A smile makeover is a common dental procedure that improves the appearance of your smile with one or several cosmetic dental procedures. These procedures include
At Thousand Smiles, our dentist will consider your skin tone, facial appearance, lips, gum tissue, hair colour and teeth (width, length, tooth display and shape) for a smile makeover procedure.
You can undergo a smile makeover for different reasons, and the treatment will be customised to meet your specific need. The dentist will review the aspect of your smile that you don’t like to determine the right procedures. The considerations include the following:
You can replace amalgam or silver dental filling with natural, tooth-coloured restoration or undergo teeth whitening to improve the colour of dull or stained teeth. Your tooth colour and shading are vital considerations while preparing and evaluating for different procedures, including bridges, crowns, porcelain veneers, dental implants and composite bonding.
While considering your teeth’ colour, note that discoloured or dark teeth may indicate ageing. An attractive smile with white and bright teeth gives a more youthful appearance. When selecting the right shade for veneers and teeth whitening, the dentist will carefully consider your hair, face colour, and tone.
Our cosmetic dentists are highly skilled in choosing the right restoration colour that balances your natural tooth colour and a brighter, whiter smile.
You can straighten teeth that are crooked with gaps or overlapping between them. Aligning the teeth is also possible with orthodontics and veneers.
Having one or more several missing teeth can affect how your smile looks and your bite. It also increases your risk of tooth decay. A toot replacement enhances your facial aesthetics and is essential to oral health. You can replace missing teeth with partial dentures, bridges or dental implants.
You can bond cracked, chipped and uneven teeth to improve your appearance or re-contour a gummy smile to improve the overall appearance of your smile.
Rejuvenating or improving your ageing or unshapely face with certain procedures during a smile makeover, such as oral maxillofacial surgery or orthodontics.
Our cosmetic dentist will work closely with you to develop the right treatment plan for your needs. The treatment plan will consist of functional and cosmetic restorative procedures such as teeth whitening, gummy smile reduction, oral maxillofacial surgery, dental crowns, veneers and braces.
In addition to the balance, alignment and colour of your teeth in the aesthetic area of your smile – the lower and upper front teeth that are visible when you smile, the cosmetic dentist will evaluate other attributes of your smile and teeth when planning your smile makeover. They include:
Long teeth often give a more youthful appearance. As you grow older, the teeth wear and tear, resulting in shorter teeth. A gummy smile can also leave your teeth looking shorter. The treatment for shorter teeth includes lengthening and reshaping the two front teeth with porcelain veneers or composite bonding.
If a gummy smile causes your teeth to look shorter, the dentist may offer treatment to modify your gum appearance and make your teeth longer. The treatment may include a laser dentistry procedure or a visit to the periodontist for crown lengthening.
Increasing your teeth length may also affect your overall facial appearance. For example, if you have well-shaped, long, square teeth on a round face, it gives a slimming effect.
The smile line is the imaginary line passing the edges of your upper teeth on both sides. Ideally, it should be the same curve of your lower lip while smiling. This standard reference point helps determine the length of your new teeth.
Our cosmetic dentist will examine your teeth to determine if they are in the right proportion with each other. Most people describe an appealing smile as one where the two central front teeth are more dominant, with a width-to-length ratio of 4:5. This proportion serves as a guide for the width and length of the other teeth to ensure your smile line looks balanced.
Our cosmetic dentist can make your veneers or crowns give a more masculine or feminine appearance while also matching your teeth’ natural feel and appearance.
After cosmetic dental procedures, a good oral hygiene routine is important to maintain the results over time. For example, you need to repeat teeth whitening to maintain your bright, white smile. Your porcelain veneers may also break off or chip and need replacement.
Dental crowns usually need a replacement after 10 – 15 years, including a gummy smile improvement.
The material used, your lab technician and the ceramist can affect the longevity of your new smile. For the best result, you need to choose the right cosmetic dentist and ask questions about the available material options.
You will undergo an oral health evaluation before our dentist develops your smile makeover plan. The dentist will comprehensively evaluate your gums, teeth, bite and underlying supporting structure to determine your suitability for a smile makeover. If the evaluation shows you have an oral health issue, like gum disease or a misaligned bite, you need to undergo treatment for it first.
