Smile Makeover: the way to perfecting your smile

What is a smile makeover?

A smile makeover is exactly what it says. It's changing your smile, improving your smile in a way that makes you happy. It can be anything ranging from conventional braces, clear aligners, or composite bonding, which changes the shape, colour or shade of your teeth. You could also choose porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns. All of these are different options when it comes to a smile makeover.

What happens at a smile design assessment?

When you go for a smile design assessment at the dental clinic, the dentist will take photographs of multiple angles of your teeth and discuss with you what you would like to have done.

They will ask what it is that you want to change; if it just some simple improvement or if you want to have a very large change. Once the dentist and patient have made a decision, the dentist will take a 3D scan of your teeth. This is usually used to digitally design your smile.

How much does a style makeover cost?

The cost of a smile makeover depends on what kind of smile makeover you're having. If it is just a case of minor adjustments to your teeth, whether it's the shape of your teeth or the shade of your teeth, like the colour, then that's simple whitening and what dentists would call composite edge bonding, where dentists go around the edges of your teeth, just to change their shape a little bit. They may make them slightly wider or slightly longer.

Normally these cost hundreds of pounds. They could cost maybe a hundred pounds or 150 pounds per tooth.

However, if you are going to have a complete change of the smile, which may include orthodontics, like Invisalign, this can start from 1800 pounds all the way up to 4,000 pounds.

Again, it depends on the amount of work that you need done. If you're having composite bonding, if it's a full arch case, it's different than if you're doing a couple of teeth with composite veneers. A composite veneer may cost around 300 or 400 pounds, whereas a full arch case, with 10 or more teeth, will cost multiple thousands.

The same applies for porcelain veneers. Porcelain veneers are naturally the highest quality and the highest cost. They can range anything from, maybe one or two teeth, which would cost perhaps in the early couple of thousands up to a full arch, which can cost in the tens of thousands.

The overall cost really does depend on what you're having done. The dentist will discuss this with you and make sure that you are happy with everything that's being done.

What happens during a style makeover?

The first thing dentists do as part of a smile makeover is a 3D scan and a digital mockup.

For the mockup, the dentist will use Photoshop on your teeth or a use special software that simulates what your teeth would look like in certain positions or with certain shapes.

They take into account everything in your face, not just the shapes and sizes of your teeth.

After approval and communication with the digital lab, a physical mockup will be made and it will be tested in your mouth. If you don't like it e.g. if you think the teeth are too broad or thick, and you want to make any changes, this can be done by the dentists. Dentists will go back to the digital mockup and then we ask the dental technicians to change it.

The advantage of this is that you actually physically feel it and see it in your mouth, so it's not a hypothetical screenshot. You actually physically get to test it before you have the final choice. Once you have chosen it, you know what you are having before it is done.

Is a smile makeover painful? 

A smile makeover is not a painful procedure. It depends on what you're having done.

If you're having some composite edge bonding and whitening, then they should be painless. If you're having orthodontic alignment, the teeth can feel tight as they’re moving anyone but you should not be experiencing any pain.

Composite bonding, whether injection molds or veneers, is painless unless the dentist needs to trim around the gum. If you require trimming around the gum, the dentist will give you local anesthetic. The same applies to porcelain veneers. Local anesthetic is given to ensure that it is a painless experience.

However, overall, it is not a painful procedure because it is controlled by the dentist to ensure that it is a painless experience.

What is the recovery time for a smile makeover?

There's no recovery time per-se with a smile makeover. If you're having a little bit of edge bonding or you're having some orthodontic alignment, it depends on the length of the treatment.

For composite bonding, there can be an adjustment phase. Following treatment, you may find that the way that you speak needs to be adapted. That can take maybe a day where you feel that it's slightly different, but there's no recovery period.

You don't need to take days off work to be able to have a smile makeover.