What Is Cosmetic Dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry is a form of dentistry aimed at making positive changes to your teeth, gums, and smile. While these don’t cure diseases in the mouth, they can be used to boost your self-esteem and confidence to make you want to smile even more often.
Cosmetic dentistry is becoming more and more popular as people start to care more about the appearance of their smiles. There are plenty of different procedures that fall into this category that might be right for you.
Cosmetic Dental Procedures
Cosmetic procedures are often non-invasive, but they can completely brighten up your smile in multiple ways. Here are some of the most common procedures.
Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening, also known as teeth bleaching, is one of the most common cosmetic services you can get. This focuses on brightening and whitening the teeth from staining or discoloration.
Certain foods and drinks, like coffee and tea, can stain the white outer layer of the tooth known as the enamel. While these stains are sometimes permanent, tooth whitening can help to remove these stains and make the teeth look extra pearly white.
During this procedure, the teeth are coated with a whitening solution on the front surface of the tooth. This solution usually includes hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide as the agent used to remove said stains. Many whitening products also require a curing light or laser to activate the peroxide.
While there are at-home whitening kits that you can get from your local drugstore, be careful about using those. Many of these are abrasive and can wear away the protective enamel on your tooth. It’s best to get your teeth whitened by a cosmetic dental professional instead.
Veneers
Veneers are a thin shell that goes over the front portion of your tooth. They’re sort of like an adhesive shield that cements itself to the front of your tooth to minimize small chips, cracks, or discoloration. They can even be used to fill in small gaps between teeth.
Veneers can be made out of porcelain or a composite resin. Porcelain veneers tend to be longer-lasting and stain resistant, though they’re also a bit more expensive. On the other hand, composite resin veneers are more inexpensive but are a bit more prone to wear and tear.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are one of the cosmetic procedures that can double as a benefit to your overall health and wellness. These involve placing a metal rod into the gums where a tooth was extracted so that a new tooth can be placed over top.
The implanted tooth restores the appearance and function of the mouth to boost self-confidence while also ensuring that your bite and speech are not affected.
Dental Crowns
Crowns, also known as tooth caps, are made to fit over an existing tooth to restore the structure, appearance, and function of the mouth. These are usually used to help replace teeth that have been badly damaged, decayed, broken, or chipped.
Crowns are usually made out of porcelain or acrylic and should withstand the pressure of biting. They can last for a long time, especially when you take proper care of your oral health and hygiene.
Braces and Invisible Aligners
Injuries, genetics, or other factors can all cause your teeth to shift within your mouth. When this happens, you can correct the alignment with braces or invisible aligners. These work to gradually shift your teeth back into the proper position to make your smile look even better than before.
These procedures can also be used to help fix overbites or underbites, as well as help lessen jaw pain and stiffness. Invisible aligners are often preferred over braces because they can be removed and are a lot more subtle in comparison to wire braces.
Cost of Cosmetic Dental Procedures
Many cosmetic procedures are considered elective and are therefore not covered by most dental insurance plans. Since procedures like whitening can cost a national average of over $700, these procedures are largely inaccessible — even if you’re normally covered under a dental insurance plan.
But you don’t even need insurance to be able to afford the dental care you’ve been searching for. Flossy is a pay-as-you-go service where you only pay for the services you receive — at up to 50% off the national average. That means you can get teeth whitening completed through Flossy for much cheaper.
No monthly premiums, no annual fees, and no waiting period. So you can start to get the care you need right away. All of our dentists are vetted against a rigorous list of criteria, so you can have faith that you’re getting the highest quality for the lowest prices.
Find a dentist in the Tucson area today to find even more of a reason to smile.
Does Insurance Cover Cosmetic Dentistry?
Only a little over 50% of adults in the United States with private health insurance also had dental coverage within the last year. Since dental coverage is separate from primary health insurance, this leaves lots of people without access to the care they need.
As far as cosmetic procedures go, most dental plans won’t cover these, to begin with. As a rule of thumb, insurance plans will not cover elective procedures such as teeth whitening, as these are considered procedures that you want to do rather than need to do for your health.
With that said, there are some exceptions. Some dental plans will cover restorative procedures even if they fall into the category of cosmetic dentistry. This includes dental crowns, braces or aligners, and maybe even veneers as long as the procedure is being used to enhance your health or restore existing damage.
Even then, dental insurance premiums and fees might not make it worth it. Why pay for more than the services you receive? Flossy is here to change the narrative. Find a dentist in your area and get started right away.
In Conclusion
Cosmetic dentistry is a form of dentistry that focuses on creating positive changes in your mouth. Popular cosmetic procedures include teeth whitening, dental implants, dental veneers, crowns, and braces or invisible aligners.
Cosmetic procedures can boost your self-esteem and self-confidence, but they can cost a lot of money. This is especially true because most insurance companies do not cover elective procedures.
But when out-of-pocket costs become too much to bear, try Flossy to save up to 50% on common dental procedures with no annual fees, no monthly premiums, and no waiting period.
Sources:
Tooth Whitening | MouthHealthy.org
Dental implant surgery | The Mayo Clinic
Regional Variation in Private Dental Coverage and Care among Dentate Adults Aged 18-64 in the United States, 2014-2017 | CDC
