Time to edit your teeth?

cosmetic dentistry and social media

It is no secret that we are living in the era of the selfie. A quick glance through social media and you’ll see endless self-portraits of individuals, pouting into their camera phone, having applied the necessary filters to portray themselves as the ‘best’ version of themselves. So just what are they tweaking? Interesting, many are using filters to enhance the look of their teeth and may be fueling the demand for cosmetic dentistry procedures.

Cosmetic dentistry: try before you buy

In a report published recently by the BBC, young people spoke of how the apps they used to upload pictures of themselves to social media gave them easy access to tweak and modify their appearance. The resulting images sowed the seeds for them of what they could actually look like if these tweaks were made in real life. The apps essentially give them a chance to view the results before making a decision about which cosmetic dentistry procedures to opt for.

One user says her constant use of a selfie editor app has made her consider certain cosmetic procedures: “I use it every time I take a photo. I hate my chin so sometimes make that smaller, smooth out my face and whiten my teeth… Before I was ‘meh’ about my teeth but now I want them professionally whitened after seeing how they look post-edit. Ideally, I’d have my chin, lips, teeth [altered cosmetically] and liposuction. But whitening is my main goal as it’s least invasive and least costly. I want to look like an edited version of myself, essentially.”

What results can you expect

There are many things that can be done to help people whose teeth are affecting their self-confidence. For those who are concerned about the colour of their teeth, these can be professionally cleaned or whitened to help remove a build up of plaque or stains caused by things we consume, such as red wine, tea or coffee.

Some fixes are more long term than others. Teeth whitening, for example, is a relatively short-term fix, but also one of the least expensive treatments you can choose to improve the appearance of your teeth. More expensive and more invasive steps include procedures such as dental veneers or crowns, where teeth are permanently altered to improve how they look.

If you wish to change the look of your teeth above and beyond the use of filters and photographic tweaks, get in touch with the team here at CK Dental who can talk you through the best options based on what you are looking to achieve. Call us on 0117 905 9866 to arrange a consultation.