Your smile can be your strongest weapon. Not only is a smile the first thing people notice when meeting someone new, but a beautiful smile can also affect perceptions among social circles and even professional settings. A perfect smile is difficult to achieve, what with the array of circumstantial lifestyle choices and a wide variety of personal preferences. In a Wakefield research commissioned by the American Association of Orthodontists, reports affirmed that more than one-third of American adults are unhappy with their smile and have been witness to their “imperfect” smiles affecting various sectors of life including their career endeavors. Fortunately, not all is lost and the smile that you so dearly want may not be too far away from you! With the help of special cosmetic procedures, dentists are now able to custom craft smiles that quality the aesthetic standards of an individual.

Do you need a smile makeover?

How you perceive your smile depends on you. Most individuals may not find anything offensive about their smiles and see no reason to change them. However, if you have been struggling with dental mishaps that have been condemning to your cosmetic preferences, a smile makeover can help you fix just that! A smile makeover is a number of cosmetic dental procedures to achieve a beautifully aligned and perfectly sculpted set of pearly whites.

Here’s how you can know if you need a smile makeover:

• Are your teeth malaligned?: Good dental alignment means that all of your teeth are perfectly straight, in the right position and posture. In case your teeth are crooked and do not follow each other in a natural line, chances are your teeth are malaligned.
• Do you have uneven spaces between your teeth?: Uneven spacing between your teeth can cause your dentition to fall short of filling out. Food lodgement and gradual shifting can occur if you do not fix your uneven teeth.
• Do you have missing teeth?: Similar to uneven spaces, missing or lost teeth due to disease or accidents can be a significant malefactor in tartar and plaque accumulation. Constructive and cosmetic procedures can help fill out these spaces.
• Are your teeth chipped?: If you have recently broken your teeth and not gotten it fixed, your smile may be compromised. Longstanding unresolved chipped teeth can not only hamper aesthetics but will also pose serious problems for your teeth.
• Are your teeth stained?: Are you a coffee enthusiast or maybe a wine connoisseur? Foods like coffee, tea, wine, and cigarettes can innately yellow or discolor your teeth. The only solution? Teeth whitening!
• Are you unsatisfied with your smile?: Often times, there may not be anything inherently wrong with your smile but you may have set the bar too high to reach naturally. If you are not content with your smile or have a gummy smile, a smile makeover can help stitch together the smile of your dreams!

Aesthetic components of a smile makeover

In addition to color, alignment, and balance of your smile, various other components also define the ideal anatomy of your smile. The vital aspects of smile designing include:

• Tooth length: Typically, a longer tooth indicates a more youthful appearance. With age, wear and tear may reduce the teeth to stumps. Reshaping and lengthening teeth with the help of cosmetic bonding or veneers can help your teeth look longer and your facial appearance younger.
• Smile line: The smile line is an imaginary line that follows the edges of your upper teeth from side to side. Ideally, your smile line should be the same as the curve of your lower lip when you smile.
• Tooth proportions: Your dentist will inspect if your teeth are in appropriate proportions to each other. A pleasing smile typically in one in which the two central front teeth are dominant and have a width-to-length ratio of 4-to-5.
• Tooth texture and characterization: A dentist can create crowns and veneers to look more feminine or masculine depending on your need while also making them look as natural as possible.
• Gum components: Gum health, harmony, and levels also play a substantial role in building a good smile. Gums that have been ridden with infection may depict an abhorrent physical appearance, usually considered “unappealing”.

What does a smile makeover entail?

A smile makeover is a process of enhancing one’s smile and overall aesthetics by means of corroborative cosmetic dental procedures. The process of a smile makeover is unique for every individual. Your dentist will plan out a treatment module that best suits your needs. A smile makeover may involve any of the following dental procedures:

• Cosmetic bonding

Dental bonding is a cosmetic procedure whereby a tooth-colored composite resin material is applied to your teeth to improve their appearance. Bonding can be especially helpful for teeth that are chipped, broken or have uneven spaces between them.

• Veneers

A dental veneer is the most cost-effective technique to get a beautiful superstar smile. Veneers are ultra-thin shells that cover the front portion of your teeth and can be exceptional options for minor dental defects such as chipped, stained, or cracked teeth. They can also be tailor-made to fit your teeth perfectly and can be used to reshape teeth that are too small or too big.

• Porcelain crowns

A tooth that has witnessed gross decay or destruction due to fracture can be “covered” with the help of a porcelain dental crown. Implants and post-root canal crowns are mandated to be supported with the help of dental crowns. Crowns are cap-like dental devices that not only restore the cosmetic appearance of a tooth but also support the remaining portion of the tooth to maintain its structural integrity and to prevent collapse or breakdown.

• Enamel shaping

Enamel shaping or contouring is a quick and non-invasive process of altering the shape of your natural teeth to help uplift your appearance. It is mainly used to correct small imperfections such as uneven teeth or teeth that are slightly overcrowded.

• Teeth whitening

People with yellowing or stained teeth are offered a wide array of over-the-counter dental whitening kits that pledge to whiten their teeth almost instantly. However, professional teeth whitening is one of the most reliable processes to get outstanding and long-lasting results.

• Clear aligners

Clear orthodontic aligners such as Invisalign easily replace conventional bracket-and-wire framework of braces due to their ease of wear. With invisible aligners, the dentist can preserve the aesthetics while also delivering the full functional capabilities of your teeth.

• Botox for gummy smile

Sometimes a smile can be too gummy to be considered appealing. In these cases, botulinum toxin or Botox can be injected in the surrounding muscles (mainly of the upper lip) to help reduce the upward movement of the lip during oral functions such as talking and eating, thus reducing the incidence of a gummy smile.

Smile makeovers can make a world of a difference for an individual especially for someone whose self-confidence has been hindered by their imperfect smiles. Never let anything come in between you and your gorgeous smile! Contact your dentist to discover the best course of action for your smile.