A smile makeover is the treatment to improve the appearance of your smile through one or several cosmetic dentistry procedures, such as composite bonding, dental veneers, dental implants, and teeth whitening.
Some factors taken into consideration include your facial appearance, your teeth, their color, length, width, and shape, your gum tissue, your skin tone, hair color, and your lips. Smile makeovers are performed for many reasons and are personalized according to your individual considerations.
Aspects and Features of Your Smile
What is it that you either like or dislike about your smile? Several features that your dentist will review with you and might be improved upon include:
- Tooth Color- Silver or amalgam fillings can be easily replaced with natural colored composite fillings, while teeth whitening can simply improve the color of your teeth. Your tooth color is an essential consideration during the preparation for various procedures, including porcelain crowns, bonding, veneers, bridges, and dental implants.
A well-shaped, natural smile with healthy, white teeth suggests a youthful appearance. The shade your dental team selects for teeth whitening or veneers is evaluated based on the tone and color of your face and hair. Dentists are trained and skilled at achieving the right balance with a brighter, whiter smile while maintaining your natural tooth color.
- Alignment and Spacing- Teeth that are crooked, overlapping, or have gaps between them can be easily corrected with orthodontics, Invisalign, or veneers.
- Missing Teeth- One or more missing teeth will negatively affect your smile, as well as impact your bite and increase the risk for decay, compelling a replacement as an integral part of your oral health and aesthetics.
- Harmony and Balance- Uneven, cracked, or chipped teeth can be easily bonded for an improved appearance, and a gummy smile can be corrected with simple gum contouring to improve the look of your smile.
- Fuller Lips, Smile, and Cheeks- An aging or even unshapely face can be rejuvenated with certain procedures in the smile makeover process, such as oral maxillofacial surgery.
A cosmetic dentist can collaborate with you to develop your treatment plan designed to achieve your goals for your makeover. This treatment plan may include just one or several procedures, such as teeth whitening, composite bonding, veneers, dental crowns, orthodontics, oral maxillofacial surgery, and gummy smile reduction.
Aesthetic Components of a Smile Makeover
In addition to your teeth in the aesthetic zone of your smile, both upper and lower teeth, which show when you smile, there are features of your smile that your cosmetic dentist will evaluate with you. These include:
- Length- Long teeth look youthful. Aging causes wear and tear that results in shorter teeth, and a gummy smile can also make your teeth appear shorter. An easy treatment for shorter teeth might include reshaping or lengthening your front teeth with composite bonding or porcelain veneers. If you have a gummy smile, the gum line can be recontoured to allow more of the teeth to show. Teeth lengthening can impact your overall facial appearance as well.
- Smile Line- This is an imaginary line that follows the edges of your upper teeth from side to side, which should match the curve of your lower lip during your smile.
- Tooth Proportions- Your cosmetic dentist will also examine your teeth to determine if they are in correct proportion with each other.
- Tooth Texture and Characterization- An artistic dentist can characterize your crowns or veneers to create an ideal appearance, matching the look and feel of your natural teeth.
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