I was riding home on the subway in New York the other day and, of course, sometimes you overhear private conversations. As I was on my way back to our dental office in TriBeCa, I overheard two women – probably around their mid-forties – talking about how they wish they could get a better smile (a “prettier” smile). The woman next to me said that it would be too costly and painful. As a dentist, I couldn’t help glancing over at her teeth while she was talking.
Although she had some visible stains on her front tooth along with an old dental crown that was visible as she spoke, that could all be cleared up with a simple cleaning, an in-office whitening, and a replacement porcelain metal free dental crown. With insurance, this would only have cost her around $1,000 and wouldn’t have been painful at all.
You see, with the latest advances in dental technology, it’s possible to fix even the most severe dental problems with quick, minimally invasive procedures. Not only that, there are plenty of options and solutions to fit different budgets and scheduling constraints.
As the new year approaches, why not make it your resolution to improve your smile? In addition to giving you a nice confidence boost, it will also make you healthier – the bacteria in your mouth can dramatically affect your overall health by spreading infections to the rest of your body through gum disease and cavities.
That being said, here are eight ways to a healthier smile this new year.
- Make an Appointment – If you haven’t visited your dentist in a while, now’s the time to do it. Many dentists – including Tribeca Advanced Dentistry in downtown New York – offer complementary consultations. By taking advantage of this, you can at least get a clear understanding of your options and the potential costs of a procedure.
- Get a Cleaning – Sometimes all you need to improve your smile is a routine cleaning. I’m always surprised at the number of patients who stay away from seeing a dentist just because they don’t notice any major dental problems. Sometimes, they think improving their smile means having a long, expensive, painful procedure done when really all it takes is a quick in-office tooth whitening. We can actually whiten your teeth by up to 8 shades in only 45 minutes by literally shining a light on you.
- Check Your Breath – Do you suffer from bad breath? Are you always carrying around breath spray, gums, mints, or those little bottles of mouth wash? If so, that bad breath could be a sign of gum disease. If left untreated, it could lead to tooth loss. The good news is that this can actually be treated by minimally invasive laser dentistry, especially if detected early.
- Are your teeth chipped or misaligned? You probably don’t need braces – Many people assume that because they have misaligned teeth or chipped teeth, that they need to invest in years of embarrassing and uncomfortable metal braces. Yet, there are actually plenty of other options such as Invisalign, porcelain veneers, and dental crowns, which are all quick, efficient ways to improve your smile.
- Consider dental implants – Dental implants aren’t as complicated as you think. In fact, an experienced dental specialist like Dr. Olga Malkin of Tribeca Advanced Dentistry can take care of you in just 20 minutes.
- Missing more than one tooth? You don’t need to replace each one individually – If you wear dentures or are missing several teeth, getting a dental implant procedure doesn’t mean having to replace every single tooth individually (which is incredibly costly). In fact, you can replace all the teeth in one jaw using only four dental implants by utilizing a relatively new procedure called “All-on-4 Implants.” Not only that, it can actually be done in a single visit.
- Dental implant and restoration surgery don’t need to involve removable dentures or costly bone grafting – If you have broken or infected teeth that need to be replaced using dental implants, you most likely won’t need to utilize removable dentures or have costly bone grafting done. Your missing or infected teeth can be replaced using fixed dental implant bridges in one day using Tribeca Advanced Dentistry’s “Teeth in a Day” technology.
- Have problems snoring? Try this – If you suffer from chronic snoring or sleep apnea, a simple night-time mouth piece can solve your problems and provide you with a more satisfying (and more silent) good night’s sleep.
If you want to turn your smile around for the new year, your first step is heading to the dentist. Ready to take the plunge? Contact Tribeca Advanced Dentistry’s downtown New York office today by clicking here.