Do you find yourself keeping your mouth closed when you’re smiling, or hiding your teeth behind your hand when you laugh? Don’t hide your smile – these days, your dentist has plenty of options for giving you a bright, beautiful smile you’ll love.

Whitening. No matter how straight your teeth are or how healthy your mouth is, having stained, yellow teeth isn’t doing your appearance any favours. Whitening is an easy fix. For a relatively low price and minimal time commitment, you can make a big difference in how you look and feel. A lot of my patients start off using whitening strips from the drugstore, but find that they’re not as powerful as the whitening services a dentist can provide. If you want to whiten slightly, by all means try the strips. But if you want a more dramatic result, visit your dentist for in-office or take-home whitening. In-office treatments like Zoom! only take about an hour and offer great results. Take-home kits let you whiten at home over a few weeks, for a price that’s lower than an in-office treatment.

Bonding. A budget-friendly solution for poorly shaped, badly spaced or damaged teeth, bonding can change the look of your smile for the better. Your dentist uses hard, natural-looking resin to fill in spaces, reface surfaces and repair damage, “sculpting” your teeth into a more pleasing, healthier-looking shape.

Veneers. If you have worn, chipped or unevenly spaced teeth, porcelain veneers are a great way to cover up imperfections and give you a permanent, gorgeous smile. Durable, custom-made “shells” are bonded to your natural teeth, closing up gaps, covering up stains and damaged teeth, and giving you a grin you’ll never want to hide.

Orthodontics. Guess what? Braces aren’t just for teenagers anymore. More and more adults are opting to straighten their teeth and get the smiles they’ve always wanted. And you don’t have to resort to the “train tracks” of old to get great results – these days, dentists have everything from brackets that go on the backs of your teeth to the amazing Invisalign system, which is a series of clear, removable aligners that you change every couple of weeks as your teeth gradually move into place.

Implants. If you’re missing teeth or have a full or partial denture, implants are an increasingly popular solution for permanent teeth that look and feel natural. When you get an implant, a titanium post is surgically inserted into your jawbone (it sounds far more painful than it really is – most of my patients report only minimal discomfort), and a natural-looking tooth is placed on top of the post. It looks and functions like a real tooth. Implants are also a great way to anchor dentures, making it much easier to talk and eat. The only drawback is that implants can be pricey, and aren’t usually covered by dental insurance providers. On the other hand, every patient I’ve talked to has told me the implants have been worth the cost – they consider it an investment in their own health and well-being!

So as you can see, there are cosmetic options for every requirement and every budget. Financing options are always available, too, so your ideal smile is never out of reach.

Do you have any questions about cosmetic dentistry and how it can help your smile? Please don’t hesitate to call us at 905 637-5463 (KIND) or at info@desiredsmiles.com. We’d love to hear from you.