Smiling Woman

What Exactly Is A Smile Makeover?

If you haven’t heard of a smile makeover before, you may be wondering what exactly a smile makeover is. A smile makeover is a collection of dental procedures that all work to help you achieve a dazzling smile.

A lot of different procedures can be involved in a smile makeover, including repairing teeth, replacing teeth, whitening teeth, and much more. Given the intensive nature of smile makeovers, it is very rare to achieve final results with one visit. Instead, you will likely need to come in for several different appointments as we work towards the smile of your dreams.

In most cases, the initial visit will involve a dental exam to assess the current landscape of your teeth. Typically, we are looking for existing issues like tooth decay, misalignment, overcrowding, and tooth color. After the dental exam, we will work with you to create the perfect smile makeover plan for you. We will then use that plan to schedule the necessary number of appointments so we can get to work delivering your perfect smile.

What Treatments Are Common In Smile Makeovers?

There are a bunch of different dental procedures that are all common during a smile makeover. Some patients will only need or want one or two of these, while other patients may require more. Here are of some of the treatments commonly involved in smile makeovers:

Teeth Whitening

Most people will agree that white teeth are beautiful teeth. Unfortunately, many delicious foods and beverages can stain our teeth over time, leading to a yellowish appearance on our enamel. Luckily, there are a few different teeth whitening options for restoring your pearly whites to a beautiful state.

One option is in-office teeth whitening. This method is more efficient than the alternative (mentioned below). This treatment involves covering your tongue and gums with a protective dam and applying a whitening solution to your teeth. This solution is then activated using an ultraviolet light, which oxidizes your teeth to whiten them. This usually takes around an hour and can deliver significantly whiter teeth after just one treatment.

There is also the option for take-home whitening trays. This treatment involves taking impressions of your mouth to create custom mouth trays and ensure that these trays fit your mouth perfectly and comfortably. Once you receive your trays, you will apply a bleaching solution to them in your home and wear the trays for a certain amount of time each day.

Crowns

Crowns can help protect damaged and week teeth, as well as improve the shape and size of a tooth. They are expertly fitted over your teeth to improve appearance and function.

Veneers

Veneers are thin shells of porcelain that fit over top of each tooth. They help give your teeth a better shape and more classic appearance, and have the added benefit of being very white and aesthetically pleasing. Veneers look natural and are designed to stay in place for the rest of your life. Typically, you will need to replace veneers after 10-20 years.

Bridges

Dental bridges are devices that help bridge a gap formed when a tooth is missing or never grew in. In essence, a bridge is a false tooth, and these false teeth are typically secured to the neighboring teeth using dental crowns.

Dentures

In some instances, the best course of action for achieving the smile of your dreams is to fit you with complete, partial, or implant-retained dentures. These are a great choice for restoring any missing teeth while delivering the appearance of a stunning smile.

Dr. Ballard, a Sandpoint orthodontist adds that another treatment that may be needed for a smile make over is dental braces. This can help correct misaligned teeth and provide a better base for other cosmetic dental treatments.

Aesthetic Considerations of a Smile Makeover

When designing your smile makeover plan, our team at Gentle Dental will consider the following aesthetic elements of your current smile to arrive at the best smile makeover plan for you:

Tooth Proportions

We will look closely to see if your teeth are correctly proportioned with each other and for your mouth.

Tooth Length

We will also examine your tooth length and discuss options with for lengthen the appearance of tooth length. Longer teeth typically make the individual appear younger and can be achieved with a variety of procedures.

Smile Line

Your smile line is the invisible line following the bottom edges of your upper teeth. Ideally, this line should follow the same curve as your lower lip when you are smiling.

Maintaining Your Results

It’s important to keep in mind that the work isn’t done when you leave from your final smile makeover appointment! Maintaining the great results you achieve will require a lot of care and attention to your teeth, and it is possible for the results to fade or disappear without proper care.

Therefore, you will need to properly clean your teeth daily, and you also may require occasional whitening touchups to help keep the white hue achieved during your smile makeover. Some elements of a smile makeover may require replacement after a certain number of years. Veneers are an example of this, as these often need replacement after 10-20 years. Crowns, as well, will typically need to be replaced after 10-15 years.

Make sure to listen carefully to all of the advice and care recommendations given to you by our wonderful team at Gentle Dental. We are highly experienced at smile makeovers and are passionate about helping you achieve the smile of your dreams.