Dental Priorities: Why Do You Need a Healthy Mouth Before Cosmetic Dentistry?

When your smile looks bad, it’s tempting to make cosmetic dentistry your first priority. That especially applies now that it’s the holiday season; you don’t want your family to see your grin’s many flaws. Still, you need to have a healthy mouth before cosmetic dentistry work starts. Treatment would lead to various long-term oral issues otherwise, putting your teeth and gums at risk. Learn more about the matter in this helpful summary from your Midland dentist!

Why Have a Healthy Mouth Before Cosmetic Dentistry?

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a beautiful smile. That said, getting cosmetic dentistry before you’ve addressed your mouth’s health isn’t wise.

Prior oral health issues often get in the way of cosmetic dental work. For example, decaying teeth and infected gums can keep treatment from having the right aesthetic results. A cosmetic procedure can also hide a health problem from view, preventing diagnosis and care until it’s too late.

Due to these truths, cosmetic dentists perform oral exams before they suggest or perform treatments. This approach lets them see if you have dental issues that’d interfere with a later procedure.

3 Health-Dependent Cosmetic Dental Options

Indeed, several cosmetic dental options cause problems when you have an unhealthy mouth. These treatments include:

Veneers

Remember: veneers correct smile flaws by covering the fronts of teeth. That being the case, they could easily hide a tooth’s cavity alongside its various cosmetic flaws. This effect could lead to a veneer falling off or being removed to treat the decay. With either outcome, you’d be forced to spend extra time and money.

Teeth Whitening

While teeth whitening is usually safe, it becomes risky when you have cavities or infections. The treatment’s bleaching agents can cause severe aches and pains in decayed areas. Plus, its brightening effect isn’t helpful if you have infected teeth at risk of falling out.

Cosmetic Dental Bonding

Like veneers, cosmetic dental bonding isn’t that helpful for decayed or infected teeth. Its tooth-colored resin could hide key signs of cavities or infections from view. If that happens, you may not notice and treat your oral problems until they’ve already caused major damage to your smile.

Tips on Managing Oral Health at Home

Thankfully, certain home habits can give you a healthy mouth before you get cosmetic dentistry. Just remember to do the following:

• For two minutes at a time, brush your teeth twice daily.
• Floss between your teeth at least once a day.
• Use a dentist-approved mouthwash.

Since you need a healthy mouth before cosmetic dentistry, don’t ignore your dental problems. Get them treated so you can start aiming for a pretty smile!

About the Author

Dr. Laura Philipps is a certified dentist based in Midland, TX, having earned her DMD at Tufts University. Her education and skills make her a preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dental work expert. For that reason, she and her team are always ready and eager to help patients’ smiles shine and thrive! Today, Dr. Philipps practices at her self-titled clinic and is reachable on her website and by phone at (432)-570-4433.