Times Have Changed for the Cosmetic Dentist

In the 1970s, a cosmetic dentist had fewer ways to treat patients.  As a result, tooth pulling was still common, and dentures were the go to solution for people that needed to replace missing teeth. In fact, most people simply expected that they would end up wearing dentures and didn’t think about alternative options.  Thankfully, the 80s brought changes in dental technology that improved everything. 

Resin cement was invented in the 1980s and made it possible for dentists to restore teeth using ceramics.  While ceramic solutions had been available for close to a hundred years, they simply weren’t as durable as silver amalgam and therefore not nearly as popular.  As much as most people want a beautiful smile, the ability to eat comfortably is still a higher priority and always has been.  Modern technology makes it possible to have both. 

When resin cement started being used by the cosmetic dentist, it opened up a world of possibilities.  This material is used to bond a ceramic crown or dental veneer to a natural tooth.  By bonding the two together, the restoration becomes incredibly strong and durable.  This is important when talking about a tooth that is used all day, every day.  The difference was so extreme that many people stopped using silver amalgam on a frequent basis and replaced the material with ceramic crowns instead. 

As all-ceramic crowns and dental veneers became widely available, many Hollywood celebrities were among the first to take advantage of it.  Now, it is expected that a star have the perfect smile.  In fact, there is a term “Hollywood Smile” because it is universally known that celebrities in the United States have a beautiful and perfect smile.  This, however, didn’t used to be commonplace.  In fact, celebrities like Tom Cruise used to have terrible looking teeth.  They were so bad that if you look at a picture from his early acting days, you wouldn’t even recognize his smile. As resin cement made it possible to permanently secure ceramic crowns and veneers to teeth, celebrities like Tom Cruise had a smile makeover.  

While more celebrities had their teeth fixed, the cosmetic dentist also started talking to patients about the options that were available.  This has led to people throughout the country having their crooked, broken, stained or damaged teeth corrected using dental crowns and veneers. These solutions have become so popular that people in other countries have come to know Americans as people with nice teeth.  Not only have these options make it possible to restore damaged and unattractive teeth but resin cement led to the invention of the dental bridge and opened the door to the possibility of having missing teeth replaced without dentures. 

It is typically impossible to have perfect looking teeth without the help of a dentist, so if you don’t love your smile, don’t feel bad.  You can have the smile that you have always wanted with help from our office.  All you need to do is schedule an appointment so that we can examine your teeth and present treatment options for correcting them.