Our smiles are one of our most important assets. In fact, most Americans believe a smile to be an extremely important social asset. So it’s no wonder that more and more people are considering cosmetic dental procedure to give them the smile they’ve always wanted. Cosmetic dental surgery and procedures such as dental implants and teeth whitening are continuing to grow in popularity. And the best cosmetic dentists can even offer solutions for sleep apnea. Here is some information on just a few cosmetic dental procedures to help you decide if they are right for you.

Missing teeth are much less of a concern than they were just a century ago. Around the turn of the last century, most people were toothless, but today most people under the age of 65 have never even lost a tooth. While improvements in dental awareness and procedures have brought about better oral care for most of us (even providing solutions for sleep apnea), there are, unfortunately, still times when we have to worry about a missing tooth. And most Americans consider a missing tooth a medical concern as well as a cosmetic one. If you are missing a tooth, cosmetic dentists can provide you with full dental implants to make it as if you never lost that tooth in the first place.

Dental implants are an extremely authentic tooth replacement that have many benefits over traditional replacements such as dentures. When the procedure is performed by a skilled cosmetic dentist, dental implants have a 98 percent success rate. And they offer one of the most lifelike tooth replacements on the market.

One of the biggest advantages of dental implants over other tooth replacements are their aesthetics. Dental implants look and feel just like your natural teeth, with little to no discoloration. Having dental implant surgery will also restore normal oral functioning, allowing you to chew and bite as if you had never lost any teeth. And given that the look, feel, and act just like the real thing, dental implants are generally the most comfortable of tooth replacements.

But if you are a bit wary of the surgery that goes into dental implants, you might want to consider a simpler procedure such as dental veneers. Veneers offer a relatively quick and easy alternative to more involved procedures such as implants. Dental veneers are usually made of dental porcelain, the most tooth-like material on the market. Thin sheets of this porcelain are applied to the natural teeth, giving them a completely new appearance. Porcelain veneers can be used to cover stained, cracked, chipped, uneven, or misaligned teeth. They are such a popular option that in 2006 approximately 600,000 Americans had dental veneers.

So whether you’re looking to fix a cracked tooth, replace a missing tooth entirely, just cover up a stained tooth, or you’re looking for solutions for sleep apnea cosmetic dentistry can provide you with a procedure to give you a beautiful smile and a healthier life. More information like this.