Having your teeth repaired may present the opportunity for cosmetic dentistry

Posted on: 14 July 2016

By the time you are in your fifties, you are generally comfortable with your appearance. You have got used to your hair and your ears; and you feel comfortable with the wrinkles on your face. You are most probably also used to your teeth.

Until something happens that causes you to look at your mouth differently.

Wear and tear of old fillings presents the opportunity for cosmetic dentistry

If you are in your fifties, you probably have a number of substantial fillings in your mouth and they are likely to be silver amalgam. This is mainly because, in the 1970s and 1980s, dentistry was fairly aggressive and was about fixing the problem without really taking into account the look of the teeth. Today, people are more concerned with the look of their teeth.

If your teeth were filled rather severely when you were young, they are likely to begin giving you problems:

Fillings, or parts thereof, may fall out.
Teeth may crack and sections may even break off.
Your front teeth may chip easily.

In all these cases, you will need to visit your dentist to have the filling replaced or the tooth repaired, so that you can have the full, effective use of all your teeth. It is also, however, the opportunity for you to consider not only the function of your teeth, but their appearance and to explore the options for cosmetic dentistry.

Replace your metal fillings

Silver fillings tend to darken and even turn black over the years. It is also possible that some of the metal in the filling will leak into your teeth and cause them to darken slightly. The teeth that have been heavily filled with silver fillings may also begin to weaken and, if they have not begun to break, then this is likely to happen at some stage.

If you have a filling that has broken, you should take the opportunity to have the rest of the filling removed and replaced with a white, or porcelain, filling. This will perform the same function as your old filling, but with the added advantage of detracting less from the appearance of your teeth.

Choose crowns or caps that are whiter

If you have a tooth that is severely damaged, it may have to be replaced by a crown or a cap. These are a form of permanent false tooth and can be made whiter than your existing tooth. You should make sure that the crown is not too different from your existing teeth, though, or it will stand out and spoil the aesthetics of your smile.

For more information, contact DC Dental or a similar location.

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No one ever comes in asking to look older. When they want make an actor look old in a movie they do a few subtle things to age their face, like lighten their eyebrows and yellow up their teeth. That's because the signs of aging don't just affect your skin, they also show in your mouth. A natural bright smile leaves you looking and feeling younger. Cosmetic dentistry is a great way to naturally look younger without painful plastic surgery. If you are looking at getting some cosmetic dentistry this site has great articles about teeth whitening, veneers and other cosmetic procedures.