Most Americans are greatly interested in maintaining the health of their teeth. After all, a healthy set of teeth makes for a great smile, and healthy teeth look great and are less likely to develop painful and expensive dental problems. In fact, dentistry ranks in the top 10 most trusted and ethical professions in the United States every year, and many millions of Americans regularly visit the dentist for care. This may involve routine exams and checkups, as well as cosmetic dentistry if so desired. Cosmetic dentists can whiten your teeth or realign them, or anything else needed to improve their appearance as well as function. A resident of the Washington DC area can search online for this, such as “cosmetic dentistry DC near me” or “cosmetic dentistry DC plastic retainers”. The client may refine their “cosmetic dentistry DC” search with their ZIP code or specifying their health insurance policy’s name to find an office that accepts that insurance.
Find A Cosmetic Dentist
An online search such as ‘cosmetic dentistry DC” may show some local results, and clients can refine it by specifying the type of care they must get, such as “tooth whitening” or “dental bridge implants.” The search can even be narrowed down with the client’s ZIP code if need be. Doing this will present a whole list of results, and the client may strike out dentists’ offices that are deemed too far away or those that do not accept their health insurance. The client may then visit the rest of the offices in person, and evaluate them and get a fair impression. This may involve consulting the dentists and dental assistants working there, to review their credentials, awards and recognition, and patient reviews. The client might visit a few different cosmetic dentist offices this way until they find one that suits their needs, and visit later for dental care once they become a regular patient.
What Cosmetic Dentistry Can Do
What does cosmetic dentistry entail? As mentioned earlier, tooth whitening is a popular service. Many beauty standards call for straight, white teeth, sometimes nicknamed “your pearly whites.” However, teeth may become discolored and stained from tobacco use or tartar buildup. Tartar results from too much plaque building up on the teeth from bacteria that feed on the sugars found on unbrushed teeth, and tartar is tough to remove. However, cosmetic dentists may remove it and restore a tooth’s full luster, and tooth-whitening gels and toothpaste can be bought as commercial products, and used. Many Americans report that the quality of their smile greatly affects their confidence and social prowess. Discolored teeth may be a cause of embarrassment and cause an issue with a job interview or promotion, or even dating or other social contexts.
There is also tooth straightening. Beauty standards call for teeth to be properly formed and aligned, and crooked or crowded teeth are nearly always considered unsightly. Sometimes, teeth become crowded due to a wisdom tooth emerging, or from bad thumb-sucking habits. A solution for this, aside from braces on a child’s teeth, is to have a clear plastic retainer made and fitted in. Brands such as Invisalign and others like it can offer custom-molded clear plastic retainers that will discreetly fit into the mouth and help realign teeth. Many American adults make good use of these retainers.
Cosmetic dentistry can even replace lost tooth material with artificial replicas. For example, many American dental patients opt to have crowns fitted onto their teeth. These are realistic replica tooth crowns that may fit over a worn-down or cracked tooth to restore its toughness, appearance, and shape. This may make eating and speech easier, and possibly improve that person’s smile, too.
Often, cosmetic dentistry can replace an entirely missing tooth. Adult teeth do not grow back, so realistic replicas are fitted in, such as dental crowns. If a tooth is missing, a replica, or a dental bridge, is made based on molds of the patient’s other teeth. This false tooth may be fitted into the gap, then held in place with clear plastic covers that fit over the real teeth flanking the gap. Elderly dental patients may get dentures, which can replace entire rows of teeth at a time, or even the entire mouth’s worth.