January 30, 2023
What Makes for a Great Smile Makeover?
Whilst maintaining good oral health is important for the general well-being and neglecting your teeth can lead to other, sometimes serious health issues, the aesthetic aspect of dental treatments should not be neglected.
Teeth are simply important to how we look, and a great smile can make all the difference in how others perceive us, and how confident we feel in the world, at work or in our personal relationships.
What is cosmetic dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry involves using a variety of techniques to improve teeth aesthetics. It may include specialised tooth-cleansing treatments that remove stains from your teeth, or dental procedures that repair damage to your teeth, building teeth up, fixing cosmetic damage, evening things out and more.
We’ve all heard of the celebrities who show off their gorgeous smiles. But whilst a full-on Hollywood Smile might not be in everyone’s reach, modern cosmetic dentistry offers a selection of treatments that can seriously improve the look of your teeth.
Where is the best place to start?
Tooth whitening is one of the most common cosmetic dentistry treatments in the UK but there are several other treatments available including porcelain dental veneers, dental crowns, replacing of missing tooth with dental bridges and implants. Some orthodontics can also have a huge effect on the aesthetics of your smile.
Recently, there has also been a growing trend in dental practices offering medical cosmetology, i.e. facial rejuvenating treatments that stop short of cosmetic surgery but are more advanced that what a beautician can provide, which naturally go with improving facial appearance.
Let us have a look at some of the most popular cosmetic dentistry treatments.
Teeth whitening
The natural color of our teeth varies greatly from one individual to another: not everyone is blessed by genetics with “pearly whites”.
Lifestyle adds to the issue, with tea, coffee and wine all known to stain your enamel when consumed regularly. Having your teeth whitened by a dentist will provide a brighter, whiter smile than any DIY product. And because it’s done professionally, it’s also much safer.
No wonder teeth whitening is the most popular cosmetic treatment in Britain, with more than 40% patients choosing it.
How is it done? The dentist takes an impression of your teeth to make a “bleaching tray” similar to a mouthguard, to be used with a bleaching gel. After that, you simply apply the gel to your mouthguard at home every day for a specified period. Some whitening gels can be applied for up to eight hours at a stretch, which can cut down the duration of treatments.
Laser whitening is another type of teeth whitening system provided by dentists. A bleaching agent is applied to teeth and then a special laser device is used to activate the bleaching. Whitening teeth using a laser takes about an hour.
The results of whitening treatments are pretty impressive and can last for as long as several years.
Veneers
Veneers are made from porcelain and are applied to improve the strength and appearance of teeth. They’re made to look just like your own natural tooth color so they fit in perfectly with your smile, making them virtually invisible.This thin layer is bonded to the front of the tooth entirely changing its appearance.
It requires minimal preparation, so it’s an easy and fast cosmetic dentistry procedure. Cosmetic porcelain veneers can be used to:
- Improve the look of discoloured or badly stained teeth
- Make sure your smile looks more even by giving your teeth a more even appearance.
- Repair damaged tooth enamel
- Correct crooked/misaligned or uneven unevenly sized teeth
- Fix gaps between teeth.
Veneers are affordable, minimally invasive and provide spectacular results.
Dental crowns
A dental crown is a cap that fully covers the real tooth, or what remains of it, underneath the crown. Crowns can be used for restorative purposes, for example to replace a largely broken or damaged tooth, or to protect what remains of a damaged tooth, but also to make a functional tooth look better.
A crown is usually made from metal, porcelain fused to metal, or ceramic and is fixed to your tooth. The old tooth is reduced in size, creating a basethe crown will be fixed on to. The crown is prepared in the special lab, and usually is fixed onto the prepared base during the second appointment.
Crowns used for cosmetic purposes are typically made from porcelain and their colour is carefully selected to match your other teeth. Metal crowns also exist and for some can even be a fashion statement!
Dental implants
While implants have more than just a cosmetic function, their cosmetic appeal is unquestionable. A permanent replacement for severely damaged or missing teeth, implants not only look but also work and feel like real teeth, bringing confidence needed to smile, talk and eat as normal.
A dental implant has roots that are composed of titanium, which bonds with the bone to provide the strongest possible support for replacing missing teeth. This root can support a cap (a crown) that mimics the appearance and function of real teeth.
This is one of the most intensive procedures, involving several visits and a lot of preparation, but after the work is completed, you will have a beautiful new tooth (or a whole set of teeth) that looks and feels just as good as new and last for many years, or even can be considered to be permanent! Implant patients don’t need to worry about their missing or damaged teeth again for many years.