They might not always say so, but there’s no doubt that scores of Americans aren’t exactly pleased with the way they look. In 2015 alone, studies found that 20% of U.S. adults said they suffered from anxiety due to the condition of their mouth and teeth.


What’s more, in 2015 it was also found that 25% of respondents indicated that they avoided smiling during the past year due to the condition of their mouth and teeth; 23% indicated they were embarrassed due to their teeth problems, 20% experienced anxiety and 14% reduced their social participation.


Any way you look at those numbers, it’s clear that Americans are pretty self-conscious when it comes to their mouths and some are willing to do anything to improve it. Research by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry found that more than 50% of adults over the age of 50 agree that a smile remains a person’s most attractive feature as a person gets older. The AACD also found that Americans collectively spend about $2.75 billion each year on cosmetic dentistry.


If you’re looking to restore your smile and restore your confidence, cosmetic dentistry can do wonders on both accounts. Cosmetic dental treatments from a place offering family-friendly dental care can offer the following benefits:

• Correcting flaws: If you’re a person who hides their smile because of cracked teeth, chipped teeth, discolored teeth or a tooth gap, family-friendly dental care that includes cosmetic dentistry can offer plenty of solutions for fixing that problem; everything from veneers to whitening to bonding.
• Preventative measures: The entire point of cosmetic dentistry procedures is to restore a person’s smile and confidence. But it should be noted that these procedures and overall oral health are linked together. Cosmetic dentistry can repair cavities, repair cracked or chipped teeth and even cover exposed tooth roots, but it’s important to regularly brush, floss and get dental check-ups as well.
• Affordability: You may not think so, but many cosmetic dentistry procedures from offices offering family-friendly dental care are surprisingly affordable. That means restoring a smile isn’t impossible or limited by money. You can check in with your insurance company to see what kind of cosmetic procedures are covered and many offices that have family-friendly dental care offer payment plans, so you can get the procedures you need and pay what you can afford.
• Stronger teeth: There’s nothing worse than being a victim of tooth sensitivity and cavities to the point where you have to stop eating certain foods to avoid crippling pain. Thankfully, cosmetic dentistry can help strengthen teeth while also restoring your smile. This will not only make you feel more confident, but this will also help you enjoy things like ice cream and other sweets without having to be crippled from tooth pain.
• The fountain of youth: Even for those that are good about their oral hygiene and teeth maintenance, teeth and tooth enamel can erode with age and become discolored. Believe it or not, the teeth are actually an important part of a person’s overall facial structure and when teeth erode, that structure caves in to give a person a more aged look, even if they’re not old. Thankfully, cosmetic dentistry can help restore that structure and give an individual a more youth appearance and a winning smile.
• A shot of confidence: It’s estimated by Forbes that more than 30% of people smile more than 20 times per day, while less than 14% of people smile less than five times per day. It’s been well established that a million-dollar smile can be a real shot in the arm for any individual. Being self-conscious can make a person withdraw from work, from school, from social events and even family functions. But with a winning smile, people are happier, more engaged and more than willing to smile 20 times a day or more.

If you’re self-conscious about your smile and looking to get it back to how it was when you were younger, don’t hesitate to visit a cosmetic dentist. Restoring your smile doesn’t have to be a pipe dream any longer and you’ll improve your confidence as well as your oral health.