Do you cover your mouth with your hand when you laugh? In pictures, do you try to smile with your mouth closed? Many people do.
More than half of Americans feel insecure about their teeth, and one in two will always try to smile with their mouth closed, according to a study cited in the NY Post. Sixty-one percent of people wish they could change something about their smile, with the things people most want to change being whiteness, crookedness, receding gums, and spaces between teeth.
Thankfully, most dental problems can be prevented or fixed, especially cosmetic ones. Here’s how!
How to Get Nice Teeth That You Don’t Want to Hide
1. Maintain Great Dental Hygiene
The best way to improve the appearance of your teeth is to stick to great dental hygiene and be consistent! For how to get better teeth, the American Dental Association recommends:
- Brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
- Cleaning between teeth daily, like with floss or a waterpik
- Limiting your intake of sugary drinks and snacks
- Avoiding tobacco
- Visiting the dentist regularly for preventative check-ups
Caring for your teeth helps prevent receding gums, gingivitis, plaque formation, and cavities, all things that can damage your smile.
2. Whiten and Brighten
Let’s say you brush every day but your teeth are still yellow. You have options for improving your teeth quickly with at-home or in-office whitening treatments. We can make you custom bleaching trays to whiten your teeth at home in about two weeks, or you can stop by our office for a ZOOM whitening treatment for an instantly whiter smile. ZOOM whitening takes 1.5 hours and the results can last anywhere from one to four years. After a ZOOM treatment, we’ll send you home with bleach trays to help you maintain your bright, fabulous smile.
3. Fix Gaps Between Teeth
Talk to your dentist about veneers if you want to fill in gaps or uneven spaces between teeth. A veneer is a custom-made, wafer-thin covering that attaches to the surface of a tooth. It can be designed to fix all sorts of minor cosmetic dental issues including discoloration, chipped teeth, gaps between teeth, and uneven teeth. With veneers, you can have your smile corrected in as little as two office visits depending on the number of veneers that are being placed.
4. Replace Missing Teeth
Maybe one of your adult teeth never grew in, or you knocked a tooth out while playing sports. Or, perhaps you had an infected tooth pulled and never got around to replacing it. Whatever the case, living with a missing tooth can be both embarrassing and uncomfortable.
One of the most effective ways to replace missing teeth is with dental implants. Dental implants are surgically placed and can last a lifetime — just like your real teeth! Getting a dental implant is a three part process and typically takes five to eight months to complete. It’s the best long-term solution for replacing missing teeth.
5. Change the Shape of Your Teeth
“Genetic and environmental factors can affect the development of teeth including the size and shape. Misshapen teeth may be isolated to one tooth or may occur as part of a widespread condition throughout the mouth,” notes the American College of Prosthodontists.
Options for correcting “weird” shaped teeth depend on the location of the tooth and the overall issue but could include dental crowns or veneers. A crown is a cap that goes over a tooth while a veneer attaches to the front of a tooth.
6. Repair a Cracked Tooth
Notice lines on your teeth that don’t hurt, but look strange? These aren’t cracks. These are called craze lines. While they don’t require immediate treatment, craze lines aren’t very nice to look at. Craze lines can be taken care of with veneers or other cosmetic treatments. If your tooth is truly cracked, fractured, or split, it can be fixed with bonding, veneers, or a dental crown. Sometimes these procedures can be completed in one office visit.
7. Research Cosmetic Dentistry
With modern technology and a little planning, you can get better teeth quickly. You just need to start down the right path! Which one is right for you? Call us today and let’s talk about what you don’t like about your smile. We will put together a plan that fits your schedule, budget, and goals. You could have nicer teeth before your next vacation or big event!