A smile makeover is a process of enhancing your smile by following a customized dental treatment plan of cosmetic dentistry procedures. Every patient is unique and thus will require a different set of procedures to complete their smile makeover.
Dental Issues Addressed:
- Stained or discolored teeth: Brushing teeth is not enough to clean away stains from tea, coffee, cigarettes or other foods. Teeth whitening can be a good solution to eliminate stains.
- Minor gaps and chips: A smile that reveals gaps and jagged teeth can be troubling for some patients. Minor imperfections like gaps and chips can be corrected by dental bonding.
- Tooth decay: Mild to moderate decay impacts people of all ages. Dr. Yost will remove the decay and recommend dental filling or dental inlays/onlays to fill the cavity.
- Cracked, broken or fractured tooth: If an dental inlay/onlay or filling will not suffice to fix damaged teeth, a dental crown can be used to cover the tooth.
- Missing teeth: A missing tooth hurts your smile’s appearance. It also increases the risk of getting tooth decay and affects your bite. Options such as dental implants or bridges are viable.
- Swollen bleeding gums: Gum disease is associated with swollen, inflamed, or painful gums. Periodontal disease treatment involves deep cleaning, and if the disease has advanced, surgical intervention is done.
- Severe tooth pain: Tooth pain may signify that you have various dental issues. Apart from decay, another common cause of tooth pain is a root canal infection.
- Broken and severely worn dentine: Neglecting your oral health often leads to severe dental issues that require multiple cosmetic and restorative dentistry treatments.
Dr. Yost and ADA work closely with each patient on a dental treatment plan that fulfills all the objectives of the smile makeover. As part of the process to develop a plan, we review:
Tooth color:
Teeth whitening improves the color of dulled or stained teeth. Tooth-colored composites can be used as a replacement for amalgam or silver dental fillings. During the preparation for procedures such as veneers, bridges, crowns, implants, and dental bonding, it is essential to consider factors like color and shading.
Straightness:
Special Orthodontic treatments can help to improve the straightness of one’s smile. Solutions like Invisalign, tooth-colored braces, and incognito lingual braces are available for adult tooth straightening.
Harmony and balance:
Uneven, cracked, and chipped teeth can be bonded to improve your appearance. A gummy smile is re-contoured to enhance the look of the overall smile.
Maintaining the Smile Makeover Results:
It is essential to maintain regular oral hygiene practice after dentistry procedures. After teeth whitening, the process must be repeated over time to maintain the brightness. Taking good care of your restorations helps to maintain your smile for a long time. Here are a few tips:
Toothpaste that is highly abrasive and some tooth brushing habits may scratch the restoration surfaces, making their luster and polish to appear dull. Your dentist may recommend using non-abrasive fluoride toothpaste.
Flossing removes plaque and debris from your teeth and increases the lifespan of dental restorations. It also helps to prevent tooth decay.
Use alcohol-free mouthwashes. A mouthwash that contains alcohol can harm your composite fillings. Mouth rinses containing alcohol can weaken the bond between your teeth and the restorations.
Refrain from chewing or biting hard objects. Grinding your teeth (bruxism) can damage your restorations. Wearing a nightguard helps to prevent bruxism.
Avoid foods with high sugar content to prevent cavities. Limit your consumption of coffee, tea, soda, and other beverages that might stain your teeth. Excessive alcohol may ruin the dental work.
Dr. Yost specializes in restoring smiles for patients. Please contact us to ask questions about our procedures or to schedule a free consultation.
