What is a smile makeover?
A smile makeover is any change that you make to the majority of your teeth that show in daily life in a way that changes your appearance, makes it whiter, brighter, better presented, or makes you more comfortable or more confident in your smile.
Are smile makeovers considered cosmetic or restorative dentistry?
It can be either. If you're talking about purely cosmetic dentistry, you're just changing the teeth themselves so that they look different. They are not expected to function differently. You're not repairing anything that's broken. You're just saying, "Hey, I want a new look for my teeth."
On the other hand, restorative dentistry is usually the term that we use if there are lots of things that need to be repaired. It's chipped, cracked, broken, the bite is collapsed, things have changed, shifted position, space has opened up, or the teeth just aren't functioning in the way that they should function. A smile makeover can fix either or both of those things at the same time, depending on what you need for your smile.
What are the goals of a smile makeover?
Usually, the goal of a smile makeover is to improve the fit and the function, repair any damage to the teeth, and at the same time have an end result that's pleasing to the outside world, makes you more confident, brightens and whitens your smile, and improves your overall presentation to the world.
Who would be a good candidate for a smile makeover?
Anyone can be a good candidate for a smile makeover as long as you're generally past the age of 18 and you have things about your smile that you'd just like to change. Whether it's the position of your teeth, gaps in between them, chips, cracks, breaks, or if you're more concerned about the function of your teeth, how you chew, the fit of your jaw, whether your teeth are making good contact in the back, any of those situations can make you a good candidate for a smile makeover.
What's involved in a smile makeover?
A smile makeover can take many different forms. At its simplest, we might just rearrange the position of the teeth, maybe use clear aligners, change the position, get rid of some gaps, and whiten and brighten the smile without changing much about the teeth themselves.
At its most involved, it can involve changing each and every tooth itself so that the system on top and the system down below fit well, you can chew your food comfortably with how your teeth come together, and any damage that might be present is repaired.
What are the benefits of a smile makeover?
For most people, they say an immediate increase in their self-esteem, an immediate appearance change to the outside world, and an immediate boost of confidence that they have when they are talking to the people in their daily lives.
But one of the other benefits that people report when they've had a smile makeover is they say, "I never realized my teeth could fit together this well. I never realized what a comfortable bite was. And I never realized how well my teeth could function together, the tops and the bottoms, when they are even and equal, and they are designed to work in harmony."
Do I need anesthesia for a smile makeover?
A lot of patients ask us, "Do I need anesthesia for a smile makeover?" And we've seen cases where yes, they did, and other cases where no, they didn't. The answer really depends on what you need for your individual smile and what procedures are necessary to take it to the smile of your dreams, to make those things happen that you love the appearance, and we've repaired anything that's chipped, cracked, or broken so that you can feel comfortable and also have all of the structures in proper working order.
How long will it take to heal from a smile makeover?
Usually, the answer is as soon as those dental crowns are in and the cement is cured, or the teeth are cleaned up, and you leave the office, you are functioning just like any other normal human on the planet. You can use them. You can smile. You can laugh. You can talk. You can chew. Go ahead and use them. They are ready for you.
Can I resume regular brushing and flossing after a smile makeover?
Yes. In fact, we mandate it. You must resume your regular brushing and flossing after a smile makeover. In fact, we'd like you to be taking equal or better care of your teeth even during the smile makeover process itself. Sometimes there are very specific instructions, and we can guide you through those. If there's something special you should do or not do, we will tell you clearly.
How can I schedule an appointment at Clackamas Smiles Family Dental to discuss a smile makeover?
Really, the best way is to pick up the phone and call the office at 503-786-3000. Let them know that there's something about your smile or your bite or the fit of your teeth on top and the bottom or their function that you're not happy with. Once we hear that, we can give you an appointment where we sit down and we talk specifically about this.
Maybe it's just an appearance and position thing; we could talk about those. Or if it's a more significant issue, if the teeth are broken, the teeth are shifting, or the teeth are not functioning top and bottom together in the system that they're designed for, we could bring that to your attention as well.
At Clackamas Smiles Family Dental, your smile is our priority. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call our team at 503-786-3000, or you can email us at [email protected]. Our staff would love to talk with you!
What's a typical treatment?
So what's involved in a smile makeover? Let's say you had that wear and tear on the back teeth. The surfaces are ground down, and the top and the bottom are closer together, not in a way that we want. Well then, we'd have to make a plan of how to get that space back. We'd open up the bite so not only is there room for something in the front that looks good and suits your smile line, but there's also a new surface on the back for those teeth to be durable, last a long time, and have the proper bite between the top and the bottom teeth.
How to choose a cosmetic dentist?
Okay, yeah. So you might be thinking, how do I pick the right dentist? Do I pick someone who's cosmetic, who just focuses on that? Do I pick someone who's just on some list online? The answer is you have a big decision to make. One of the most important things is that you can find someone that knows when the top and the bottom aren't fitting well together. That's a little more nuanced than just saying, hey we can put something white on the front of the teeth that looks good, like veneers or whitening. If there's any question at all in terms of the fit between the top and the bottom, you're going to want to do a deeper dive. Find someone who's taken additional training, someone who has additional certifications. Those are pretty easy to find, whether it's a cosmetic organization or a dental CE course or a continuum. Those are things that can really help point you toward someone who's done the extra work to understand the fit of the bite and how to make that work so that the fronts last as long as possible.
Tips on finding qualified cosmetic dentists
Well, all right, I'm going to pick a dentist. I saw this guy online. He's got tons of pictures. One of the most important questions you can ask if you contact that office is, are these before and afters from your office? Did that actual doctor do that treatment? This might surprise you, but not every website has cases that that doctor has treated. So when you're screening for someone to either fix your bite, do a rehab, just do some veneers, or even something as simple as whitening, it's in your best interest to do some homework. And that homework is, what do your before and afters look like? Did you do all these cases? Are these truly your patients? As well as look for some reviews and talk to someone who's had treatment with their office before. If you get any pushback whatsoever, you haven't picked the right office. Keep looking.
Difference between veneers and crowns
So what's the difference between veneers and crowns? We've talked about veneers and whitening and smile rehab, and it gets confusing. A veneer just covers. If someone asks for a veneer and we see that the biting surface is damaged, we'll automatically say, hey, let's replace both of these or repair them both simultaneously. If we can, on the other hand, only do something that's on the front or the showing surface of the tooth, and it doesn't have to involve the biting surface because that's in good shape, then we won't cover that. Dentistry's come a long way since the days of extensive treatment or invasive procedures. A lot of these procedures are much more conservative. They only involve the part of the tooth that either shows or functions, and that's a big benefit to you. The less we intervene, the more natural surface there is, the fewer problems you have afterwards. So the nice part is you don't need to know what you need, but you need to go to someone who can tell you the difference and can answer the question clearly in words so that you understand why you need one thing or another. They'll help guide you through that process of, do I need a crown? Do I need a veneer? Do I need something else? They'll say it in plain English in a way that you can understand so that you feel confident.