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A smile makeover can improve your smile appearance. It involves one or several cosmetic dental procedures. They include;
Before a smile makeover, the cosmetic dentist will check several factors, including your hair colour, facial appearance, lips, skin tone, gum tissue, teeth length, shape, colour, width and display.
People undergo smile makeovers for different reasons, and the procedure is customised for each patient. Your cosmetic dentist can review the following aspects of your smile with you and improve them during a smile makeover.
You can replace silver or amalgam filling with natural, tooth-coloured composite restorations. Teeth whitening can also improve the colour of dull or stained teeth. Tooth shading and colour are vital considerations while evaluating and preparing for different procedures, including dental implants, composite bonding, bridges, crowns, and porcelain veneers.
When considering your teeth' colour, note that discoloured or dark teeth may indicate an aged mouth. A beautiful smile consists of bright, white teeth that give a youthful appearance. While selecting the shade for teeth whitening and veneers, the dentist will consider your hair, face tone, and colour.
Cosmetic dentists can find the perfect balance between giving you a brighter, whiter smile and maintaining your natural tooth colour.
You can straighten and align crooked, overlapping and gaped teeth with orthodontic devices, including Invisalign. Veneers can also make these corrections.
If you have one or more missing teeth, the space may affect your smile and bite. Missing teeth also increases the risk of tooth decay, so teeth replacement is a vital part of facial aesthetics and oral health. Replacing missing teeth is possible with bridges, partial dentures and dental implants.
Chipped, uneven teeth and cracked can be bonded to improve their appearance. You can also re-contour a gummy smile to improve the overall appearance of your smile.
Different procedures, such as oral maxillofacial surgery and orthodontics, can rejuvenate ageing or an unshapely face.
The cosmetic dentist will work closely with you to create a treatment plan to ensure you achieve your desired result from the smile makeover. The treatment plan may include cosmetic and restorative procedures, often including gummy smile reduction, oral maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics (braces), dental crowns, composite bonding, teeth whitening, and veneers.
In addition to alignment, balance and colour of the teeth in the aesthetic part of your smile (the upper and lower part of the teeth that show when you smile), the cosmetic dentist will also consider several attributes of your smile and teeth when planning your smile makeover. They include:
Long teeth usually give a youthful appearance, while ageing wears down the teeth causing shorter teeth. A gummy smile may also make the teeth look shorter. Procedures for shorter teeth may include lengthening and reshaping the two front teeth with porcelain veneers or composite bonding.
If you have s gummy smile, the cosmetic dentist may offer treatment to reshape your gumline and lengthen your teeth' appearance using laser dentistry procedures. The dentist may also refer you to a periodontist for a crown lengthening procedure if necessary.
Teeth lengthening may affect the overall appearance of the face. For example, round-faced people with shapely, long, square teeth look slimmer.
The smile line is the imaginary line on the edges of the upper teeth, from side to side. Ideally, it should be the same as the curve of the lower lip when smiling. This standard reference point can help determine your ideal teeth length.
The cosmetic dentist will examine your teeth to determine if they are in the right proportion to each other. Most people refer to a beautiful smile when the two front teeth are dominant, with a width-to-length ratio of 4-to-5.
This proportion is the reference value for the length and width of other teeth in the aesthetic area so your smile appears balanced.
The cosmetic dentist can customise your veneers or crowns to create a more masculine or feminine appearance and match natural teeth' feel and appearance.
Cosmetic dental procedures need regular oral hygiene care and maintenance over time. For example, you need teeth whitening regularly to maintain your teeth' colour. Porcelain veneers may also break off or chip and require a replacement. Permanent composite bonding can stain and need replacement or enhancement.
Dental crowns usually require replacement after 10 – 15 years, and gummy smile improvements may need enhancements.
The material, your ceramist and lab technician, will affect the longevity of your smile makeover. Selecting a good cosmetic dentist and inquiring about the material options will help achieve the best result.
The dentist will evaluate your oral health before developing your smile makeover plan. Your dentist will comprehensively evaluate your teeth, underlying support structure, gum, and bite to determine if you are a suitable candidate for a smile makeover.
If the evaluation shows you have an oral health issue like gum disease or a misaligned bite (malocclusion), you need to treat it first.
