Each year more and more Americans are using cosmetic surgery to help them age gracefully or to repair or change features of their bodies with which they are not completely happy. And this trend involves dental procedures as well. According to a poll conducted by the American Academy of Periodontology, among the people they surveyed, smile enhancement procedures were higher on the list of cosmetic surgery than face lifts, and actually outnumbered eyelid surgeries as well.

While removing wrinkles or smile lines can help a person look younger, studies show that over 80% of people are not happy with their smile even when their faces are “wrinkle free.” Over 50% of people surveyed commented that they “consider the smile the first facial feature they notice.” For these reasons, periodontal plastic surgery “has experienced a significant shift toward cosmetic-related surgery to enhance smiles.”

But what exactly is periodontal plastic surgery? This term actually covers a variety of procedures and processes that your dentist can use to improve your teeth and enhance your smile. Since each person’s teeth and challenges to having a perfect smile are different, the processes involved in smile enhancement will be different as well. A visit to a cosmetic dentist can provide the options that are available to help in your particular case.

Some of the processes that a dentist can use are procedures like crown lengthening where excess gum tissue can be removed so that less gum and more teeth show when you smile. And if gum recession has occurred where your gum tissue has pulled away from your teeth showing your tooth root, soft tissue grafting can be performed to correct this problem. Or if you have missing teeth along the sides or in the back of your mouth and the jawbone has collapsed, creating a depression or concavity and giving the area around your mouth a “sunken look,” a cosmetic dentist can perform ridge augmentation to fill in the areas that are collapsed, which will in effect fill in the areas of your cheeks that are currently detracting from the beauty of your face.

Unattractive teeth can also be reshaped, contoured or covered as needed to restore or improve your smile. Dental implants can be used to replace missing teeth or to secure bridges, partials or even full dentures so that artificial teeth look, act and feel just like natural teeth. If you currently have dentures and you like the way they look, but their tendency to slip or ‘click’ when you talk causes you moments of discomfort, dental implants can secure your dentures to your jawbone, taking away any possibility of either slipping or clicking. Implant supported dentures look and function just like natural teeth.

Along with the dental processes that can cover, whiten, replace or correct your teeth, cosmetic dentists can also use dermal fillers to fill in any folds or creases in the skin around your mouth to complete the framework for your beautiful smile. Because dentists are practiced in the use of local anesthesia, the process of getting dermal fillers is often less uncomfortable when performed by a dentist.

So if you are looking for cosmetic procedures that can help you look young and feel wonderful, a cosmetic dentist could have the answers you are looking for.

Author Bio: Dr. Anasinski completed her residency in Periodontics at Northwestern University and is Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds many prestigious positions such as Delegate to the Illinois State Dental Society. Visit periodonticsofniles

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: periodontics niles, cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, dermal fillers, dental plastic surgery