More and more patients are concerned about maintaining a youthful appearance as well as oral health in optimal conditions. This is why cosmetic dentistry has become more relevant in recent years and it has proposed smile design as an alternative to beautify facial expression.
With this procedure, there are certain unrealistic expectations that must be debunked so that you can go to the doctor’s office with the certainty of what you can really expect. For this reason, we have compiled vital information that you should know before undergoing a smile design. So we invite you to read on to make sure you don’t miss any details.
What is smile design?
Smile design is a set of dental procedures aimed at improving the appearance of the teeth by modifying their structure and their relationship with other elements of the oral area [4]. To achieve this, the dentist will seek to find harmony between the teeth themselves, between the teeth, gums and lips, and between the smile and the face [2].
The number of procedures and the time spent will depend on the assessment made for each case. It should be made clear that not all smiles are the same and the dentist will seek to find the best smile design for that specific patient.
What you need to know before smile design
Here are some of the premises you should know before going in for a medical consultation [5]:
Not all smile designs need dental veneers
It is very usual that your first thought when the words “smile design” are mentioned to you is how a dentist places veneers over the enamel of your teeth. The truth is that this procedure is only one option to improve the smile, not the only one.
Through a medical consultation, it is the dentist who will be able to determine the best treatments for your case and preferences. These could include anything from simple teeth whitening to more complex treatments such as gingivoplasty, dental veneers, or surgery.
In addition, the dentist will also be able to check for any oral diseases such as cavities that need immediate attention before proceeding with any of the planned cosmetic treatments.
Extremely white teeth are not the best thing to do
Many patients come to the office with the idea of whitening their teeth as much as possible. However, extremely white teeth tend to look false and unnatural. Therefore, the dentist will recommend a palette of white shades that match your physical features and preferences.
No price can be given in advance
Since smile design is a customized dental treatment, a standard price could not be set for everyone. Each patient has his or her own needs, and therefore, the price will vary according to the number of procedures needed.
Advantages of a smile design
Some of the benefits that you will experience after having a smile design would be concentrated in generating:
- Greater self-confidence: smiling with confidence would no longer be a problem. You would perceive yourself as more attractive and your confidence to relate to other people would increase [3].
- Better interpersonal relationships: A beautiful smile not only improves your image but it also generates a greater predisposition for the people around you to trust you. According to a study conducted by Scharlemann in 2001 [7], participants were more willing to trust someone if they smiled [6], which you will do more often because you will feel more confident about smiling.
- Better oral health: many patients tend to be careless with their daily dental care until they are forced to pay more attention to it after going through the entire smile design process. In addition, subsequent checkups allow better monitoring of oral health [1].
Another post of interest would be: Celebrity smile makeovers: Before and After
In summary
Smile design is the oral procedure you are looking for if you want to totally transform the appearance of your teeth. Through different procedures chosen by your dentist in consultation, you can elevate your sex appeal, self-confidence and oral health to another level.
However, it is important that you have realistic expectations about what results to expect. Dental veneers or extreme teeth whitening will not always be necessary. Since this is a personalized service, each case will have different needs. Therefore, the cost will vary according to each patient’s needs.
At BetterMe, we will soon have this service available for all our users. We provide personalized assistance to arrange every detail of your trip and treatment in Colombia. Follow us on social media or contact us to keep up to date with our latest news.
You might also be interested in reading: How to maintain youthful skin as you age?
References:
[1] 1485 – Dental Spa. 2020. Beneficios del diseño de sonrisa que debes conocer. [online] Available at: https://1485dentalspa.com/beneficios-diseno-sonrisa/ [Accessed 30 June 2022].
[2] Bhuvaneswaran, M., 2010. Principles of smile design. [online] National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010027/ [Accessed 30 June 2022].
[3] Dental Wellness Phoenixville. 2016. The Benefits of Having a Beautiful Smile. [online] Available at: https://padentalwellness.com/cosmetic-dentistry/the-benefits-of-having-a-beautiful-smile/ [Accessed 30 June 2022].
[4] Olcer, Y., Yuzbasioglu, E., Albayrak, B. and Özdemir, G., 2020. Digital smile design as a communication tool for predictable clinical results: An update and review. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351704263_Digital_Smile_Design_Predictable_Results [Accessed 30 June 2022].
[5] Sakar, A., 2017. 5 cosas que debe saber antes de someterse a un diseño de sonrisa. [online] Blog.sakardental.mx. Available at: https://blog.sakardental.mx/cosas-que-debe-saber-antes-diseno-de-sonrisa [Accessed 30 June 2022].
[6] Scharlemann, J., Eckel, C., Kacelnik, A. and Wilson, R., 2001. The Value of a Smile: Game theory with a human face. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2609093_The_Value_of_a_Smile_Game_theory_with_a_human_face [Accessed 30 June 2022].
[7] Scharlemann, J., Eckel, C., Kacelnik, A. and Wilson, R., 2001. The value of a smile: Game theory with a human face. [online] Users.ox.ac.uk. Available at: https://users.ox.ac.uk/~kgroup/publications/pdf/scharlemann_etal_2001_jeconpsy_smile.pdf [Accessed 30 June 2022].