The cosmetic dentist will use different dental technologies to show you the expected changes in your smile. For example, during your oral health evaluation for crowns and veneers, the cosmetic dentist will create a wax model of temporary teeth to show the dental lab technician the necessary changes.
Wax mockups and temporaries also preview the expected result to ensure you are happy with the proposed treatment plan. Other methods for previewing your smile makeover treatment are:
Imaging technologies give a preview of the results. The dentist may use imaging technology to show the specifics of the procedure to the dental lab technician and other professionals involved in your treatment. The digital image will only show the expected result when treatment is complete, but this may not be the exact result.
The before and after photos of past smile makeover treatments can give you examples of expected results. The photos can also give you an idea of the cosmetic dentist's quality of work.
The dentist will take an impression of your teeth and fill it with plaster to create a model of your teeth. The cosmetic dentist can reshape the plaster by trimming off excess areas or increasing the size of areas that need more volume.
Dentists can use study models to show where to expect changes during your smile makeover. The dental lab technician will use the study models as a guide when making veneers or crowns.
The dentist will work with a lab that uses digital technologies. In these cases, the dentist can use digital scans of the teeth instead of traditional impressions to make models of your smile and teeth.
Composite bonding can serve as a mockup for your smile makeover. The cosmetic dentist can bond temporary composite resin material to your teeth to show you the impact of the procedure before your treatment.
For veneer treatment, the composite bonding will also help you check if you are comfortable with the dental restoration's feel, look and fit. The dentist can adjust it until you are comfortable with the appearance and function of your new smile. Temporary mockups do not have a lasting impact on the teeth after the removal.
The cost of your smile makeover and the treatment's duration will depend on the dentist, your level of dental insurance, the extent of customisation needed, and your location.
Treatment may cost more and last longer if the dentist identifies any underlying oral health problem before the treatment. Dental insurance may cover part of restorative procedures, but your treatment's cost may be higher than someone with good oral health.
Regular dental visits and proper care can help your veneers, crowns and other restorations last longer. Resin-based dental restorations like tooth-coloured filling can last 3 – 9 years or longer with proper care, while porcelain restoration can last ten years or more before requiring a replacement.
Modifying your oral hygiene is essential to maintain your new smile for a long. Abrasive tooth brushing habits and toothpaste can scratch the surface of your dental restorations and dull their lustre and polish.
Opt for non-abrasive toothpaste like Rembrandt, originally made for people with cosmetic restorations. Brush your teeth 2 – 3 times daily for maximum effectiveness. Flossing is vital to remove plaque and debris between the teeth and increases the lifespan of dental restorations. It also helps prevent tooth decay. Everyone needs flossing, but especially people with veneers, because healthy gums are important.
Mouthwashes containing alcohol negatively affect composite fillings, and over time the alcohol can degrade the bond between restorations like veneers and crowns and your teeth. Opt for alcohol-free mouthwashes.
Avoid food high in sugar and reduce your intake of between-meal snacks to prevent cavities. Reduce your coffee, tea, soda and coffee intake for a stain-free smile. Avoid excessive alcohol beverage intake as excess alcohol can damage dental work.
Avoid chewing and biting hard objects like metal, staples, pens and bottle caps. If you grind your teeth and get a night guard to prevent damaging your restoration and teeth, ensure you wear it.
The components of smile makeovers are expensive, like porcelain veneers (£700 - £2000) and composite bonding (£200 - £1200) per tooth, so you may want to follow your hygienist's and dentist's maintenance recommendations for maximum longevity.
While cosmetic dental restorations aren't indestructible and will need replacement after 5 – 7 years for composite and 10 – 15 years for porcelain, the longevity of your new smile will depend on how well you care for your restoration and the skill and expertise of the cosmetic dentist.
Replacing a chipped or broken veneer or crown requires shade matching, impressions, a temporary restoration and waiting for the permanent restoration. Depending on the dentist's policy, you may have to pay the full replacement cost for your dental veneer or crown.
Ensure you follow your dentist's instructions for a long-term smile and attend your follow-up appointments, including regular cleaning appointments with the hygienist.
At McKennell Dental Practice, we offer smile makeovers tailored to meet your needs. You can visit us today or contact us at 020 7834 8802 for an appointment with our cosmetic dentist.
020 7834 8802