A Dentist Addresses a Few Common Myths About Cosmetic Dentistry

As a dentist who also does cosmetic dentistry, we often have patients who ask us pointed questions about dentistry and the cosmetic side of dentistry. This is because people believe that a family dentist is the best person to talk to about their teeth, and they are right. The reality is that there are a million different pieces of advice, information, and confusing statistics that float around on the Internet. So when you want to know something about dentistry, or any kind of dentist work, simply talk to me. As your personal dentist, I will give you scientifically factual information. Here are questions I've gotten from other patients:

As my dentist, would you recommend getting Invisalign® or braces at my age?

Typically, this is the type of question we get from patients who are not children anymore. The reason you ask this question is because many people feel like they are too old to start a cosmetic dentist procedure like straightening their teeth. The truth is that it is never too late for your dentist to give you a beautiful smile. Age may have once been a factor, but with new technology and systems that are designed with adults in mind, your dentist can actually start giving you a straighter, brighter smile at any age. All you have to do is want straighter teeth.

Haven't some dentists found that teeth whitening can ultimately mess with my enamel?

That is an interesting question for a dentist, mostly because the function of teeth whitening is to technically mess with your enamel. It is not designed to damage or cause erosion of enamel; rather, teeth whitening uses free radicals inside your enamel to make minor changes to the chemical composition and make them whiter. At the end of the day, the question people are asking is, “Is teeth whitening going to ruin my teeth in the long run?” The answer to that is an emphatic no. While teeth whitening has limitations, which we can discuss in person, the truth is that teeth whitening has no long-term effects on the enamel if you are having it done by your dentist in the safe and secure environment of our offices. The only way you could have any sensitivity with teeth whitening is if you were to do it at home, go overboard, and do it much more frequently than you should.

After cosmetic procedures, does my dentist still want to see me twice a year?

Of course I do. We want to see you coming in at least once every six months regardless of what work you have done, so we can keep an eye on your teeth. When you come in for your regular checkup, we clean your teeth so there is no plaque buildup on some of those hard-to-reach spots. We also check your teeth for possible decay, locate and correct soft spots, and generally make sure your teeth are in optimum condition. So yes, I would like to see you at least twice a year.

---