There is a boom in cosmetic dentistry that is showing no signs of slowing down as it seems more and more people are looking to enhance their smile by cosmetic dental work, it seems they are searching for the perfect smile. However as everybody's smile is unique to them there can be no such thing as the perfect smile.

Your smile doesn't have to be perfect for you to be happy with it, most people are happy with the unique characteristics of their own smile. One of the most famous women in the world, Madonna, is believed to like the slight gap in her front teeth and so far has shown no intention of changing it.

It would seem however that there are just as many people who are unhappy with their smile and are seeking cosmetic dentistry or professional tooth whitening as a means of improving the look of their smile.

Whilst some people prefer the perfect Hollywood smile, usually achieved with veneers, perfectly aligned teeth that are unnaturally white, more and more people want realistic looking teeth with a natural translucency and whiteness.

A good dentist will look closely at your existing teeth checking the straightness, looking for imperfections, cracks, chips and gaps whilst checking the size and seeing if they need to be brighter or white. They will also consider your smile as a whole, as part of your face to check it is correctly aligned and in proportion to the rest of your face.

It is important that your dentist understands the way your teeth meet together and the support they provide for your lips and face as this can make a big difference to the way you look.

There are several procedures your dentist can offer for example veneers, bonding, crowns, and professional tooth whitening all effective ways to improve your smile at a varying prices to suit you.

Those wanting the perfect smile will opt for veneers which reshapes the teeth, the dentist will reduce existing teeth to add a custom porcelain shell. This option is normally charged per tooth and as such most people have just the front teeth fixed and use professional tooth whitening for the remainder, veneers normally require replacing every 10 years.

A dental crown is like a cup over the visible tooth above the gum line and can be used to improve the look of fractured and broken teeth or silver fillings. In some cases a crown is all that's needed to improve a patient's smile.

Bonding is a cheaper option using a plastic resin and doesn't involve reshaping of teeth, it is used to repair chipped teeth. The plastic resin will be tinted to match the existing tooth color or a lighter color if bleaching is also to be carried out.

If you’re happy with the look of your teeth but would like a brighter smile bleaching can be used to remove stains from the tooth enamel. This normally involves your dentist making a tooth tray to which you add tooth whitening gel and wear the tray for up to an hour at a time.

The fastest method of whitening your teeth is dentist performed laser tooth whitening utilizing special light activated gels, this method can lighten your teeth by up to 10 shades whiter.

Your smile plays a key role in the way you feel and says a lot about you, it is often the first thing people will notice. For those who undertake cosmetic dentistry it will be a truly exciting moment when they can portray their true personality with a natural smile.