When it comes to your smile, it’s as unique as you are. Cosmetic dentistry has advanced greatly in recent years, which is why the focus has moved from creating the perfect ‘Hollywood’ smile to enhancing what you’ve been given naturally. This is known as biomimetic dentistry.
A smile makeover will give you a smile to be proud of and the first step towards this is to go for a consultation with your dentist, to determine which procedures are right for you.
What is a smile makeover?
There are many elements which have to be considered if you’re looking to have a smile makeover. The first stage is a smile evaluation with your dentist. This involves having an x-ray taken and a thorough inspection of your teeth, gums and your bite, known as occlusion. From here, your dentist will determine if you’re a good candidate for certain makeover treatments and will check whether you have any underlying oral health problems such as malocclusion (a misaligned bite) or gum disease which may require additional treatment before undertaking a smile makeover.
When it comes to creating a beautiful smile, there are various elements to consider. These include the colour of the teeth, the way the teeth align, spacing, missing teeth, proportion and length and finally the smile line, which follows the edges of your upper teeth from side to side.
Looking at your smile
You might look at your smile, for example, and feel that it would be improved if your teeth were straighter or you had a gap between two of your front teeth reduced. Orthodontics, like Invisalign or Six Month Smiles are braces that can fit comfortably over your teeth to straighten them in a few weeks or months, depending on the complexity of your case.
If you’re looking to enhance the colour of your teeth, tooth whitening can remove staining and discolouration, while amalgam fillings can be replaced with natural tooth coloured composite restorations, so it doesn’t look like you’ve had any dental work done.
If you have missing teeth, dental implants, bridges or partial dentures are options which your dentist will make discuss with you. It’s important to get this checked because missing teeth can have a negative impact on your appearance, be bad for your oral health, affect your bite and even increase your risk of tooth decay.
Veneers are usually considered for chipped or broken teeth as they are bonded to the teeth to form a strong repair and natural looking replacement. However, a tooth which is badly broken or heavily filled will require a crown or ‘cap’ to restore both its appearance and strength.
Whatever your smile makeover involves, your dentist will allow you to preview the results using dental imaging software so you can evaluate whether it’s right to go ahead with treatment.
Taking care of your new smile
If you decide to go ahead with your smile makeover, you will want to take good care of it to ensure it lasts. The best way to do this is to have a good oral hygiene routine and ensure regular dental hygiene check-ups with your dentist.
After the smile makeover, you may be advised to use specific dental hygiene products to take care of your new smile. As every case is different, it’s worth consulting with your dentist about how to best protect your new smile to ensure it lasts for a long time.
Yours in oral health,
