How To Restore Your Smile's Appearance After Giving Up Smoking
Giving up smoking isn't easy, so if you've done it, you deserve plenty of praise. However, just because you've given up smoking doesn't mean that everything's back to normal. Unfortunately, smoking for the long term can do a lot of damage to your smile. However, it doesn't have to be hard to get back what you've lost. Here's how a cosmetic dentist can help you to restore the appearance of your smile.
Whitening
The first thing your dentist can do for you is to whiten your teeth. Whitening your teeth with a dentist after giving up smoking is best because they can help you to achieve the look you want more quickly than doing it at home. Plus, if any damage has been done to your teeth by the smoking that needs to be treated first, the dentist will catch that and take care of it for you. If you were to try and whiten your teeth at home with an outstanding problem, you could end up hurting your teeth or making the problem worse.
Gum Reshaping
Another option for you is gum reshaping. Smoking often causes gum disease, and if gum disease goes on for too long the gums can recede as a result. In other words, they pull away from the teeth.
Cosmetic dentists can repair this damage by performing a gum graft. Essentially, they take a small strip of tissue from the roof of your mouth and use it to extend your gums. It can dramatically improve the appearance of your smile and put the gum damage behind you.
Veneers
Last but not least, a final option for you that you can combine with the aforementioned is veneers. Dental veneers are useful for making teeth look white, but they can also help fix teeth that have become crooked due to smoking.
When people suck on something repeatedly, like a baby sucking their thumb or an adult sucking on a cigarette, it can cause the front teeth to shift around, becoming overly crowded. Veneers can reverse the appearance of this immediately, saving you the trouble of needing braces and potentially months to get your old appearance back.
Veneers are just small strips of porcelain that are attached to the front of your teeth. They're shaped like teeth, glossy, and make your teeth look perfect even when they're not. When combined with gum reshaping and whitening of the teeth that don't need veneers, you can get a stunning smile in no time with the help of a cosmetic dentist.