Everything You Need to Know About Smile Makeover Procedures

A smile makeover is a process that includes several cosmetic dentistry procedures like dental implants, veneers, composite bonding and teeth whitening to improve the appearance of your smile. There are many people who are unhappy with their smile due to broken, chipped or discoloured teeth. If you’re one of them, then a smile makeover procedure is what you should be looking at. This process considers a lot of things such as your facial appearance, hair colour, skin tone, teeth (colour, length, width, shape), lips and gum tissue. To find out more, keep reading this blog-post written after taking inputs from dentists in Brampton.

Dental Issues Fixed by Smile Makeover Procedures

Smile makeover procedures can do the following:

• Restore missing teeth
• Adjust uneven or disproportionate gum line
• Replace old and unattractive dental treatments
• Repair misaligned, decayed or damaged teeth
• Correct an improper bite

Cosmetic Smile Makeover Procedures

We are going over all the important cosmetic dentistry procedures that improve the aesthetic appearance of your teeth, gums and overall smile.

• Teeth Whitening

It is the technique to restore the natural colour of your teeth if they are discoloured due to smoking cigarettes, drinking wine or consuming certain foods. This procedure uses chemical bleaching agents to break up the stained enamel revealing your teeth’s natural colour underneath. You can get this done at a dental clinic by the professionals or at home by yourself. If you’re getting it done at a clinic, the dentist will insert a cheek retractor into your mouth to expose the teeth, apply a whitening product like peroxide-based gel on your teeth and then use a laser to activate it. The gel will remain on your teeth for fifteen to thirty minutes and then it can be reapplied as needed. After the procedure, you can get four to eight shades whiter teeth in a span of an hour. Custom-fit trays or over-the-counter teeth whitening treatments are other ways of treating discoloured teeth. But they might not be as effective as the professional treatment, so, choose the one based on your budget and preferences.

• Tooth Recontouring

Tooth recontouring, also known as enameloplasty or odontoplasty is a procedure where a small part of tooth enamel is removed to change a tooth’s length and shape. This helps to reshape slightly crooked or uneven teeth and make it appear symmetrical. The only disadvantage of this treatment is that it is irreversible which means if you want to alter it later, it may not be possible. However, this is a viable and economical option to correct minor aesthetic irregularities.

• Dental Implants

Dental implants provide a permanent solution for restoring missing teeth. An implant consists of a titanium post that is attached to the jawbone onto which a dental appliance like an artificial crown can be fixed. Though they can be installed to support bridges and removable overdentures, this procedure is time-consuming as you have to visit your dentist more than once. At the initial consultation, your dentist will scan your jawbone position to locate nerves and sinuses. By doing so, they will know where to place the implant and whether bone grafting is needed or not. Attaching the implants require two separate surgeries where the first one involves installing the implant posts into the jawbone. The second surgery, on the other hand, takes place when the post integrates into the bone. Then the implant posts are re-exposed and healing caps are applied. After a few weeks, the healing caps will be replaced by abutments upon which dental crowns will be affixed.

NOTE- This procedure can last a lifetime but the treatment process is extensive and costly. Further, it might lead to some health complications including infection, nerve damage and sinus problems afterwards.

• Dental Veneers

A veneer is a thin ceramic shell that’s bonded to the front surface of a damaged tooth to alter its colour, length, size or shape. It can be made from two materials like porcelain or composite where the former is the best option as it can resist stain and look natural. This dental appliance needs to be designed prior to the installation which makes multiple visits to the dentist compulsory. The dentist will remove an amount of enamel from the tooth surface which will be equivalent to the thickness of the incoming veneer. Then, he/she will take an impression of your tooth to design the veneer at the laboratory. This whole process might take a week or two. After this dental appliance is ready for installation, your dentist will roughen the tooth, cement the veneer onto it and harden the cement with laser light. In the end, he/she will remove any excess cement and conduct final adjustments.

NOTE- The only drawback of this technique is tooth sensitivity that can occur when the enamel is removed.

• Clear Aligners

It used to be that kids and adults would have to wear metal braces to fix their crooked and misaligned teeth. Now, clear aligners can do the same job without compromising on your appearance. They are a series of clear removable trays worn in the mouth that can be replaced once in two weeks. This has become the most popular orthodontic option among adult patients as it is less visible and more flexible which means it can be removed while eating or practising oral hygiene. Also, it doesn’t involve cement, brackets and metal wires which make it comfortable to wear all day long.

NOTE- Clear aligners have limitations; it can be used for minor misalignment and not major malformations.

These are some of the important smile makeover procedures that can fix your dental issues and improve your smile. Choose the one that will best suit your requirements. For better guidance, consult a dentist. If you live in Brampton, then you can contact us for a consultation.