Smile Makeovers

Depending on how major a change a person seeks in a smile (and the condition the teeth are in to begin with), treatment costs starts from under £300 for Zoom tooth whitening, but then can vary dependent on what is needed. A mini smile makeover is a reduced version of this full smile makeover treatment. To help you to budget for your treatment we can offer interest free credit over 10 months for all dental treatments over £500, and interest bearing credit options for repayments over 3 or 5 years.

A mini smile makeover takes the simplest and most convenient options available to deliver the quickest and most cost effective smile makeover possible. Typically a mini smile makeover includes:

• Air abrasion to remove any surface stains from the teeth, this may be enough if your teeth are nicely aligned and a good shape.
• Teeth whitening - The whitening process can usually be undertaken in either a 1 hour appointment here at the practice or over a couple of days at home by wearing bleaching trays at night.
• Dental bonding - This will be done in the dental practice and usually takes anywhere between 30 min and a couple of hours depending on how many teeth are having the bonding process.

A mini smile makeover is not suitable for everyone, it can only be used for patients who:

• Have mildly crooked or rotated/twisted teeth.
• Don’t have complex dental health issues.
• Don’t want to replace any missing teeth.
• Don’t wish to change the way their teeth bite together (occlusion).
• Want a simple fix to a relatively non-complicated dental problem.

Every smile is completely unique, and therefore it is impossible to predict each stage accurately but here are the most common three stages. 

Stage 1– Aligning crooked teeth.

In a full smile makeover this can be done using a variety of techniques, including but not always limited to:

• Orthodontics to move, rotate and twist teeth back into straighter alignment. Different orthodontic options are available such as rapid orthodontics with Quick Straight Teeth or invisible orthodontics using Invisalign.
• Veneers or crowns to rebuild teeth and also realigned them. One of the problems with veneers is that they cannot bodily move a tooth like orthodontics can, veneers are usually only suitable for teeth which are twisted but in the correct position.
• Bonding, this is a minimally invasive approach where a small amount of tooth coloured resin is placed over the surface of the tooth, very similar to veneers it cannot bodily move a tooth to make it more aligned, it simply builds up a part of the tooth which is too far back to make it look straighter from the front.

Stage 2– Whitening dark teeth.

The method of whitening depends upon how dark teeth are in the first place and if there are any other associated problems which need to be treated at the same time e.g. broken down teeth or rotated teeth. We always prefer to maintain as much natural tooth structure as possible and so the simplest option is usually to whiten dark teeth with a combination of tooth whitening or air abrasion (Airflow).

Airflow involves using a very fine sand particles which are gently blasted over the surface of the tooth. Whilst this doesn’t actually whiten the teeth themselves, it is incredibly efficient at removing surface stains, particularly tea, coffee, red wine, curry spices or smokers stains. It is a simple and pain free treatment which can often be provided in approximately 30 min.

We have large range of different tooth whitening options at the practice and we will recommend the best option for you.This could be rapid teeth whitening such as Zoom! Or Enlighten in the dental practice, or home whitening undertaken using a night time bleaching tray and gel.

If the teeth are particularly dark or damaged, then traditional tooth bleaching may not be sufficient to whiten the teeth to the desired colour, in this case teeth whitening can be used in conjunction with either bonding or veneers.

The natural tooth is whitened to provide a light base for of veneer which fits over the surface. The veneer can then be made in the ideal colour, to match the surrounding teeth for a seamless smile.

Stage 3 of a smile makeover – Rebuilding broken down or damaged teeth

The final stage of cosmetic dentistry smile makeover is to think about restorative options. Your dentist will have already considered aligning the teeth and orthodontics and whitening the teeth with either teeth whitening or air abrasion… But what about the teeth that are damaged or broken down?

This is where the final stage of treatment options comes into play, usually this will include composite bonding, veneers, implants or crowns.

Composite bonding involves the dentist placing a small amount of tooth coloured resin over the surface of teeth, this can be particularly useful for chipped teeth or teeth with small surface pits.

If the tooth is more broken down or more heavily damaged/discoloured then veneers can also be considered. A porcelain veneer fits over the surface of the tooth, completely covering any damaged natural tooth and restoring any broken down areas.

Sometimes a tooth is so broken down or damaged that a veneer is not adequate, in this case a full coverage crown will be used. This covers the entire part of the tooth which you see, including the tongue side and biting surfaces. A crown can therefore be made in any colour and any shape making it a perfect component of cosmetic dentistry.

Implants can also be used to fill larger gaps created by missing teeth, or teeth that cannot be repaired.