One of the most important physical attributes to virtually every human being is the quality of their smile. In fact, about 75% of people feel an unattractive smile could potentially harm their chance for career success and 99.7% believe a smile is an important social asset, according to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
If you’re going to spend your time and money seeing a cosmetic dentist, chances are it has something to do with fixing, improving, or maintaining this valuable physical feature. On average, patients typically spend between $5000 and $6000 at a cosmetic dentist on procedures to improve their smile.
Here are three of the most popular dental procedures for seeing a cosmetic dentist.
- Dental Veneers: Porcelain veneers are one of the most popular ways to fix a couple of crooked or cracked teeth. Generally, veneers last between five and 10 years. After this time, the veneers would need to be replaced. One specific type of veneer are the Lumineers. The unique thing about these veneers is that they are ultra-thin (approximately 0.2 mm) and highly translucent. This allows them to replicate the natural appearance of enamel more effectively. Overall, veneer usage has increased by over 250% in the past five years.
- Teeth Whitening: Teeth whitening is probably one of the most common procedures cosmetic dentists do on a regular basis. It’s not hard to figure out why considering Americans spend approximately $1.4 billion on tooth whitening products and procedures each year. Overall, procedures for teeth whitening have increased by over 300 percent over the past five years.
- New Dentures: People usually associate dentures with elderly people, which is fair, but increasingly society is seeing more younger aged people resorting to dentures in order to fix severely damaged or unwanted teeth. If you’re already missing a few teeth to begin with, you might be better off starting fresh with fake teeth then messing around trying to repair/restore broken ones.
Having the right smile can be priceless, but getting to that point will certainly cost you. Cosmetic dentists routinely perform these procedures to do just that.
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