Are you considering a smile makeover? If you’re in the early stages of looking at smile makeovers, you might not understand what a smile makeover is. 

That’s where we’d like to help. Stephens & Gatewood Dentistry would like to explain what a smile makeover is, how the procedure works, and what results you might expect from your smile makeover.

What Are Your Goals?

The first step in a smile makeover is consulting a cosmetic dentist. During this consultation, you will discuss your smile makeover goals. Some common goals people have for their smile makeover include:

  • Straightening teeth
  • Closing gaps and managing tooth-crowding
  • Replacing missing teeth
  • Repairing damaged teeth
  • Achieving a youthful smile
  • Restoring facial proportions

We’ll talk more about these specific goals in a moment, but we first want to address the fact that many people don’t know the changes they want to make to their smile. That’s okay. Just tell your cosmetic dentist what you can say about what you want. For example, you might be able to say that you want a smile that makes you more confident. Or perhaps you know you want your smile to look as it did when you were younger. Maybe you want a smile similar to that of a favorite celebrity that people say you look like. In this case, bring in pictures of yourself or the celebrity in question, and we’ll be able to evaluate whether we can achieve that smile for you. In the case of a celebrity smile, remember that a smile is more than just teeth–not all smiles would look good on your face. 

Straightening Teeth

If your teeth are crooked, you might want to straighten them. Orthodontics is the most well-known approach to achieving a straight smile. That’s what the word means: straight teeth. We offer Invisalign to accomplish this goal. 

We can also utilize porcelain veneers and/or dental crowns to reshape your teeth to be straight. This has the benefit that it can be much faster than traditional orthodontics, taking weeks instead of months. In addition, using veneers and crowns lets us address tooth shape, discoloration, and more issues. 

Closing Gaps and Managing Tooth Crowding

If you have gaps between teeth or have crowded teeth, orthodontics is often a great choice to reposition your teeth to eliminate these cosmetic complaints. 

Sometimes, we recommend veneers or crowns in this case. Veneers and crowns work especially well to eliminate a gap–also called a diastema–between your two middle teeth, known as the central incisors. 

Replacing Missing Teeth

Missing teeth are one of the most noticeable cosmetic complaints you might have about your smile. Fortunately, we have multiple options to replace one or more lost teeth. 

These days, dental implants are the most sought-after tooth replacement. They look and function just like natural teeth. In some situations, a dental bridge can be a good way to replace a missing tooth. 

Repairing Damaged Teeth

Chipped, cracked, or worn teeth can make your smile look unattractive. Not only is the tooth damage visible, but it can accumulate stains. Left untreated, this damage might even lead to early tooth failure. As part of a smile makeover, porcelain veneers are a great way to repair this damage since this lets us brighten your teeth at the same time. 

Achieving a Youthful Smile

There are many characteristics of a youthful smile that you might miss: the shape of your teeth, their sizes compared to one another, their bright whiteness, and more. We have multiple approaches to help your smile look younger with a smile makeover. 

Restoring Facial Proportions

The shape of your face depends on your teeth. As your teeth get worn down or lost, your face can contract. This leads to skin folds, sagging skin, and more. It can cause wrinkles, jowls, turkey neck, and other changes you might not like about your age. Fortunately, restoring your teeth can turn back the clock on these changes and help restore your face shape so you can look younger while still looking like you. 

Can I Preview the Results from My Smile Makeover?

Yes! These days, we can do many things during or after your consultation to give you a good idea about what the results of your smile makeover will look like. The easiest is using computer imagery to show what your smile might look like after different procedures. This can help you sometimes decide between competing procedures like orthodontics and veneers. 

We can also show you before and after images from cases like yours. Although these are different people, you’ll be able to see how much change you can achieve with a smile makeover (Spoiler: it’s a lot!). 

In some cases, we can even mock up your new smile. This might mean going so far as to make temporary restorations that you can wear.

How Much Does a Smile Makeover Cost?

Since a smile makeover is a custom procedure, it’s tough to say precisely how much your smile makeover will cost. 

Factors that might influence the cost of your smile makeover include:

  • Procedures chosen
  • The number of teeth you want changed
  • The types of materials used for your restorations

We’ll talk about costs during your consultation and discuss different combinations of procedures that can reduce the cost. You will have a reliable cost estimate before you commit to a smile makeover.

How Long Does a Smile Makeover Take?

adult man smiling with teethA smile makeover is custom, so how long it takes depends on the procedures you choose for your makeover. Some procedures can be very fast, and you might be able to get a smile makeover in under a month. You can expect a quick makeover like this if you’re just getting veneers and/or crowns. 

Orthodontics takes longer. We can only move our teeth so fast as our bones reshape in our mouth, allowing the teeth to move. This will take months, sometimes a year, and occasionally even longer. 

Dental implants depend on your oral health. If you’re healthy, they might take a month or less. If you have poor oral health and/or lack enough bone to support implants, the procedure can take much longer, perhaps six months.

How Do I Take Care of My Smile Makeover?

In general, take care of your smile makeover as you take care of natural teeth. Use your teeth for biting and chewing, not as tools (pliers, scissors, nutcrackers, bottle openers, etc.). Keep up good oral hygiene–regular brushing and flossing. Depending on your procedure, we might tweak your hygiene routine with different tools or slightly different techniques. 

Always remember to wear a mouthguard as recommended. This includes nightly wear of a mouthguard to protect your teeth from clenching and grinding during sleep.

How Long Will My Results Last?

Smile makeover results can last long, depending on the procedures used. Prosthodontic treatments, like veneers and crowns, will likely last a decade or more. Sometimes much more if properly cared for. 

Dental implants can last a lifetime, though the prosthetics on top will last about as long as other crowns and bridges. 

Orthodontic results can last a lifetime if you remember to wear your retainers.

Have More Questions about Smile Makeovers?

We hope we answered your questions about smile makeovers, but if not, we’re ready to rectify that problem. 

To make an appointment for a smile makeover consultation, please call (281) 320-2000. You can also use our contact form to ask questions or schedule an appointment at our Cypresswood or Auburn Lakes office in Spring, TX.