Are you ever “too old” to look good? The simple answer to this is “no!”
At Fort Worth Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, we believe that everyone deserves to have healthy, attractive teeth, regardless of your age.
So which procedures are appropriate for our more mature patients? It primarily depends on two things – the current state of your oral health and the specific problem you are looking to fix.
Improving Health and Aesthetics
Our priority will always be to improve the health of your teeth first and then their appearance. Fortunately, many of the cosmetic treatments we use actually do both!
For instance:
Dental implants – If you have a missing tooth or a tooth that is damaged beyond repair, your best option might be to replace that tooth with a dental implant. These lifelike restorations not only improve the appearance of your smile, but they can also improve or preserve the health of the bone in your jaw and prevent other teeth from shifting and tilting.
Orthodontics – Certain orthodontic treatments, like Invisalign, are another great cosmetic treatment that will improve the health of your smile. When teeth are crowded or crooked, brushing and flossing can be difficult and you increase your risk of developing decay or periodontal disease. Invisalign can be used at practically any age as long as your teeth and gums are in decent shape!
Crowns – For teeth that are damaged by trauma or decay or eroded by age, crowns are an aesthetic option. Better yet, our Fort Worth dental office offers CEREC crowns – made right here in our practice while you wait so you can leave your appointment with a beautiful new smile.
Dental bonding – Using the same material that we use to fill cavities, we can fill in chips and small cracks, repair erosion, and even reduce gaps between your teeth! Dental bonding is also excellent for covering small areas of discoloration or damage to the enamel.
Just Looking for Aesthetic Improvement?
If your smile is perfectly healthy but still has some aesthetic flaws that need fixing, we can discuss other treatments that are done for purely cosmetic reasons. Fort Worth dentist Dr. Green will always perform an examination before we begin any cosmetic treatment. This not only ensures that your teeth and gums are healthy enough for the treatment to be effective but also helps to make sure that you will get the best results possible.
Porcelain veneers – Veneers are a remarkable way to completely transform your smile. They can fix nearly any cosmetic problem and look completely natural. Nobody will know that there’s a secret behind your beautiful smile; they’ll just smile back in response!
Teeth whitening – Yellowing and other discolorations are an issue for virtually everybody as we age. Years of enjoying staining foods and drinks like coffee, cola, and red wine eventually take their toll. Plus, as we age, the enamel on our teeth gradually becomes thinner, allowing the yellowish dentin to show through more clearly. Teeth whitening can be done at any age to improve the appearance of your smile. Whiter teeth rejuvenate your smile and can take years off of your appearance.
When Is Cosmetic Dentistry Not Appropriate?
There are some situations where certain cosmetic procedures might not be the right fit. Your health is always our first consideration, and we also want to make sure that any investment you make in your teeth is going to pay off for you. It simply wouldn’t be right to perform a treatment knowing that it won’t last, and that’s not the way we like to work.
If you have areas of active decay or gum disease, it’s crucial that these be treated before we start looking at cosmetic procedures. We do perform all repairs and restorative treatments with an eye toward aesthetics, so if you have decay, we will fill in those areas with tooth-colored filling material, and, as noted, we can repair severely damaged teeth with beautiful ceramic crowns made right here in our office.
We may also need to address damaging habits. For instance, if you would like porcelain veneers but you have a habit of chewing your fingernails, then we may need to address this issue since this habit could cause your veneers to become damaged or even cause them to dislodge from your teeth!
If you are looking to make a cosmetic improvement to your teeth, regardless of your age, the best thing to do is to call Fort Worth Cosmetic & Family Dentistry at (817) 484-5774 and schedule a consultation with Dr. Green. She will take all factors into account – including your goals and your current state of dental health – and create a comprehensive treatment plan that will help you achieve your desires.
