If you are thinking, "I am forty years old and there is no way I am getting braces," you are not alone. While braces do come in various new forms, some even invisible to the outside world, those of us who spent years with metal attached to our teeth may be hesitant to go back.

However, the options for improving your smile do not end there. Breakthrough technology in dentistry has introduced the public to new ways to brighten and align smiles. Porcelain veneers and snap-on smiles are two of the latest techniques used to improve smiles.

The porcelain veneer, also known as the porcelain laminate or the dental veneer, is a natural-looking, simple way to shape up your smile. Porcelain veneers are very thin shells of porcelain that are adhered or bonded to the front side of the teeth. While porcelain is usually thought of as a breakable, brittle material, when it is bonded securely to a solid material, like tooth enamel, it becomes extremely strong and durable.

Porcelain veneers are successful for cosmetic dentistry because they look so much like real teeth. Older forms of dental bonding utilized opaque materials. This meant that the light hit the material and bounced right off. This is not how light typically reacts to real teeth. Tooth enamel is not opaque, but translucent. This means that the light penetrates the tooth. The inside part of the tooth is opaque, so after the light penetrates the enamel, it reflects back off the opaque inside of the tooth, called dentin. This movement of light is the reason that teeth have this lustrous look to them. Porcelain, too, is translucent. This means that light follows the same pattern when the porcelain veneers are fixed to the tooth as they do on a normal tooth.

Porcelain veneers have the added advantage that they resist staining. In the past, people have been hesitant to get dental bonds, because if they commonly consume coffee, tea, tobacco or red wine, their teeth would become permanently stained. With porcelain veneers, though, the surface is glass-like in quality and therefore does not stain.

If you are looking for even less commitment than the porcelain veneer, which is fastened to the tooth, look into snap-on smiles. These exciting new appliances are reforming smiles without surgery or adhesives. Instead, the dentist shapes the appliance to your mouth. It can bend and retract to the teeth and retains enough elasticity so it will not break or crack. With these snap-on smiles, you can choose whose smile you want. If Cameron Diaz's wide smile always made you envious, your dentist can fashion a smile after hers. If Owen Wilson's goofy grin had your girlfriend swooning, look into stepping up your smile in the same style. Because the snap-on smile is not bonded to the teeth, you can change your look with ease. Whether you are trying to cover up a chipped tooth, bad staining or missing or misaligned teeth, the snap-on smile will give you the radiant look you desire. Snap-on smiles are very affordable compared with dental surgery. They range from $1,275 to $1,800 per arch.

It's important to be free with your smiles. Whether your teeth are perfect or not, you should never hesitate to radiate your happiness to the world. Therefore, if you have found yourself self-conscious about showing those pearly whites, then maybe you should look into the many options for dental improvements. Dental veneers and snap-on smiles are just two of the many options available for building confidence, one smile at a time.

- Emily J Weitz