Smile makeover is the process of enhancing the smile by altering the appearance of the front teeth through one or more cosmetic dental alterations.
Reasons to get a Smile Makeover
Most of the patients complain of the appearance of their front teeth when they smile. Some of the reasons can be:
- Chipped front teeth
- A black silver filling
- Irregularly placed front teeth
- Smaller/bigger teeth
- Discolored teeth
- Cavities in the front teeth
- Spacing between the front teeth
- Missing teeth
- Gummy smile
A smile-makeover may not necessarily only mean to get crowns or implants done and it varies from patient to patient. To provide the ultimate benefit for the patient, our cosmetic dentist will have to first evaluate the teeth thoroughly. Based upon the chief problem that is disturbing the smile, a single or a combination of treatments is advised for the patient.
Although a “smile makeover” might sound very aggressive with a drastic change in the appearance of your teeth, sometimes simple procedures can also give you the desired effect. Because, what might seem to be a great problem to the patient can actually be treated with a simple filling or a crown. So a smile makeover can be achieved with a wide variety of treatments like:
Teeth Whitening:
When the color of your teeth remains to be the primary problem, teeth whitening can be advised to alter the shade. It is a non-invasive procedure and is indicated when there is no other associated problem with the teeth.
Composite Bonding / Fillings:
Sometimes a small cavity in the front teeth or a chipped tooth may restrain you from smiling. It can easily be resolved with a tooth-colored filling (composite fillings).
Orthodontic Treatment / Clear Aligners:
A comprehensive treatment without any invasive procedures for irregularly placed teeth or teeth with spacing between them involves correcting the alignment of the teeth through orthodontic procedures.
Composite Veneer:
Composite veneers are a non-invasive procedure, where a layer of esthetic composite restorations are done on the outer surface of the teeth. But composite restorations get discolored on the long run and are highly prone to chip off when not taken good care of.
Dental Veneers:
Most of the patients directly think of veneers if they want to alter the appearance of their front teeth. It involves filing the teeth to accommodate veneers.
Dental Crowns:
Certain instances may however need dental crowns, and this proves to be one of the best methods of smile makeover in a variety of conditions.
Dental Implants:
If there are one or more teeth missing in the front teeth region, dentist may suggest you to get implant supported crowns. They provide excellent esthetics apart from many other advantages when compared to dental bridges.
Every individual has a unique smile. Although there is a certain way in which the teeth are to be aligned in order to have ideal aesthetics and function, minute differences in the shape and size of certain teeth makes the smile peculiar to an individual.
You might like the look of “a certain kind of smile”. The smile of your friend, someone you admire, family member or the smile of a movie star, any celebrity, or something which you specifically want, to portray yourself in the best way.
This image on the right gives you a clear idea on different types of smiles that you might want to have. The alignment of the teeth remains the same in every type but those minor details in the shape and size of the teeth markedly influences the final look of your smile.
While choosing a smile, factors to be considered are:
Youthful Vs. Mature
A youthful smile shows no signs of wear and tear of the teeth, whereas a mature smile shows signs of wear and tear of the teeth characterized with flattening of the teeth. Therefore the teeth in mature form have rounded canines while that in youthful form show sharp canines.
Masculine or Feminine
Masculine teeth tend to show prominent central incisors and canines that are longer and sharper compared to feminine teeth.
Hollywood Smile
Hollywood smile is one of the most popular teeth forms chosen by the patients. This teeth form comprise of square shaped teeth which are almost in line with minute difference in their length.
We at Dr. Motiwala Dental Clinic and Implant Center provide you with all these types of smile designs that you might choose from. For instance, one particular smile design might seem imaginably perfect, but can be unappealing to your facial profile. Or maybe you don’t know what to choose among these smile types. In such instances, we will have few trials, making small changes taking few considerations like the color of your eye, the facial profile, labial fullness and many more so that you are provided with the best customized smile design.
How many days will it take to get the treatment done?
The entire treatment can be completed in just 3 working days!
The initial appointment will be for the clinical examination. The dentist will evaluate the condition of your teeth. He will analyze each tooth separately and might take few radiographs to have a thorough examination. A treatment plan which proves to be the most beneficial for patient is given on the same day.
Day 1: The next appointment involves the clinical procedures. The teeth that are being reduced for crowns are prepared and impressions are taken. You will be given temporary crowns until the final appointment.
Day 3: The next appointment is for the trials and fixation of the crowns. As we are equipped with an in-house lab, any alterations in the size, shape or color of the crowns can immediately be made and are fixed on the same day.
If your teeth need root canals or dental implants for missing teeth, you might need another day or two.
Why did my dentist advice for root canal treatment before smile makeover?
Certain teeth need root canal treatment for smile makeovers. Teeth which are out of alignment because of their tilt or rotation have to be root canal treated. Some teeth which are infected or fractured may also need RCT.
What types of crowns are used?
Zirconia crowns are the best choice for crowns used for smile-makeovers.
Since smile makeover is a complete esthetic treatment, we solely use zirconia crowns-NexxZr (metal free crowns) layered with ceramic. The ceramic layering adds translucency and natural appearance over the strong and biocompatible zirconia base.
Does a smile makeover need a bite raise?
Sometimes patients show severe wear of the back teeth which leading to collapse of the vertical facial height causing the front teeth to come in contact. This causes the front teeth to wear out, causing sensitivity and pain. In such conditions, we would advise you to get a “smile makeover with bite raise”.
The heights of the back teeth are restored to revert back the vertical height to normal. This allows enough gaps between the front teeth to place the crowns in the desired position for the best esthetics. You could get a beautifully aligned dazzling smile and also a functional correction of your bite enhancing your facial profile and your smile at the same time.
Is smile makeover painful?
As informed, smile makeover can be a combination of treatments. So depending upon the treatments that are advised, you might have zero to negligible amount of discomfort. With the most advanced techniques and very less invasive methods, a smile makeover does not hurt at all.
When going for implants however, you might have slight pain only on the day of implant placement which is easily managed with the help of pain killers.