Pearly white celebrity smiles and the pursuit of perfection are driving more people to cosmetic dentistry.
A recent survey among 1000 people commissioned by the new advice campaign Behind the Smile found that 46{19761799e1353b7a6a49a5f02d3172230495afcde52b198895f8f3ba7ac759cb} of adults are now considering cosmetic dentistry in order to achieve the perfect smile and, on average, are willing to spend £879 to do so.
However, there is a real lack of understanding in what treatments involve. When asked about veneers, the favoured dental treatment of celebrities, only a third (37{19761799e1353b7a6a49a5f02d3172230495afcde52b198895f8f3ba7ac759cb}) of people knew that it involves grinding away the enamel surface of a tooth and only 21{19761799e1353b7a6a49a5f02d3172230495afcde52b198895f8f3ba7ac759cb} knew that they have to be replaced every ten years.
The treatment people would most like to have is whitening (52{19761799e1353b7a6a49a5f02d3172230495afcde52b198895f8f3ba7ac759cb}), followed by straightening (24{19761799e1353b7a6a49a5f02d3172230495afcde52b198895f8f3ba7ac759cb}), crowns or caps (19{19761799e1353b7a6a49a5f02d3172230495afcde52b198895f8f3ba7ac759cb}) and veneers (18{19761799e1353b7a6a49a5f02d3172230495afcde52b198895f8f3ba7ac759cb}).
Behind the Smile’s website www.cosmeticdentaladvice.com is designed to help people make more informed decisions about cosmetic dentistry and give them a better understanding of what each treatment involves and the potential pitfalls.
Made up of experienced dentists from the Dental Law Partnership, the Behind the Smile advice team is uniquely placed to provide detailed and impartial help.
Spokesperson Chris Dean said: “70{19761799e1353b7a6a49a5f02d3172230495afcde52b198895f8f3ba7ac759cb} of people think a person’s smile is an important factor when choosing a partner, so it’s understandable that people feel pressure to have perfect looking teeth. But people don’t really understand what the treatments involve and the long term impact on their teeth.
“They also need to think about what they should do when things go wrong and if the people they are receiving treatment from have the right skills and experience.
Your Comments