general. Once you consider this, there is no wonder as to why more than a billion dollars is spent annually on cosmetic dentistry. In this appearance-obsessed day and age, an attractive smile is more coveted than ever before. More and more people are seeking out dental offices to receive cosmetic dentistry treatments to establish a smile that they feel will enhance their confidence and self-esteem. If you looking to create a smile that you will truly be happy with, there are always options to consider: your dentists will be able to discuss what alternatives would work for your particular mouth. In the interim, here are five popular cosmetic dentistry treatments that many people have benefitted from.

1. Esthetic Crown Lengthening. Esthetic crown lengthening is a treatment that effectively lifts your gum line. If you have a smile that’s too “gummy”, esthetic crown lengthening increases the amount of tooth visible above the gum line. Dentists increase the gum line by either removing excess gum tissue on incisors and canines, or in some cases by removing small amounts of bone around the crowns of anterior teeth, in order to display an ideal amount of tooth structure for the anterior teeth.
2. Whitening .Teeth-whitening remains the most popular cosmetic treatment in dentistry. Smoking, diet (food stains), and trauma are the main causes of tooth discolouration. If your teeth are discoloured, then there are two main ways of whitening them: you can either choose professional in-office teeth whitening or the professional take-home teeth whitening kit (which consists of fitted trays containing teeth-whitening gels). Wear the trays as prescribed by your dentist and the results will follow.
3. Dental Implants. Missing teeth inevitably end up adversely impacting a person’s smile. If there are teeth that are now absent from your mouth, then dental implants are a great way to replace them. Dental implants are effectively titanium screws that replace the root, with either dental crowns or dentures then affixed onto them to replace the teeth that are missing.
4. Dental Veneers. Veneers are thin layers of tooth-like material—either composite or porcelain—bonded to your teeth. Composite veneers are less expensive than porcelain veneers, but porcelain veneers are more natural-looking. Veneers can be used to improve the shade or shape of a tooth, or in many cases, both.
5. White Fillings. White fillings, unlike normal silver fillings, are natural-looking and discreet means of dental restoration. In terms of direct restorations, white fillings are undoubtedly the most aesthetic.

I hope this has been informative, and I hope it’s given you a better sense of what treatments are available. These are exciting times for cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentists can now do what they never thought was possible. Just remember: no matter what issue you may feel you have with your smile, there’s probably a treatment that can make it into what you would like to see.