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Cosmetic dentistry helps patients recover the confidence that they lost in their smile. However, many are unable to access it because the procedure costs are high, and their insurance doesn’t cover them. In those cases, finding an affordable dentist in Coral Gables seems like the only option.
Our smile plays a very important role in our self-esteem. Here are six cost-effective cosmetic dentistry procedures to help you get the smile makeover you want—without ending with a hole in your wallet.
A smile makeover is a personalized, multi-step plan designed to improve your smile. It involves combining various procedures of cosmetic and restorative dentistry to give patients the aesthetic appearance they’re looking for in their mouths.
To create a detailed dental plan, cosmetic dentists consider various aspects, like your skin tone, facial structure, hair color, tooth color, size and shape, gum tissue, lips, and more. All of these factors are taken into account to achieve an attractive, natural-looking smile.
For those who are self-conscious about their teeth and wish for a drastic change, a Smile Design is the solution. However, from the professional consultation to the series of advanced procedures you’ll need to undergo, smile makeovers can add up to a big sum of money.
That’s why many patients prefer to focus on localized but more affordable treatments.
Stains, chips, or crooked teeth can make you feel self-conscious about your smile. Luckily, there are many low-cost dentistry options that can address these issues and help you regain your confidence.
Beverages like coffee, tea, and wine, habits like smoking, and even some medicaments can create stains on your teeth and cause discoloration. When this happens, a patient's smile often becomes a source of insecurity.
Professional whitening methods such as power bleaching, sanding down stains, and ultraviolet light therapy are used to fix discolored teeth. By brightening their smile, patients achieve a more rejuvenated and vibrant appearance.
A less expensive option than professional whitening is over-the-counter (OTC) products like whitening strips, kits, and pens that use some form of peroxide to reduce stains on your teeth. You can use them at home, but these possess some added risks.
For example, misuse of whitening methods can lead to enamel erosion, sensitivity, and gum irritation, and they don’t tend to last as long as professional procedures. This is why visiting a dental office can end up being more cost-effective.
Braces are the most common treatment for correcting crooked teeth, but for patients with subtle misalignments, there are less expensive alternatives. For example, if you have only one or two teeth that need to be moved, your dentist may recommend a fixed retainer.
There are two types of retainers: permanent and removable ones.
However, these treatments should only be carried out under the close supervision of the orthodontist who prescribed them. Trying to adjust a misaligned tooth at home is not recommended.
Veneers are a very common procedure for correcting smile imperfections caused by eating disorders, smoking, and breakage. They consist of thin plastic or porcelain shells that are bonded to the surface of a tooth to correct chipped, broken, discolored, or smaller-than-average teeth.
Veneers are ordered and custom-made by a professional laboratory to match the color of your existing teeth. That’s why they’re incredibly natural-looking. Moreover, porcelain veneers can achieve an almost complete smile makeover for a lower price and a relatively long life. With proper care, this type of veneer can last up to 15-20 years.
The only downside is that maintaining excellent oral hygiene is crucial when using veneers. Otherwise, plaque can build up in the spaces between teeth, leading to tooth decay and infection.
Also known as odontoplasty, tooth contouring is a very inexpensive and fast cosmetic procedure used for fixing chipped or misshapen teeth. It involves removing small amounts of the tooth’s enamel to smooth out ridges or chips, reduce overlapping teeth, or reshape large sections of the tooth.
It can be done using a drill or laser tool, and it is painless. Moreover, reshaping can lead to better oral hygiene, as reducing overlapping teeth helps avoid plaque and tartar buildup in these areas.
However, this procedure is limited to minor corrections since removing too much enamel can weaken the teeth. Because of that, patients with a thin enamel layer may not be good candidates for it.
Inlays and onlays are custom-made dental restorations designed to replace moderate decay or damage. They are very similar to dental crowns, except that the restoration area is slightly smaller.
An inlay is inserted between the cusps, or bumps, of a tooth's chewing surface, whereas an onlay extends over one or more cusps. To create them, an impression of the tooth is taken, and then a custom-fit restoration is placed, designed to match the color of your teeth.
Inlays and onlays can be made from a variety of materials, depending on the location of the tooth, the extent of the decay, and your budget:
Propper care of inlays and onlays only requires daily brushing and flossing, as well as regular dental check-ups.
How your smile looks plays a significant role in the way you feel about yourself. Whether we do it consciously or not, smiling is an important part of social interactions, and lacking confidence in it can seriously hamper your relationships.
Crooked teeth, stains, or misalignments can make you reluctant to show off your pearly whites, making you look less friendly to others. However, you're not the only one. According to the American Academy of Orthodontists (AAO), more than one-third of American adults feel unhappy with their smile.
36% of them believe that having better teeth would result in a better social life. Furthermore, young adults are especially susceptible to feeling insecure, with 48% of Americans between 18 and 24 years old admitting to having untagged a photo of themselves on Facebook because they disliked their smile.
All of this prevents people from experiencing many of the benefits of smiling, like:
As you can see, smiling can lead to real improvements in your overall health.
Being confident in your smile is an important aspect of your oral condition—and your entire body’s overall health. However, insurance companies don’t tend to see it that way. Many providers don’t consider cosmetic procedures a health issue and are less willing to cover them.
That’s why seeking other affordable options is crucial. At Coral Gables Dentistry, we believe that patients who love their smiles will take proper care of them, so we’re always trying to provide accessible options for every patient.
If you want to hear what we can do for you, give us a call! Please note that the costs provided here are national averages and that each smile and treatment is unique. For an exact cost, please visit our office for a consultation.
We value your time, so we always run on schedule, respecting your commitments, with no double bookings and minimal wait times. Experience dentistry like never before in our award-winning clinic.
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