The Real Truth About Creating Smiles

The word “smile” has become almost synonymous with Dentistry, because when most people (including the vast majority of Dentists themselves) think of smiles, they think of teeth. Of bright, radiant, perfectly-aligned teeth, catching the light at just the right angle. The Hollywood Smile. Teeth are eternally young and youthful, unblemished by time, and unphased by trouble. Carefree. Vibrant. Eternal. Sensuous.

The sad truth is that the back teeth are almost always left out of this vision when in fact they are the most important part of the formula.

When you close your mouth, your muscles program themselves to close so the greatest number of teeth hit together at the same time, as this helps immensely in chewing food. The problems arise, however, when the teeth are out of ideal alignment, and the muscles have to distort to close the jaw in an unnatural path, bite after bite, meal after meal, day after day, week after week, and year after year.

The muscles only want to relax, to get back to where they are happy, and so they try to grind away the areas of the teeth that are misguiding them. The result is not only abnormal wear, grinding and clenching, and chipped and fractured teeth, but also chronic headaches, TMJ pain, periodontal problems, and upper back pain.

Traditionalists might address these symptoms with a number of “cures” such as night guards, drugs, massages, and exercises. All of these might provide temporary relief, but until the cause is removed, all are merely very costly, and ultimately ineffective false remedies.

At Advanced Dental Arts NW, we look to the genesis of the problems and treat those first and foremost. Once the teeth fit together as they should, we are ready to proceed with the esthetics. But it cannot be done the other way around, any more than you can paint a room before the sheetrock is up.

Not that we don’t believe in Smile Creation, because we have been doing that comprehensively and with dynamite results for decades, using the finest techniques and materials available. And our results speak for themselves.

We just believe in doing it in the right order, if we are going to get results that look incredible, feel and function well, and that last.

Results that should bring the observer to their knees, not the wearer.

Look Great. Feel Great. And for a Long LONG time!