Actually, most dentists cover this or that aspect of cosmetic dentistry along with other kinds of dentistry. For example, your local dentist will probably be an expert in tooth whitening as well as an expert in filling cavities. You can talk to your dentist about any of the particular specialties of cosmetic dentistry, and if he can't perform them himself he can at least point you in the right direction.



Cosmetic surgery deals basically with how your teeth look. Rotten teeth, gum disease, are unattractive, of course, but their appearance is secondary to the great harm they're causing you physically. Strictly cosmetic dentistry, on the other hand, is usually performed on teeth that are more or less working right. The one exception to this rule is dental implants, which are devices used by dentist to actually replace a lost tooth. The lost tooth may be a molar, which isn't visible but nevertheless is quite important to your comfort and pleasure.

1.Cosmetic dentistry can help to make your teeth whiter. Whiter teeth means a whiter smile, a whiter smile means more personal attractiveness, more personal attractiveness generally means more attraction from other people, more attraction from other people generally means higher self-esteem. The great thing about tooth whitening is that it's a relatively simple, inexpensive process, and relatively safe, too, assuming you're good at following your dentist's direction to the letter. If you are, you can have a whiter, brighter, better smile in a relatively short amount of time. Many people find this nothing short of miraculous. For a long time there was nothing you could do about discolored teeth. You could be handsome as Casanova, everyone adored you, and then you smile and suddenly they get an eyeful of corn. Poor Casanova—your fatal flaw! These days Casanova can just pop in to the local dentist and walk out a few weeks later with significantly whitened corn. So, that's one of the big benefits of cosmetic dentistry—tooth whitening.

2.Other benefits of cosmetic dentistry not only improve your looks, they improve the function of your teeth as well. Braces come to mind. Braces are a tricky thing. Everyone hates them, yet they're pretty necessary if you want straight teeth. Some people don't care whether or not they're teeth are crooked, so long as they don't hurt, so long as they chew, squash, grind, and shatter food with healthy gusto. Others, though, feel differently, and they desire nice straight teeth whether they can comfortably tear into a humongous steak or not. For these people, there are a variety of solutions. I said before that everyone hates braces, but braces technology has changed a lot over the years. It used to be that everyone had the same heavy, clumsy, unattractive lines of metal thrown over their teeth whether their case was serious or not. Nowadays, however, dentists take crooked teeth case by case and decide whether you need old-fashioned braces or whether a simpler solution will do (such as a plastic retainer that's only worn at night, for example). But even old-fashioned braces aren't as ugly and painful as they used to be.

3.Another benefit of cosmetic dentistry is one I've mentioned already, that is, tooth replacement through dental implants. But you can rebuild a tooth, too—a dentist can make a small or worn-down (front) tooth bigger and more shapely and attractive. If you want to just get rid of all of your front teeth, or at least the ones that are most visible, and start over, you can do that too. Your dentist can grind down those teeth himself and replace them with something that looks identical to a tooth only bigger, prettier, whiter, and stronger.