Leave a brilliant impression thanks to cosmetic dentistry.

You don’t get a second chance when it comes to first impressions. And nowadays, with physical attractiveness and time-pressure becoming an ever more important feature of our daily lives, it’s vital to make a positive general impression when you first meet people. Remember: you’ve only got 3 seconds to do it! Teeth play an important role in this, since they are a determining factor in what appeals to people most: a natural smile.

"Healthy self-confidence is last but not least a question of good-looking teeth," says Dr. Matthias Meier, a dentist and implantologist from Germany. This applies not only when talking but particularly when you laugh. Those who think "I hope they won't notice my teeth" in such a situation or try to cover their mouth will immediately give the impression of being self-conscious and unhappy about their appearance. What they ought to be creating is an attractive air of spontaneity, joie de vivre and self-confidence.

For a beautiful white smile and a perfect show of teeth a visit to a dentist specialising in cosmetic dentistry is often unavoidable. Those who find this too costly – optimum treatment can easily cost a five figure sum in this country – could combine a holiday to a place like Bulgaria with dental treatment in a specialist clinic. But wherever you have your teeth treated, you still have to consider your options as far as the most modern treatment is concerned.

Almost the same as your own tooth

Veneers are wafer-thin ceramic shells that are glued to the teeth with synthetic adhesive to hide discoloured or misaligned teeth, gaps and erosions. Much used in Hollywood and similar to inlays, they are extremely colourfast and will not show any more wear than natural teeth even many years after they were fitted. Nor will the high-tech ceramic material cause any allergic reactions. Clinics with modern equipment use highly effective 3-D computer tomography and CAM technology (Computer Aided Manufacturing) for veneers. Only minimum filing of the tooth surface is required so that virtually all the healthy tooth substance is preserved. However, veneers are considerably more costly than conventional crowns.

Radiantly white thanks to bleaching

Radiantly white teeth indicate health and good care. But in both smokers and tea and coffee drinkers so-called extrinsic discolouration occurs in the course of time. Extrinsic because the staining agents come from outside. Intrinsic discolouration, on the other hand, comes from within the tooth and can originate in filling materials, medication or tooth damage.

The dentist determines the type of discolouration present during a check-up and decides on an appropriate treatment method. Purely superficial contaminants can be removed with a simple polish. Healthy teeth with extrinsic or intrinsic discolouration are treated at the dental surgery with a concentrated bleaching agent. The hydrogen peroxide in the agent breaks down under the influence of a laser, producing active oxygen that dissolves the staining agents. The treatment only takes a few hours.

It becomes more complicated if a darkened tooth already has a root canal filling. In this case the tooth is first opened up. A few millimetres from the edge of an incisor, where the end of the root would previously have been, a small piece of cotton wool soaked in hydrogen peroxide, for instance, is introduced. This cotton wool stays in the tooth for some three to five days. After this time, the tooth is sealed with a matching composite synthetic filling. To avoid certain risks, bleaching at the dental surgery is preferable to home bleaching.

Enhancing your feeling of well-being: implants

The loss of teeth and their roots causes the jawbone to shrink. This affects your appearance, because it can quickly make your face look old and haggard. It can also affect your sense of taste, your chewing capability and even your speech. The situation can be remedied by dental implants, which should be made from high-quality titanium. Compared to conventional bridges these have the great advantage that no filing of the neighbouring and possibly healthy teeth is required. However, there are differences in quality. You should therefore specify implants with all-ceramic crowns, which are visually indistinguishable from natural teeth. Ceramic-veneered crowns, which are often offered as an alternative, appear artificial, because they are not translucent.

Less costly abroad

To save money on treatment, it is definitely worthwhile to have a look at what other European countries offer. Eastern Europe in particular has seen a number of entire dental clinics being set up, which offer all types of treatment in the area of cosmetic dentistry at far lower prices. The latest example is the Dentaprime Clinic in the Bulgarian holiday town of Varna. There, you can combine a relaxing stay on the Black Sea Coast with cost-effective dental treatment - at quality standards only matched by very few dental surgeries even in the U.K. So it is worth your while to look abroad, both for your wallet and your smile.

About DENTAPRIME

The DENTAPRIME Dental Clinic for implantology and cosmetic dentistry on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast is among the most modern in the whole of Europe. It combines proven quality standards with significantly lower treatment costs than in Great Britain. Its seven implantation rooms and five prosthetic rooms are equipped with the most modern medical apparatus, manufactured by world market leaders KaVo. The implant systems come from the well-known manufacturer 3I. Patients are cared for and treated by experienced and English-speaking implantologists, dental technicians and medical assistants, who have all been trained to western European standards