How Can I Improve My Smile?

A very common question that people have all the time: How can I improve my smile? So, I am going to share with you some tips for a healthy smile.

What are the main constituents of a good smile?

1. Clean teeth
2. Aligned teeth
3. Fresh breath

All the above things can be achieved within 2 appointments at California Shine Dental. The dentists at California Shine Dental are highly trained and maintain the highest skill levels with continuing education. They also have before and after photos of many patients. References are also available.

Clean teeth:

Teeth cleaning are covered by most insurances for every 6 months. This has to be used by each and every family member so that your teeth get their regular checkup. Any cavities that are detected at early stages are the easiest to fix.

The cavities are filled with porcelain and they are made to look like your other teeth. Teeth which have large cavities need a root canal. A root canal procedure at our office requires 2 visits.

The first visit is where the teeth are cut and the nerve is sealed, and then the remaining teeth are sealed with a temporary crown. The final crown is fitted at the next appointment which is within 3 weeks.

During the cleaning visit, your mouth is scanned for any possibility of oral cancer. The jaw bite is also examined.

While you’re going through the cleaning procedure, these are the things to take care of:

• Is it covered by insurance?
• Do my teeth need the deep cleaning?
• If your teeth are extra sensitive, ask for a numbing lotion. This lotion numbs your teeth for 15 minutes and it makes the procedure pain-free.
• Make sure the doctor examines your mouth to rule out oral hygiene or Cancer.

Aligned Teeth:

Many patients have teeth that are not aligned. There are teeth that are one in front of the other, or they are crooked. This can be fixed very easily by having the teeth crowned. It is again a simple procedure and kind of similar to root canals.

If the teeth are not of the same size or colour, then the problem can be fixed by porcelain veneers. Veneers are thin pieces of porcelain or plastic placed over the front teeth to change the colour or shape of your teeth.

Veneers are used on teeth with uneven surfaces or are chipped, discoloured, oddly shaped, unevenly spaced or crooked.

The other way to fix the teeth of different colour or sizes is bonding. Dental Bonding is a process of using a resin material to fill in gaps between the teeth or to change the shape of the teeth. They last for several years.

While your appointments at the dentist make sure you ask the following questions:

• How much will it cost? Even though insurance covers about 50% of the procedure, different dentists will have different quotes for the same procedure.
• What materials are being used? Some dentists use cheap materials to make the procedure cheaper. It is best to know what materials are used and compare the quotes of the different dentists for the same material.
• What will you do if I run into issues with the procedure – is the fix covered for free? And if it is free, for how many years?
• When will I need to be back for a checkup?

Teeth Whitening:

Owing to overage, coffee or tea and smoking, our teeth tend to stain and turn yellowish brown. The staining of teeth makes them look unclean as if there has been a lot of plaque covered on them. The stains can be easily be removed with teeth whitening. It is just one visit to the office and the results will make you look and feel better.

While your appointments at the dentist make sure you ask the following questions:

• How much is covered by the insurance?
• Since there are many teeth whitening techniques make sure you know which one the doctor is going to use on you.
• Gum diseases cause the gum lining of our teeth to recede and make our smile not beautiful. A prominent indicator of gum disease is usually bad breath. Gum disease is caused by bacteria built up due to plaque and hence it is essential to get the plaque removed during cleaning appointments so that the gums stay healthy.

While your appointments at the dentist make sure you ask the following questions:

• Will my insurance cover deep cleaning to remove the plaque that built up?
• What is the best and most economical way to get my gums fixed?

Dentists have different ways to fix a single problem. Work with your dentist so that you can get the best service out of your dental plan.