What is a Smile Makeover?
So you’re interested in a smile makeover, but you’re not quite sure what all is involved in the process and how long this whole thing will take. Well, let me kind of walk you through how it works in my office and give you an idea of how long the general process takes from start to finish.
Step 1: The Initial Consultation
The first thing we do with any smile makeover starts with an in-depth consultation. So at that appointment, we get to know you, we meet you, we learn about your health history, we learn about your goals, and you and I sit down and really make sure we’re on the same page for the vision of where we want to take your smile. A lot of times, a smile may just be the front six teeth on the top. Sometimes it can extend to the front 10 teeth on the top. So a lot of times what you see when you smile determines how many teeth we need to address in a typical smile makeover, no matter how many teeth you need or how few your teeth, every appointment starts the same with that initial consultation. So we can make sure we’re all on the same page at that appointment.
We’ll take lots of photographs, we’ll take dental radiographs because it’s important for me to make sure that the teeth underneath are nice and healthy. I never want to jump in and do work on any teeth that I don’t know what’s going on underneath the surface because the last thing you want to do is work on a tooth without being aware of a potential underlying problem.
So at that first appointment, basically it’s a records-collecting appointment is for me to get to know you and you to get to know me and make sure that we’re on the same page as to taking care of your needs for your smile makeover.
Step 2: Designing Your Ideal Smile
Once we’ve had all the records collection done and taken everything together, I’ll sit down with my lab technician and we will actually design out your specific smile. We’ll create the right size and the right shape and the right anatomy of the teeth because everybody’s different. And believe it or not, the shape and size of the front teeth just through minor variations can have a lot of different impacts. You can make a smile look older or younger, more masculine, more feminine. You can make it look more aggressive or more kind of laid back. It’s really interesting the uniqueness you can provide in a smile. And so that’s why it’s really important that first appointment, I get to know you and I know exactly what you’re looking for.
Step 3: Creating a Digital Mockup
So once my lab technician and I have sat down and created this ideal smile, we’ll create a digital mockup. And a lot of times we’ll create a physical model as well, and we’ll get you back for another appointment. And at this appointment you’ll get to hold and look at the teeth and a smile design that I think is going to fit your mouth the best.
Step 4: Preparing the Teeth
And from that point, if everything looks great, the next appointment will be the actual appointment where we prepare the teeth. And that’s typically a longer appointment because the ball’s getting you nice and numb, removing the necessary tooth structure, or making you a beautiful temporary set of teeth based on how that wax up looked. So you’ll leave the office that day with the temporary teeth over the tops of your natural teeth. It usually takes about three to four weeks, if not longer, for my lab technician to make these beautiful ceramic smile. So the next appointment, which will be a point number four, we’ll actually bring you in. Take the temporaries off, put all the crowns on there, make sure you love ’em, make sure I love them, make sure everything is perfect. And if it looks wonderful, then we go ahead and bond everything into place.
Step 5: The Night Guard
And a lot of times what we’ll do when we do any kind of smile makeovers, I always insist on making a night guard. And what a night guard is, is basically a thin acrylic piece that goes over the top teeth and it protects your teeth at night. Because the last thing I want you to do is you’ve gone through this whole process, you’ve made this investment for a beautiful smile during the day. You’re really careful. You’re making sure you don’t bite incorrectly, you’re making sure you’re not abusing the teeth. Unfortunately, at night when you’re sleeping, if your jaw is moving around and you bite wrong or grind, you can do some damage to those teeth. So I always recommend a night guard to protect everything. And so when we deliver the teeth, we do our scans for a night guard, and the fifth appointment will be the delivery. That night guard.
Smile Makeover Timeline
The timeline from the very first appointment where I get to meet you and kind of figure out how we want to design your smile till we deliver the night guard to protect that smile. It can take anywhere from three to five months, depending on timeline, how long it takes the lab to return our work. Now there’s obviously a lot of flexibility in that if you need time, if we need to space things out for finances, we’ve got lots of options. And just know that each step along the way, you’re going to be able to kind of see the progression towards your ideal smile.
Our Promise: Perfection and Satisfaction
And one of the things we pride ourselves in our office, we never force anybody to settle. You came here to see us to make your perfect smile, and we’re going to get you that perfect smile. So if something’s not exactly the way we want it, something’s not right. We’ll absolutely modify, change, fix it, and make sure everything is perfect because I want you to leave here happy with your smile. That’s our ultimate goal.
Contact Dr. Brett Langston Today!
So make a comment in the sections below my team and I’ll reach out to you and see how we can help. I’m Dr. Brett Langston Pros, orthodontist and owner at Dental Implant Aesthetic Specialist here in Brookhaven, Georgia. I’m here to help you watch your mouth.
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