Cosmetic Dentistry: The Importance Of An Early Examination

When it comes to cosmetic dentistry, we have found that most people are enthusiastic to participate and get their teeth corrected. Despite the fact that many people suffer from mild to severe dental anxiety, when it comes to seeing someone about cosmetic dentistry, most people are far less likely to be anxious. We know this has much to do with the kinds of procedures we do and the results that can be achieved. Everybody wants a brighter, straighter, and more beautiful smile, so it is much easier to come in when that is what you are volunteering for, versus getting a procedure that may be good for your teeth functionally, but has little or no impact you can actually see. Even so, there are patients who come in concerned about the overall health of their teeth and worried that their mouth may not be healthy enough for cosmetic dentistry. This is a legitimate concern. Despite the fact that cosmetic dentistry is considered to be more aesthetic-based than traditional dentistry, there is the element of a healthy mouth that all dentists take into consideration. The short answer to being ineligible for a cosmetic procedure is there really are not that many conditions that could completely rule you out for treatment. However, in order to answer questions about your own personal eligibility, we would need to have you come in for a complete and comprehensive examination.

Any patients coming in for cosmetic dentistry have the same kind of an examination. We do these because we want to make sure there are no underlying conditions that could cause your treatment to be overly complicated or your recovery time to be overly long. We examine your teeth, gums, and mouth to seek out any conditions, some of which are obvious and others that may not be as easily found, so we can treat them before proceeding to the cosmetic dentistry side of the process. The good news is that in the vast majority of cases, most conditions are simply a delay rather than a derailing of your treatment. Once we have effectively cured whatever the ailment is, we are confident going forward with the cosmetic process. This is very important because of the fact that a number of cosmetic procedures are permanent in nature, particularly considering dental implants or dental veneers, where we remove the enamel or entire teeth to do the process, which means we always want to start with a clean bill of oral health.

The two most common causes for delaying cosmetic dentistry procedures are rather common dental challenges. These are cavities and infections. In either case, we find that there is a foreign element that must be removed to protect the teeth. In the case of a cavity, which is caused by decay and oral bacteria dissolving your enamel, we have to make sure to remove the decay before correcting any cosmetic problem. In the case of an infection, it is not prudent to do any work that may lead to the spread of the infection without treating it with whatever steps are needed and a dose of antibiotics.