What is a smile makeover?
Smile makeover is a procedure that allows the patient to function better when they eat, to have a very aesthetic, beautiful result, and to just boost the patient's confidence in themselves.
Are smile makeovers fully cosmetic, or are they fully restorative?
I'm telling you honestly, it's both. Patients that have broken teeth, have been through an accident, or have some decay in their mouth, a large portion would be dysfunction. You know, we have to give them the ability to chew again, to restore things to the way they used to be. Lucky enough, aesthetics go into play, because we can talk about shade, we can talk about shape, and we can make things any way the patient desires.
What are we trying to achieve with a smile makeover?
The best answer to that would be number one, function, the ability for the patient to chew, to eat, because as we know, everything that happens in the mouth relates to the rest of our body, you know, heart, other organs. Yes, the goal is to live a better life and also to feel confident about their look and their smile.
Who would be a good candidate for a smile makeover?
A simple exam, a consultation, just talking one-on-one with a patient, we can determine that. Patients have different desires, different goals, and of course, an exam will tell us whether there is an issue with a bite, or things that we can improve. Maybe the digestive system is suffering because of the way things are coming together in the mouth. So really, a good exam, consultation, and speaking with a patient will tell us the best result.
What are the steps of a smile makeover process?
We always start with a consultation or an exam. I like to hear from a patient what they see for themselves, what they want to achieve. We take a lot of photos of you. As you know, we have quite a large selection of equipment here, and we take photos, we take pictures, we take scans. That will be the very first, very important step of the process. Then if we were to start the process, we're gonna go ahead and start working on the teeth, always making sure that the patient is comfortable, is fully numb. We give blankets, we give pillows, we have movies and headphones, whatever you need, we have it. There will be a period of time where the patient will be in temporaries, and that's all normal. It's either to test how they're functioning or having them in temporaries while we're waiting for the porcelain work to be made. Once that process is complete, we will cement everything or bond it in place. Once again, lots of photos, bite equilibration, maybe some more impressions. And usually at the end, we like to put a patient either in a night guard or some sort of an appliance so that they can protect their investment and have their beautiful smile for a very long time.
What are the benefits of a smile makeover?
The benefits of a smile makeover are huge. In fact, it can be life-changing. Oftentimes we sit down with the patient at the end of the process and ask them, are you glad you did it? And we hear amazing stories, amazing wins, happy tears, and we often hear, I wish I did it earlier. It truly is life-changing from a confidence perspective. Life just changes. So many compliments, the way they smile, they speak, and of course, function, so important. Ability to chew. So many people are either in pain or cannot bite down fully and have problems. So long-term benefits are just phenomenal.
How long will it take me to heal after I have a smile makeover?
Usually it may be sore for a day or two. It's nothing significant. You can smile right away. You can go to work right away. We often joke with the patients and say, you know, maybe no karaoke for you for the first two hours, but you're free to function. You may brush, you may floss, you may rinse. It's really a great process.