Cosmetic Dentistry, most people think of make-up when they hear this word. Many others might immediately call to mind a more pleasant description of plastic surgery. But what about Cosmetic Dentistry. Sounds really glamorous, doesn’t it? It sounds… beautiful… for lack of a better word.
Cosmetic dentistry is the term used to describe work done by an orthodontist to improve the appearance of teeth, the gums, and/or the bite of a person’s mouth. As the term “cosmetic” suggests, it’s all about making sure that the aesthetic of one’s chompers looks and feels pleasing.
One of the main methods that orthodontists use to make a patient’s mouth a bit more cosmetically appealing without going through surgery is through the use of braces, which straighten and align the teeth over a period of months or years.
Braces are the most well-known form of cosmetic dentistry. They provide a non-surgical alternative to correcting a patient’s oral health, but many don’t like the thought of getting braces because of some of the negative attitudes surrounding braces.
However, one of the most popular forms of braces to come out in the last decade or so is Invisalign. Invisalign is super popular because it offers the oral health and cosmetic dentistry benefits of standard braces as well as the benefit of them not being as visible as their traditional counterparts.
Standard/traditional braces usually run a range of as little as $3,000 to as much as $10,000; they are semi-permanent and require adjustment from an orthodontist every few weeks. With Invisalign, patients wear removable trays that they exchange every two weeks for anywhere between 18 to 30 months. The cost ranges between $3,500 to $8,000 on average; while the cost can be a bit higher than traditional braces, the trade-off is that you can still do all the things you used to do and eat all of the foods you used to eat before you had to get braces.
Of course, there is a middle ground; the Damon Braces system is a self-adjusting, semi-permanent braces system available for patients in need of cosmetic dentistry. They have the look and feel of traditional braces, but they don’t need the constant attention the traditional system requires, nor does Damon Braces require the elastic bands being applied to keep the brackets and wires tight.
Damon Braces run about the same range as Invisalign, roughly $3,800 to $8,000. However, before making any decision about which system you’d prefer, speak with Amazing Smiles about your cosmetic dentistry needs as well as which system would best suit the type of oral health care your teeth require.
For more info, contact Amazing Smiles to have all of your frequently asked questions answered.