Our cosmetic dentists use different technologies to show you the expected changes after your treatment. For example, during your evaluation for crowns and veneers, your cosmetic dentists may create a model of your temporary teeth with wax to show you the exact changes the dental lab technician will make.
The wax mock-ups and temporaries preview the expected results to ensure you will e comfortable with the treatment plan.
Other smile preview methods for your smile makeover include
Dental imaging techniques give a preview of your results. The dentist may use imaging technology to identify the specifics of the procedure, which the dental lab technician will include in your treatment plan.
However, the dental image will only show you what the completed treatment will look like, and the final result may not be an exact match.
Our cosmetic dentist will show you before and after photos of those who have had a smile makeover so you can see the expected result. These photos give you an idea of the quality of our work.
The dentist will take your teeth impressions and fill the wax model with plaster to accurately represent your teeth. The dentist can reshape the model by removing the excess areas or increasing the size of the areas that need more volume.
Our dentists use this study model to show you where to expect changes during the smile makeover. Our dental lab technicians will use the study models to guide the creation of materials such as veneers or crowns.
The dentist will also work with a lab that uses digital technologies. This allows the dentist to use digital teeth scans instead of the traditional impressions for making teeth and smile models.
Dental composite can be the mock-up for your smile makeover procedure. Our dentist will temporarily bond composite resin material to your teeth to allow you to see the effect of the procedure before you begin treatment.
For veneers, the composite bonding allows you to identify how comfortable you are with the fit, feel and look.
Your dentist can make adjustments until you feel comfortable with the appearance and function of your new smile. The temporary mock-ups do not have a long-lasting effect on your teeth after removal.
The cost of your smile makeover and its duration varies depending on the dental insurance, the extent of your customised makeover plan and oral health.
Your treatment may last longer and cost more if the dentist diagnoses an underlying oral health condition before your treatment. Most people will pay out-of-pocket for cosmetic treatments.
Regular dental visits and proper oral care will make your smile look pleasant. Your veneers, crowns and other restorations will last longer. Resin-based dental restorations like tooth-coloured fillings can last for 3 – 9 years or more with the right care, while your porcelain restorations will last ten years or more if you require a replacement.
Understanding how to improve your oral hygiene to care for your dental restoration properly will help maintain your new smile.
Using highly abrasive toothpaste and aggressive brushing habits can make your restorations have a dull surface, marring their polish. Ensure you use non-abrasive fluoride toothpaste as recommended and brush your teeth 2 – 3 times daily.
Flossing is vital to remove plaque and debris from your teeth and help increase the longevity of your restoration while preventing tooth decay. Everyone needs to floss, but it’s particularly important for people with veneers because healthy gum tissues are needed.
Alcohol-based mouthwashes are known to affect composite fillings negatively. The alcohol in the mouth rinses can reduce the bond between your restorations and teeth, so opt for alcohol-free mouthwashes.
Reduce your intake of foods with high sugar content and reduce between-meal snacks to prevent cavities. Reducing your soda, tea and coffee intake will help keep your smile stain-free. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages, as excess alcohol can damage your dental work.
Avoid chewing or biting hard objects like metal, bottle caps, stapes, and pens. If you grind your teeth at night, ensure you wear your night guard to prevent damaging your teeth.
Cosmetic dental procedures are expensive, and it is a good idea to protect your investment in your oral health by following your hygienist’s and dentist’s recommendations.
While cosmetic dental restorations can become damaged and need replacement after 5 – 7 days for composite and 10 – 15 years for porcelain, the lifespan of your new smile will depend on your level of care and the dentist’s expertise.
Replacing a chipped or broken crown or veneer involves taking dental impressions, shade matching, temporaries and waiting for the permanent restoration, and you may be responsible for replacing any damaged veneer or crown.
Following your dentist’s instructions ensures a long-lasting beautiful smile and ensures you visit our dental practice for regular cleaning and follow-up appointments with our hygienist and dentist.
Contact Thousand Smiles today at 020 8050 0280 or [email protected] to schedule an appointment for your smile makeover to improve the appearance of your smile.
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