They say that many times the first thing a person notices about your appearance is your shoes. But the dentists of Garden Grove’s Primary Care Dental Care beg to differ! What people really notice first is your teeth.

With this in mind, it’s only natural that some of the most common questions fielded by our patients tend to be related to cosmetic dental procedures. At least for the dental team at Primary Dental Care, some of these procedures include invisalign, crowns, and dental braces. Garden Grove isn’t much different than anywhere else in the country, so we wouldn’t be too surprised if concerns were the same elsewhere — so without further ado: learn what other patients are asking about when it comes to cosmetic dentistry in Garden Grove .

The Problem: Stained Teeth

The Solution: In-Office Teeth Whitening

“How do I get whiter teeth”. It’s a question we don’t get tired of here in our Garden Grove dental practice. Why? Because in-office teeth whitening is often one of the fastest and easiest ways to boost a patient’s confidence when it comes to their appearance. One of the most popular solutions for teeth whitening is our fast Zoom treatment, which does away with the requirement to sleep with retainers in all night. Instead, the Zoom treatment places the patient under a light, with light activated whitening gel for about two hours. This is sometimes combined with at-home whitening for severe cases, to accelerate the process, get results faster, and for monthly touch-ups.

The Problem: Chipped Tooth

The Solution: A Dental Crown

Dental crowns in our Garden Grove (and across the country) continue to be an incredibly common procedure. Why? Because accidents happen! If you have a chipped tooth, a dental crown is used to restore it to its former glory. A dental crown is an artificial “cap” typically made out of porcelain that is designed to slide over your existing tooth to make the surface smooth, durable, and natural-looking again. Dental crowns are ideal for restoring teeth that have become chipped or broken. They are also used for teeth with damage from decay that’s too large for a traditional filling.  Cared for properly, a dental crown will give your teeth the appearance you want for years to come — and fortunately, patients report that the process isn’t really painful at all.

The Problem: Misaligned teeth in Adults

Solution: Dental Braces for Adults

This is the big one. Many patients, especially adults, view dental braces as a major, life changing procedure, and they’re right! However, not in the way that they might think. With the technology available patients in 2015, it’s easier than ever to get straighter teeth without the drastic change to your appearance that can scare some patients away.

In fact, dental braces and Invisalign have become popular incredibly popular solutions in Garden Grove because of the ability to effectively straighten the teeth — while doing so conveniently (and many times — covertly).

Some of the most asked about braces in communities across the country include adult braces like lingual braces and invisalign. Garden Grove is no different! Our patients frequently inquire about the effectiveness of lingual braces and invisalign when it comes to the most common conditions treated by braces.

The Difference: Lingual Braces vs. Invisalign

Unlike traditional braces, lingual braces are installed on the back of the teeth instead of the front. For many patients, they can be a perfect solution for correcting misalignment without much visual impact at all. Consider for example the funny case of news anchor Mika Brzezinski. When the popular MSNBC host wanted to keep her new dental accessory “under wraps” in the days after receiving her braces, it wasn’t long before her co-workers heard the difference when she couldn’t pronounce a few common words. But when you watch the video, can you even see the braces? Probably not! Keep in mind, while there can be some change to your voice due to braces, this should only last for a short period of time. Before long, hardly anyone will be able to notice your new braces.

Invisalign is a little bit different, but just as common and effective. As you already know, Invisalign consists of a series of custom made aligners that gently straighten your teeth over time to create a straighter, more balanced smile.  Obviously, the benefit of Invisalign is that the retainers are virtually invisible, but it doesn’t stop there. Unlike other braces, Invisalign retainers can easily be removed to eat, drink, brush, and floss — making daily tasks and responsible oral care easier than with other straightening methods. While invisalign can take about a year, the benefit is that hardly anyone knows they’re there and there’s no need to have braces semi-permanently cemented to your mouth.

The Bottom Line

Cosmetic dentistry can truly accomplish a lot, and while these common questions might just scratch the surface we hope that they shed some light into the concerns patients like yourself might have about the appearance of your teeth.