We Include the Whole Face in a Smile Makeover
Here’s how we design a beautiful, balanced smile.
Our approach to smile makeovers at Valley Dental Clinic goes beyond focusing only on your teeth. Beautiful teeth are the goal, but without paying equal attention to the importance of how the teeth complement your smile and entire face, a smile makeover may only be good instead of great.
The Relationship Between Your Smile and Facial Structure
Your teeth are only a portion of what makes your smile yours. Your smile also includes your cheeks and facial structure. Changing the shape and size of the teeth or opting for cosmetic dental procedures like Botox can impact the fullness of your cheeks, your smile muscles, and the youthfulness of your face.
Many people aren’t aware that the shape and health of their teeth can dramatically impact the appearance of their facial structure. Crooked, misaligned, damaged, or missing teeth can all negatively impact not only how your smile looks but also how your face looks, even while resting.
A great smile makeover is as transformative as a facelift.
Those yearning for a facelift can achieve a similar transformation with a smile makeover.
Most people interested in a facelift are middle-aged or older. They’re noticing more wrinkles, less skin elasticity, and less fullness in their cheeks. It isn’t a coincidence that many within this age range also have some missing teeth or other oral health trouble. By replacing missing teeth, brightening the smile, and changing the appearance of the teeth, you can take years off the appearance of your face and improve your oral health, all without plastic surgery.
Replacing missing teeth is step one in a smile makeover.
Missing teeth age a smile more than anything. Facial sagging is caused when teeth are extracted and the space is left unfilled. Not only do the neighboring teeth shift because there isn’t support, but the jawbone itself begins to reabsorb and shrink. This is a natural process, but one that can be detrimental to the beauty of your smile as well as your health.
If you have missing teeth, your dentist will make this the first priority in your smile makeover. At Valley Dental Clinic, our tooth replacement options include:
- Full and Partial Dentures
- Dental Bridges
- Dental Implant Options
Dental bridges and dentures are both wonderful restorations, but dental implants provide a very important benefit: they prevent jawbone shrinkage. For this reason, we often recommend dental implants for replacing one or more teeth, especially if a patient has minimal missing teeth and also wants a smile makeover.
Once the dental implants are in place and healed, you’ll notice you have more fullness in your cheeks and greater self-confidence.
Changing the Appearance of Your Visible Smile
Next is the main portion of the smile makeover: changing the appearance of your teeth to match your smile goals. Cosmetic dentistry is incredibly versatile and allows for subtle to extreme changes in how your teeth look. Most people want teeth that look whiter and well-balanced in terms of shape, size, and length.
Some of our favorite cosmetic dentistry treatments for this step include:
- Professional Teeth Whitening
- Gum Contouring
- Crown Lengthening
- Porcelain Veneers
If you still have some visible natural teeth, it’s encouraged to first whiten your smile to your desired brightness to ensure an accurate color match with any restorations or prosthetics. Porcelain veneers are a great option for permanently changing the shape, size, and whiteness of your teeth.
For gummy smiles, gum contouring can be used to smooth and reshape the gumline. Crown lengthening is often used in combination with gum contouring and involves placing veneers or dental crowns to add length to short teeth.
Reducing Wrinkles and Improving the Harmony of Your Smile
After your teeth smile makeover is in the works or complete, it’s time to think about the overall harmony or balance of the smile you share with others. We offer dental Botox for patients who are concerned if their facial structure or tone will reflect their beautiful teeth.
Botox can be used to reduce wrinkles and fine lines that pop up around the mouth and eyes when smiling or at rest. It can also be used to add fullness to the lips, smile muscles, and cheeks for an overall more youthful look. Botox can even be used to relax facial muscles for a smile that doesn’t reveal as much gumline when you grin.
Discover what a smile makeover can do for you.
Curious about how we can enhance your smile and facial features? Take the first step toward a beautiful smile by calling our Wasilla, AK, office or using this online form.