Literally hundreds of billions of dollars are spent each year on beauty aids and clothes by people looking to enhance their appearance. Countless Americans are unhappy with the way they look and pour money into fad diets, cosmetic surgery and designer clothing in order to gain confidence and make themselves more attractive to others. While this attitude has come under fire from some psychologists who deem this behavior vain, the vast majority recognize that a certain amount of vanity is healthy because it motivates people to make their outward appearance reflect their self-perception. For those who feel younger than they look, but who can’t afford expensive plastic surgery and are tired of throwing money away on fashion and fad, a cosmetic dental treatment is an attractive option because it has the potential to rejuvenate smiles.

A look at packaging, advertisements, and mass media makes it easy to see how integral a youthful smile is to a glowing overall appearance. A beautiful smile can overcome almost any perceived physical shortcoming. And it is far less expensive and easier to achieve than dieting, buying expensive clothes, or going under the surgeon’s knife for a facelift. Procedures like teeth whitening and veneers can rejuvenate any smile in as little as one visit to a skilled cosmetic dentist. Many patients remark that after their first cosmetic dental treatment they feel decades younger; and while friends and colleagues also notice the difference, they can’t point out exactly what it is. “Have you been working out,” they’ll ask, or “Did you get a facelift?” The results of smile-improving procedures are so natural because they build on your own teeth and because of this are even more effective at achieving the desired effect – physical rejuvenation – instead of the manipulation imposed by traditional cosmetic surgery.

Looking as young as we feel has been facilitated by all of the advances in make-up, fashion, and exercise that are sold to millions of Americans by smiling salespeople. But why not aspire to the smile instead of the mask, the couture, or the sweat? It has never been easier, simpler, more affordable, and less painful than it is today to achieve a dazzling movie-star smile; it only takes a trip to the dentist.

Instead of feeling guilty about wanting to look their age, more Americans should take the easy and inexpensive steps toward being who they want to be. Cosmetic dentistry has made it easier than it has ever been.