Do you remember the television show Candid Camera? This was “reality” television before it was considered its own genre.
The show’s producers would stage odd situations in public places and then film how people would react. When people involved in the show revealed what was happening, they often spoke the show’s catchphrase, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera.”
The show was mostly harmless fun and good for light-hearted entertainment.
You may not have been asked to appear on national television, but you’ve probably had someone point a camera at you and tell you to smile. Did you grin from ear to ear, or were you embarrassed to show your teeth?
If you felt embarrassed, our team at Beaumont Family Dentistry can help at any of our three Lexington area locations.
Unhappy with your smile
It’s a bit of a contradiction to be unhappy when you smile. When people feel happy, they smile. It’s a natural reaction … unless you are embarrassed by your teeth.
It’s also more common than you might think. According to a 2012 survey by the American Association of Orthodontists, 36 percent of the people surveyed said they would have a better social life if they had a better smile.
In that same survey 48 percent of people 18 to 24 years old reported that they had “untagged” themselves in a photo posted to social media because they didn’t like their smiles.
Why do so many people dislike their smiles?
Some people are embarrassed because they have teeth that are yellow or discolored. Some people don’t like showing their smile because they have crooked teeth.
In other cases, people have lost teeth due to tooth decay, or they chipped a tooth as a result of an accident. Maybe they feel like other people are distracted by the metal fillings you got years ago.
If you are looking for how you can fix your smile, we provide a variety of cosmetic and restorative dental services. Whatever you would like to change about your teeth, we can help.
Cosmetic Dentistry
If you’ve ever been to the barber or beauty shop, you may have paged through a magazine looking for ideas for your next haircut.
What if you did the same thing for your teeth? Who has a smile that you would like to see in your mirror?
Many Hollywood stars appear to have perfect smiles — sparkling white teeth that are as straight as can be.
Believe it or not, you can have that kind of smile, too. Very few of us are born with perfect teeth, but there are many techniques for creating the beautiful smiles we want.
Here are some of the ways we can help:
• Orthodontics — Whether you are a teenager or an adult, we can provide orthodontic treatments to get your teeth looking their best. If you are concerned about wearing braces or other appliances, we also offer Invisalign, which is a system of clear plastic aligners that gently move your teeth into a straighter position
• Tooth whitening — You may be satisfied with the shape and position of your teeth, but still concerned about how yellow they are. This could come from your diet (too many sweets, coffee, tea, or soft drinks, to give a few examples), years of using tobacco, or poor oral hygiene. Regardless, our patients having choice of whitening options.
• Veneers — Have you ever seen a house with new siding? That’s pretty similar to what veneers can do. Veneers are a kind of shell that give your teeth a like-new appearance. They protect your existing teeth, but hide any discolored, chipped, or crooked teeth behind a porcelain covering.
• Crowns and bridges — If you have a chipped or decayed tooth, we can reshape the healthy parts of that tooth and cover it with a crown. We can’t promise you will feel like royalty, but you will have the appearance of a complete set of teeth. A bridge is made when two more more teeth are replaced.
• Dental implants — You might be missing a tooth completely or maybe you need a tooth pulled. In either case, a dental implant can be added in the gap where your tooth or teeth are missing. The implants can be fitted with a crown or bridge to give you the appearance of a full set of teeth.
And we can combine the services above to fix anything you would like to change about your smile.
Free consultation
You may have decided if you want to try a cosmetic procedure, but maybe you don’t know which option is best for your needs.
We can help with that, too. We offer a free cosmetic consultation. You will complete a questionnaire about your smile and discuss with your goals with one of our dentists. We can even take digital photos to show you how your smile can be different.
Please stop by any of our three offices serving Central Kentucky or call 859-223-2120 to schedule your free consultation.