I was amazed to discover how much my imperfect teeth and self-conscious smile affected me psychologically until I got them fixed the other day. Although my teeth are pretty straight and fairly white, considerable cosmetic work was needed to restore a smile I was proud to show.
Because of these cosmetic problems, I had not allowed my teeth to show when I smiled for many years. My smile was restrained, unnatural, and awkward when I tried to hide them.
When I looked at the before pictures the dental assistant had taken, I was surprised to find that my smile wasn’t as bad as I thought. Although I am diligent about my dental care—I have my teeth cleaned every four months—I never looked at them closely in the mirror. I was too bothered by the imperfections.
Once the cosmetic work was completed, my outlook, friendliness, and joy for living were instantly raised to a level I had forgotten about. I had learned to ignore the issue quite a bit. But I didn’t do a thorough job because I sometimes wake up with bad thoughts about my teeth and smile at night. I would have done it years ago if I knew how great I’d feel once they were fixed.
The cosmetic work on my teeth was accomplished with bonding over two visits. Although I would have liked to have done most of this work using veneers, as they are superior to bonding, I could not afford them now.
I’ve had several dentists give me proposals for a smile makeover over the years as I’ve moved around. I didn’t feel completely comfortable with them or their abilities, however.
I did a huge amount of online research and I got complimentary second opinions from three other dentists before I decided to go forward with the dentist who did my smile makeover. Not only is he a well-educated and highly skilled DMD, he is also easy to talk to, unhurried, genuine, friendly, and laid-back. All of these things are essential criteria for me when selecting a dentist.
If you are unhappy with your smile, I’d highly recommend that you find a skilled dentist and get it fixed as soon as possible. It changed my life. It may do the same for you. 😀