By adulthood, many Americans have developed a firm avoidance policy to all things dentist. Likely, their family dentist will be unceremoniously blamed, and the nice man who gave out small toys instead of candy will forever be remembered as a slightly nefarious character. Upon reaching adulthood, the only real dental care plan is to never need to go. Unfortunately, the demand for cosmetic dentistry arises from unplanned events, and off-color, crooked teeth and a missing incisor force most people to start researching cosmetic dentistry options.

• Perfect, white teeth matter in America. For proof, either glance at the products sold in a grocery store hygiene aisle, or simply consider that 88% of orthodontists, whose job it is to straighten patients teeth, had patients ask them to also whiten their teeth. Whitening is a relatively brief procedure and painless too, why not see if the family dentist offers the service? You can do it during a family member’s dental cleaning, getting it out of the way while you wait.
• Teeth must be straight, or straightish, as well as white. While that traditionally means braces, now there is Invisalign as well. Being clear and less obvious makes them an excellent choice for most adults. Many family dentists also offer Invisalign to their patients, and again, if other family member’s are having dental procedures, its almost a waste to sit reading a magazine.
• Some cosmetic dentistry issues are more urgent than others, and missing teeth top the list. Just ask the roughly 15 million Americans that have crowns and bridges to replace missing teeth if they felt comfortable opening their mouths in front of other people. With a missing tooth, immediate action must occur, and again, the family dentist will be the first contact. With the right family dentist, it will be your only call. A good practice will offer not only the typical dentures and bridges but implants as well. It can sound rather ominous to be implanting new teeth, but the current success rate for the procedure is 98%, a fairly safe bet.

The fear of dentistry will likely keep some who read this forever away, even if they know they have fixable problems limiting their social interaction and comfort. Luckily in these days of easily accessible information, that blind fear slowly becomes rarer. Hopefully, it will simply disappear.