My friend has a new puppy, and I got the biggest kick looking into his mouth the other day as he panted and drooled and smiled at me as I pet him.

Did you know dogs' teeth can be crooked and out of alignment? Not that anything is ever done about it, but this dog's teeth were a mess. He had a row of baby teeth that had yet to fall out, and his new permanent teeth had already grown in. It looked a little like a shark's mouth.

It made me think of how very fortunate we are to live in a generation that offers so many options for improving smiles and cosmetic health problems. (I'm talking about us humans now). If your tooth is knocked out, never fear. An implant and a crown will make it look like nothing ever happened. Crooked teeth are easily fixed by any one of a number of different types of braces. Root canals save infected and diseased teeth that normally would be lost. And stained teeth can sparkle once again after some simple teeth whitening.

If you have lived with a smile you are not confident with your whole life, or if an injury or disease to your mouth has caused you to be self-conscious of your smile, learn more about different things available to you. Cosmetic dentistry offers many new techniques and solutions to oral health issues.

Dr. Charles Martin and Team