There’s a lot more to smile makeovers than simply taking the grey out of your smile, and replacing it with dazzling whiteness in an attempt to provide confidence and charm. It’s true that tooth whitening is one of the most popular forms of cosmetic dentistry, but a trained cosmetic dentist can definitely take your new look (and smile) far further than that.
Envisioning the change is enough to make one smile, so go ahead and imagine the size (and beauty) of that smile once the procedure is complete. Just be careful to match your vision of what you want, with the reality of who you are. You are unique, and your smile should be as unique as you are. Asking your cosmetic dentist to copy someone else’s smile, might lead to disappointment. Fortunately an experienced cosmetic dentist will bear this in mind, when deciding which of the available treatments and techniques to use, and how best to use them, in order to enhance your smile.
What is a Smile Makeover and How It Can Help Me?
A smile makeover involves a carefully designed combination of dental treatments. Even before picking up the first instrument, your dentist will be assessing both your physical appearance, and your expressed needs. The dentist will then draw up a plan for a customized makeover that will be ideal for you.
Taken into account are factors like your skin and hair color, your facial features, and, of course, your mouth and teeth. The dentist will look at the shape of your gums, and the color, length, and state of your teeth.
The blueprint for a beautiful smile
A smile makeover can be a quick and easy, or more complex and time-consuming, depending on how much work needs doing, and how many different procedures are involved. With new developments and technologies in the dental field, the time involved is shortening, while accuracy and effectiveness is increasing all the time. Digital imagery and 3D printing is changing the way artificial teeth and crowns are made, and lasers are used for a teeth-whitening procedure with a difference.
Smile makeover techniques
Teeth whitening: Perhaps you only need to have your teeth whitened by removing the discoloration that has built up because of genetics, diet or age. That is a simple enough, and corrected right away, in the dentist’s chair.
Reshaping and contouring: Using lasers or drills, your dentist is able to make subtle changes to the shape of your teeth and smooth any rough or chipped edges. This is helpful when your teeth overlap slightly, are a bit crooked, or have an odd shape.
Missing teeth: When replacement of missing teeth is part of the smile makeover, your dentist will usually replace the missing tooth or teeth with implants for aesthetic reasons. Implants are firmly mounted in the jawbone, and there is no interference with the surrounding teeth. They also have a very natural appearance when compared to other replacement options like partial or full dentures.
Broken or chipped teeth: Cover-up options are an option for chipped or broken teeth. One solution is composite bonding, which involves shaping, molding and polishing a composite putty is after it is bonded to a cracked, misshapen or decayed tooth.
It will also help fill slight gaps and hide discoloration. Composite or porcelain veneers also cover unsightly teeth and last for a long time.