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Open any magazine and look at the movie stars and starlets strutting their stuff down the red carpet and what do you notice? Besides all those designer gowns and tuxes, all these stars seem to have been born with perfectly straight pearly whites. Lucky them you think, good genetics. Well, think again. With a visit to a competent cosmetic dentist you too can have a smile to rival that of Mona Lisa.

Cosmetic dentistry is following right on the heels of cosmetic surgery. Remember the make-over show ABC's Extreme Makeover, where they took a person for 30 days and did a complete make over, and I mean COMPLETE - from head to toe? What a difference the dental restorations made.

Not only is cosmetic dentistry just for the vain. It is used to treat any number of dental maladies, from rotted teeth and broken teeth to congenitally missing teeth, to large gaps and spaces in between teeth.

Various techniques are used in cosmetic dentistry. After a consultation with your dentist you will decide which one is right for you. Sometimes a combination of two is used.

The simplest and easiest way to make a dazzling change in your smile is teeth whitening. This can be done in a dental office or at home using tray based bleaching products. Bleaching done in the dental office is the quickest and most effective way to whiter teeth. Of course, depending on what type of in office whitening is used the cost can vary between $600.00 and $2000.00.

Some dentists will give patients bleaching kits to take home for self use. Usually these kits work faster than the ones bought over the counter as they contain stronger amounts of the whitening agent and the trays are custom fitted which helps to prevent gum irritation from excess whitener on the gums.

Your dentist may use porcelain veneers. These veneers are best to treat chipped, weakened or discolored teeth. The veneers are very thin shells of porcelain which are actually bonded directly to your teeth with a very strong adhesive. This can be done in a single visit and no anesthesia is required. There are several types of veneers available. Porcelain veneers will not discolor and can last ten to fifteen years. Some dentists opt for porcelain or ceramic crowns which are like the porcelain veneers but encase the entire tooth. Sometimes composite resins are used to gently reshape teeth and sometimes to add reinforcement to a weakened tooth. This is called dental bonding. This composite is matched exactly to your tooth color. Composites generally last from seven to ten years and do not discolor.