If
you're self-conscious about your smile, you may wonder what your
options are to improve your appearance and boost your confidence.
Whether you have stained teeth, missing teeth, or crooked teeth, you
should know that multiple solutions are available to enhance your
smile. Check out a few great alternatives to ensure you're ready to
put your best smile on display.
1.
Snap-On Teeth
When
your teeth are structurally sound, you may be hesitant to invest a
lot of time and money in your mouth solely to enhance the look of
your smile. An excellent solution that won't drain your savings is
snap-on teeth.
Snap-on
teeth are composed of thin resin that mimics the appearance of your
natural teeth. These devices fit directly on your existing teeth;
usually, they are only used on the front teeth (the teeth that appear
when you smile). You can use snap-on teeth to disguise gaps between
your teeth, camouflage uneven teeth, or make the lengths of your
teeth appear more even.
How
often you wear your snap-on teeth is up to you. You can wear them
daily, or you can save them for special events or occasions when you
really need a boost of confidence.
Your
dentist will create your snap-on teeth by taking impressions of your
existing teeth. This guarantees that they fit correctly. Your dentist
will customize the shade and look of your snap-on teeth so that they
match your existing smile.
2.
Dentures
If
you have multiple smile hang-ups throughout your mouth or are missing
some of your teeth, talk to your dentist about getting fitted for
dentures. Dentures are a mouth appliance that replace multiple teeth
to improve your smile and add structural support to the mouth. You
have a few different options when selecting your dentures.
One
option is an overdenture. This alternative doesn't require you to
have all your existing teeth extracted. Instead, this denture is
designed to rest on top of your remaining teeth. The difference
between an overdenture and a snap-on smile is that the overdenture is
intended for the whole mouth and actually replaces missing teeth.
Or
you might decide that a complete set of dentures is better for your
needs. Your dentist will have to first remove your remaining teeth.
If you decide to use immediate dentures, you will start wearing them
the same day your dentist removes your teeth. However, immediate
dentures are not a long-term solution.
They're
meant to act as your teeth while your permanent dentures are made. It
can take a few months to create your permanent dentures, and you may
not be comfortable going so long without teeth. One thing to note
about immediate dentures is that they do boost the total cost of your
dentures.
3.
Clear Braces
If
your teeth are crooked or you suffer from minor bite issues, clear
braces can straighten your smile and shift your jaw back to its
appropriate position. Perhaps you've avoided braces because you don't
want to have a mouth full of metal; clear braces consist of thin
plastic that isn't visible to other people.
You
can even remove invisible braces temporarily for a few hours if you
have a special occasion coming up where you don't want to wear your
aligner.
Should
you decide to use clear braces to straighten your teeth, your dentist
will fit you with a clear aligner that rests over the teeth. Over
time, as your teeth move, you'll receive a new, tighter aligner that
will keep repositioning the teeth. How many aligners you need depends
on the current placement of your teeth.
Tired
of feeling like you need to hide your teeth when you
smile? Call Michael
G. Landy DDS today to make an appointment to explore your options.
