<b>By Dr. Stephen Durham</b>

There’s nothing shallow about wanting a brighter smile. Straight, white teeth make you look younger and feel better about your appearance.  That confidence can energize every aspect of living, from work to family to love life.  A confident, happy appearance inspires confidence from others, too, and it prompts a good reception at work, at home and everywhere you go.

Research gives us some surprising insights about the impact of your smile.  One study demonstrated that a smile improves a person’s attractiveness — to both men and women — more than make-up.  Another study revealed that a person’s teeth topped the list of what makes them attractive.  More than hair and clothes, more than hands and nails, more than the car they drive.  Human beings are hard-wired to team up with others who look healthy and capable. A bright, strong smile signals those qualities in a way everybody understands.

Patients find that it is possible and practical to achieve their own best smile.  We work with them closely to choose the path that suits them best.  Today’s options for lighting up that smile are better than ever, because advances in cosmetic dentistry put the smiles that improve people’s lives well within their reach.

One of the quickest improvements can come from ZOOMTM Whitening. In about an hour this technology gives dazzling results. Some patients choose an affordable, professional-strength at-home alternative for whitening.

The methods to straighten teeth when they’re crowded, cracked, crooked or misaligned are so much better today than years ago.  Thanks to new “smile makeover” technology and advances in dental materials we can literally change a person’s smile in as few as two visits.

Many people don’t realize that they no longer have to start young, take years or wear visible braces to get the smooth, even alignment they would like to have.  For instance, the Six Month SmileTM is a fast, almost invisible way to reach that goal without showing braces to the world.

Recontouring teeth, to sculpt more attractive edges, improves comfort and function too. And implants are a natural looking way to replace missing teeth.

Not only are the options for an ideal smile better today, but the way of achieving it doesn’t have to involve any discomfort.  Thanks to sedation dentistry, many patients are able to relax, even sleep, through their appointments.

An attractive smile is a real asset in every facet of life, and it is easier to achieve today than ever before.
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