What Goes into A Smile Makeover?

Our Burlington Dentist is back with more to say about cosmetic dental work! One of the main things we get asked about in our dental office is: “I don’t like my smile; how can I make it better?”

We LOVE this question! It goes to show you how much actually goes into designing a new smile. Anyone can cover the teeth with ceramic and make them look white, but not everyone knows how to make them look natural and beautiful!

So, what do we see when we think someone has a pretty smile? Answer: several things. Shade of the teeth, shape, contours, symmetry, gum contours , lip shape, buccal corridors, alignment, translucency of teeth and their size (length and width). Quite a lot isn’t it!

Planning a smile comprehensively to achieve healthy but esthetic results that make you want to smile is a complex process. Here at Blossom Smiles Dental, our Burlington dentist breaks it down.

The first step is taking photographs, models, and x-rays, while doing a complete exam of the teeth and everything else inside the mouth as well as the lips.

When we think about a smile makeover, our Burlington dentists want to give them the best possible chance to last as long as possible. Hence, we believe the foundation on which we build needs to be solid. We use x-rays to determine if there are any hidden tooth cavities or diseases in the bone, or infections that need to be cleared first to avoid pain or disrupting the process of building the new smile.

Photographs and models are the main tools we use to design a smile. Like they say, a picture speaks louder than words! When we look at the smile relative to the face, then relative to only the lips, then look at the teeth alone all from different angles, we can see what the real concerns are. IS it the alignment of the teeth? Can that be fixed by our Burlington orthodontics team? Should we go for Invisalign instead? Or does the patient wish to fix it by veneers or bonding alone? Can it be done or are there limitations?

What if the concern is the buccal corridors? The Buccal corridors are the space between the cheek and the teeth when we smile. Essentially, the less we see of that darkness, the prettier we perceive a smile. Both the number and size of teeth showing while we smile help shape the buccal corridors.

What does the gum line look like? Is it even or crooked? What about the color, do we need whitening or does the patient not desire that? If there’s a lot of gum display, is it the lip pulling higher, or the gum being excessive in size? Are the teeth symmetrical in shape and size or have they been heavily treated that they all look different and non-symmetrical? Does their shape look feminine or masculine enough for the patient? Are they translucent or opaque? Translucency helps perceive the teeth as more natural but needs to be strategically placed so the doesn’t look “greyer”.

All these questions need to be answered and discussed with our patients before we begin to design the smile! Our Burlington dentist does measurements, discusses all the above thoroughly over several visits as needed, and shows the patient different designs to pick what they please. This takes us to the next step, the Wax up.

More to come on that in our next blog. If you are interested in knowing more about any of the above fun steps, drop us a line or give us a call and we’ll be happy to answer all your questions!

Stay tuned!