Smiling is one of the non-verbal languages used in everyday life. It is a universal gesture to show positive emotion. Smiling shows a lot about a person that is why it is an important part of people’s lives.
There are times where most people do not like their smiles. Some people have different causes of their insecurities. It may be the color or arrangement of their teeth; it may also be the size and shape of their lips. That is why smile makeovers exist, but what exactly is a smile makeover?
A smile makeover is a dental and cosmetic operation that reconstructs the teeth. In some cases, it includes operating on the lips and cheeks. The common types of smile makeovers include braces, teeth whitening, and teeth repair. Lip and cheek injections are also very common nowadays.
How do you know when you need a smile makeover? Well, it all depends on whether you want something improved. It can be the color of your teeth, or the spacing and alignment, or if you have some damaged teeth.
As simple as smile makeovers sound, it is quite a complicated procedure. But what does a smile makeover involve?
What Does a Smile Makeover Involve?
Braces
The first thing you need for a smile makeover is the right spacing and alignment of your teeth. Braces work by forcing your teeth to readjust its angle and position to the correct place it needs to be.
This procedure involves the use of brackets, archwires, and elastomeric ligatures. The dentist attaches the brackets to each individual tooth to control how your teeth move when they tighten them. Your teeth will start moving once the dentist attaches the archwire within each bracket slot and squeeze it to an arch shape.
The elastomeric ligatures secure the brackets to the archwires to keep the braces in place. After a few months or years of readjustment, you will have a new smile makeover. The braces will not only change your teeth for the better but your jaw too.
Fillings
Do you grind your teeth in your sleep or bite on something harder than your teeth can handle? Then you likely have chipped or missing teeth. Luckily in the dentistry world, they have a fix for this and that is filling.
Fillings are exactly what they sound like they fill in the missing pieces of your teeth. They restore the shape of a chipped tooth by sealing it with a moldable material. Dentists can use gold, silver, porcelain, or composite resins for the filling.
Color
It is one of the best ways to show that bright smile you want everyone to see. Of course, like many people, there are things keeping you from doing that like yellow teeth. You get these from what you eat or drink I’m sure like many you love drinking coffee.
Too bad that’s one of the biggest causes of it. But there’s a way to fix that and that’s by whitening your teeth. You can use over-the-counter products to do this but if you want it done right, you have to go to the dentist. Markham Cosmetic Dentistry can provide that for you.
Fuller Lips and Cheeks
When people hear fuller lips, the first thing they think is lip fillers but there’s more to it. Dentists have found other ways to give fuller lips and cheeks to their patients. Dental restorations are what they came up with.
Smile Makeover Surgery Types
There are several types of surgery involved in improving smiles. But it all depends on what you need. But here are some of the surgery types so you know which one you need.
Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening procedure is the most popular procedure used in cosmetic dentistry. It is a quick and affordable way to improve one’s smile. Once you notice some discoloration on your teeth, go through teeth whitening.
This procedure uses hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. These components change the natural color of your teeth to look lighter. This makes your smile look more appealing not only for others but for you as well. Extrinsic discoloration means the stains are on the surface of your teeth. Intrinsic discoloration means the stains form from inside the teeth.
Dental Bonding
Dental bonding is repairing damaged teeth to improve a person’s smile. It includes repairing damaged and discolored teeth. It can also change the shape of your teeth. Last, it can protect the roots of your teeth once your gums have receded, exposing the roots.
The composite resin material will then be applied to your tooth, shaped, and smoothened. The dentist will then apply a special blue light to harden the material. After that, the dentist will trim and polish the material. One tooth takes about 30 minutes to an hour depending on the damage.
Porcelain veneers
Porcelain veneers are medical-grade ceramic thin shells. The veneers adhere onto the front surface of the teeth, giving an instant perfect smile. It sounds easy, but making veneers is much more complicated.
Veneers are specifically made for each patient. Each person has different teeth alignment, it is important to measure each patient. Dr. Charles Pincus was a Hollywood dentist who invented veneers.
Who can be candidates for veneers? People who have misaligned, damaged, missing, or discolored teeth can get veneers. Through this, anyone can achieve the perfect smile.
CEREC Crown
CEREC or “Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics ” is the process that involves the computer-aided design and CAD/CAM to create materials. This technology can design crowns, dentures, dental implants, veneers, and other orthodontic devices.
The dentists will first examine your teeth structure if the CEREC crown is appropriate. The dentists will then digitally scan your teeth with an intraoral camera to make a 3D model of your teeth.
Invisalign
Another name for Invisalign is “Invisible Braces”. This procedure is the same with braces minus the metal wiring in front of your teeth. This is popular among adults who do not want metal showing when they smile.
The dentist will start off by molding your teeth to make a digital scan of them. The 3D program allows you to look at the before and after of your teeth even before the treatment starts. This gives you and your dentist an idea of how your teeth will look after the treatment.
This treatment can take 9 months to a year depending on your situation. The prices of Invisalign get higher the longer the treatment is. Like braces, you will need to wear retainers when the treatment is done.
Conclusion
If you are feeling insecure about your smile, you might go to your dentist and ask which the best way to get a better smile is. Do not be afraid to go out there and get your perfect smile because it will be worth it in the end.