When socialising with others, do you smile with your mouth closed? It’s a common issue and can be due to smile anxiety; this is where we can help. Our dental team can make you feel better and more confident about your smile by providing focused treatment plans to relieve anxiety and improve oral health.
Common causes of smile anxiety include:
Bad Breath
Fear of having bad breath is very common, and people who suspect their breath is less than fresh will often cover their mouth with their hands or will mumble to avoid breathing too close to someone and causing offence. If you think you have bad breath, there is no need to be embarrassed as we can help you, and this problem, called halitosis, is usually easy to correct once we determine the cause. Sometimes it’s due to poor oral hygiene, an untreated dental problem, or can be a side-effect of certain medications.
Dingy Stained Teeth
If you have noticed that your teeth have gradually become yellower and stained as you get older, you are not alone, and it is a common complaint. Teeth can become discoloured because of lifestyle choices like smoking or eating and drinking highly coloured foods or acid erosion, where tooth enamel becomes thinner, letting more of the natural colour of your teeth shine through. Whatever the reason, cosmetic dentistry can help and often is as simple and affordable as whitening your teeth professionally. Other options include dental veneers to cover the front surface of badly stained teeth or dental crowns to cover teeth entirely.
Missing Teeth
A missing tooth in your smile line can be embarrassing, especially when it is right in the front of your mouth. Luckily several solutions can help restore missing teeth. Options include a dental bridge or a dental implant tooth. A dental flipper or one tooth denture can be a temporary fix while you decide how best to replace it. Usually, dental implants are the preferred choice because they are a long-term solution for tooth loss and, over the course of a lifetime, can be the cheapest option. Otherwise, a dental bridge can be a good choice if the adjacent teeth could do with covering up and protecting with dental crowns that will support the replacement tooth.
Crooked Teeth
Very few people have perfectly straight teeth; even if you wore braces during childhood, you might have seen your teeth shift with age. If you have crooked teeth and are embarrassed about your smile, modern orthodontics can help. Potential solutions include clear plastic aligners that are virtually invisible to gently yet firmly move teeth into the proper positions. Treatment may be as quick as just a few months if the problems are cosmetically oriented and only affect your front teeth. Otherwise, more complex problems affecting your bite will take a year or more to correct, but it can be well worth the effort. This is because orthodontic treatment can also be an excellent investment in your oral health, ensuring it is easy to brush and floss your teeth thoroughly, reducing your risk of dental diseases like tooth decay and gum disease.
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