Normally the holiday season is a time for office parties, rubbing elbows with big clients, or simply planning that perfect family photo for your annual greeting cards. But aside from the outfit you’re wearing, one of the most important accessories you’ll want to show off is your smile.
Unfortunately for a lot of people, their teeth are a source of self-consciousness. It may be that you avoid smiling altogether, or even try to keep your social interactions to a minimum.
It doesn’t have to be that way. And at Eastport Dental we have a variety of affordable, fast, and proven ways to enhance the way your smile looks. Addressing minor aesthetic flaws in just one or two teeth can practically transform the way your entire smile appears to other people.
Here are just a few examples:
Professional Teeth Whitening
Lightening the color of your teeth can make your smile seem years younger. Since enamel is porous, it tends to pick up and absorb the stains from our food and drink day after day. Bleaching your teeth helps you erase those stains and lighten your enamel brighter than it was before.
Even though teeth whitening gels sold in the store may seem fairly inexpensive, they aren’t as effective as products you’ll get from a dentist. The weaker products can still whiten your teeth to an extent, but it won’t be as fast or dramatic.
Instead, the better alternative is to get whiter teeth from the get-go with one of our Mesa professional bleaching kits. Keep your trays for years and touch up whenever you need to!
Bonding for Chipped, Gapped Teeth
The tiniest of chips or gaps between your teeth can detract from your entire smile. Fortunately, there’s a fast and effective way to reshape your teeth and close in gaps: dental bonding.
Bonding uses tooth-colored composite that’s matched to the natural shade of your enamel. Instead of placing a veneer over your entire tooth and the ones next to it, bonding simply fills in the irregularity and allows our Mesa dentist to reshape that specific area. Since the material is shaped by hand and cured into place, you’ll see results on the very same day.
Cosmetic bonding is an affordable, faster alternative to crowns and veneer and works great for minor tooth discrepancies.
Replacing Outdated Dental Fillings
Amalgam (silver) fillings can last for well over a decade. If they’re there long enough, it’s possible for the material to start leaking or leeching into the tooth around it, creating what we call an “amalgam tattoo.” The dark bluish or grey hue inside of your tooth combined with the metal restorations can detract from your smile’s appearance.
Fortunately, a variety of aesthetic, durable, tooth-colored restoration options are available today. Between white fillings and ceramic crowns, our Mesa dentist can restore teeth while also complimenting their appearance. And yes, it’s possible to have your old silver fillings replaced with a more cosmetic alternative.
Adjusting the Shape or Edges of Your Teeth
Slightly uneven teeth or irregular biting edges can create an illusion of mild asymmetry. And since symmetry is an important part of aesthetics, the contours of your teeth play a crucial role.
Dental recontouring involves smoothing and adjusting irregular edges to give you a consistent, appropriate shape to each of the affected teeth. That way it fits nicely with its neighbors and doesn’t stand out from the rest. By simply addressing the edges of one atypical tooth you can essentially adjust the appearance of your entire smile.
Tooth recontouring is minimally invasive and can often be performed without any local anesthetic (numbing medication.)
Gum Recontouring
Sometimes it’s not our teeth that are irregularly shaped; it’s the gumlines. Gingival tissue (gums) may appear uneven, causing teeth to seem as if they’re lopsided or different sizes. Or perhaps there’s an excessive amount of tissues and it creates what we call a “gummy smile.” In those instances, it’s not the teeth that need attention, but your gum tissues.
A gingival recontouring procedure involves reducing the heigh of your gum tissues to create symmetrical, anatomically appropriate gumlines. The results are dramatic and completely non-invasive to your teeth. Your smile will never look the same!
Get a Custom Consultation
A beautiful smile before the holidays is possible. And it’s just one phone call away. Contact Eastport Dental in Mesa today to reserve a consultation. We’ll discuss what aspects of your smile bother you, what you want to change, and the timeline and budget that’s possible to work with. We look forward to putting a smile back on your face! Call us today to get started.
