It sometimes amazes me the amount of money that people spend to get a beautiful smile and yet the very thing that will waste all their efforts is too much for many patients to do. That is to clean their teeth well
Good oral hygiene not only ensures the health of your gums and prevents you from getting cavities, it also is vitally important to achieve the perfect smile.
When patients don’t clean their teeth well, whitish areas of decalcifications occur and can make teeth look “bad” and spoil the smile.
When this happens, patients can either accept this look or do expensive veneers to cover up and “mask” the white areas. These procedures are expensive and obviously, may have to be redone after a period of time.
White areas of decalcification
Any good orthodontist will have a formal cleaning regime where patients are educated on why and how they should brush their teeth. This must include periodic monitoring and also the application of fluoride gels or varnishes to prevent areas of decalcification from occurring.
While something simple like cleaning seems like a mundane task, it has significant bearing on your final result as well as your pocket. For example, to do porcelain veneers for all the front six teeth for the patient above would set him back some $6000.00 according to market average rates!! So invest the time and clean well. It is well worth it!
