You might have already identified some of the most common reasons why a smile can be less than what you’re completely happy with.
Some reasons include:
Even dentists are patients and have their own concerns over what other people think of them when they smile.
You can read about Dr Ian Harper’s journey to his own ideal smile and what a dentist will do to fix their own teeth.
It can be very hard for a person to know exactly what they need done in order to get the smile that allows them to smile again without worry. Even when the cause seems obvious it may not be the whole story.
Quite often people focus on the most obvious problem, then it’s hard to see past that or to imagine how your teeth would look once that problem is fixed.
So that’s where we come in. We can see not just the most obvious problem but everything that needs to change in order to achieve the ideal smile.
We use our experience, our knowledge of facial aesthetics and experience in achieving results which work for our patients to formulate a treatment plan which will get you the smile that you will want to show others.
So that you will know how you smile look, before you even agree to a treatment plan we can arrange to have a simulation of your ideal smile created. This is done in specialised software but you can see how this looks overlaid on a photograph of your existing smile before any treatment is started.
There are certain themes in creating ideal smiles, which you can read about here.
Which solution works best really depends on what is the extent of the chipping? A white filling will work well when the chipping is very mild. Veneers are generally best when the chipping is very extensive, causing the tooth to shorten significantly.
In all cases the solution should take into account the reason for the problem being there, ensuring the greatest longevity of the tooth.
The answer for discoloured teeth involves 1 or other of 2 solutions: whitening or veneers. You can also combine both solutions when the teeth are really dark. Which one you go for really depends on the cause of the discolouration and the extent.
Whitening works best for those teeth which are generally the same colour but simply have darkened due to ageing. It is a process that can be done either in chair or at home. It generally lasts approximately 9-12 months before needing to be topped up. It works best on teeth which are a uniform colour and have darkened through ageing.
Veneers work best for those teeth which are multicoloured. This has various causes: antibiotics during childhood, poor enamel formation or surface staining brought about by wear and tear through use.
Veneers can also work well for those teeth which are shortened due to wear, simultaneously changing the colour and restoring the ideal length, 2 for the price of one.
The first step to transforming your smile is to find a dentist who is passionate about achieving your ideal – and experienced in delivering that outcome.
The next step is gathering all the information required to create the ideal plan. Until you have seen the plan and approved every step in the process there is no commitment to proceed with treatment.
Without action there is no change.