New Year resolution: Cosmetic dentistry

This New Year, we can make the same tired resolutions -- start exercising, eat better, stop smoking -- or we can make a resolution that's actually attainable: Smile more.

If those last two words send a chill up your spine, you're not alone, says Charles Martin DDS, founder of the Richmond Smile Center (http://www.cosmeticdentistryrichmond.com). People with poor oral health or badly damaged teeth are likely to consider smiling a resolution that's impossible to make. Accustomed to hiding their smiles, they know they're not making the best first impressions. Moreover, they typically don't think anything can be done to improve their teeth.

In response, Dr. Martin has resolved to get the word out about recent advances in cosmetic dentistry.

"A beautiful smile is emblematic of so much more than just teeth. It is how you see yourself and how others see you -- and treat you," Dr. Martin explained. "It also has two mega-effects that are often overlooked: how happy you are and how much other people are happy around you. When you smile you are generating physiologic changes within your body that literally make you feel happier. When you smile at the people around you, it is a signal to them that all is well, and you brighten their day."

The reverse is also true: A non-smiling face has a negative effect both on the person and those around him or her. But Dr. Martin reassures, "Fortunately, today, more than ever, we have the technology to make virtually everyone's smile an asset, not a liability."

That technology includes a wide range of options. Skilled cosmetic dentists can now perform all-ceramic restorations that reflect light in the same way as natural teeth. In addition, a better understanding of the science of color is helping cosmetic dentists give their patients more natural-looking smiles than ever before.

Today's surgical techniques also allow dentists to rebuild gums and bone, concentrate growth factors from the patient's body to increase comfort and speed healing following dental surgery, and replace missing teeth with dental implants. Some highly trained dentists now even practice speed dentistry, giving patients brand-new smiles in as little as a day instead of over weeks or months.

"As 2011 approaches, I urge anyone who is dissatisfied with their smile to consider making an appointment for a consultation with a reputable, experienced cosmetic dentist," Dr. Martin stated. "Resolve to make your best impression in the new year with a smile that exudes confidence and vitality."

SOURCE Richmond Smile Center