Are you truly satisfied with your smile?

Take a moment to think about your relationship with your smile.

Do you proudly show off your grin, or do you tend to hide your teeth when you smile? Does seeing your smile in pictures make you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed? Maybe you were all teeth in pictures as a child, but now you tend to keep your mouth closed. These are all signs that you’re not truly satisfied with your smile.

Many people aren’t deeply ashamed of their smiles, but they feel dissatisfied enough that it’s impacted their self-confidence to some degree. The cause of this dissatisfaction could be an oral health concern, like bad breath, or cosmetic flaws, like crooked or chipped teeth. More often than not, it’s a combination of the two categories.

Deciding to take back control of your oral health through cosmetic dental work can be one of the most powerful things you can do for your self-confidence.

Your smile has a big impact on your self-confidence and mental health.

We firmly believe your smile is one of your most important physical features.

Your smile is something as unique to you as your fingerprint. It’s also a universal sign of happiness, contentment, excitement, and a plethora of other positive human emotions that we can share with one another regardless of language or cultural differences. A genuine smile instantly makes you appear more attractive, welcoming, and trustworthy to the point that they are even linked to increased success in life.

The benefits of smiling go deeper than you may realize too. Studies have shown that people who smile often live longer and have happier lives overall. The physical act of smiling also boosts physical health by lowering blood pressure, balancing blood sugar levels, relieving stress, and strengthening the immune system.

Knowing the mental and physical health benefits of frequent smiling, it isn’t surprising that many people who opt for cosmetic dentistry feel incredible—inside and out—after their smile makeovers.

Modern smile design is about creating a smile that is yours but better.

“Smile design” is a term dentists use to describe the process of creating a patient’s smile makeover.

The goal of a modern smile makeover isn’t to copy and paste a Hollywood smile onto every patient. In fact, taking a cookie-cutter approach to cosmetic dentistry can lead to less attractive results that appear obviously fake. Instead, experienced dentists like Dr. Harrison focus on the basic principles of smile design and what factors make a smile most attractive based on each person’s natural facial characteristics.

For example, if your upper lip tends to raise and expose a lot of gum tissue, part of your smile design may include bringing balance to your teeth-to-gum ratio. Another example involves your buccal corridor, the dark space in the corner of your smile between your cheek and teeth. Minimizing a large buccal corridor is a common way dentists help make smiles look broader and more attractive.

Minor cosmetic changes can make a significant difference to your smile.

Smile makeovers range in complexity and can actually be quite simple, involving one or two specific procedures to achieve your desired look. Here are a few of our most popular cosmetic dentistry services and how we can use them in a smile makeover.

Veneers

Porcelain veneers are the most popular smile makeover service and can completely transform a person’s smile. Treatment involves placing individual porcelain shells over the teeth to give them a permanent new color and shape. Veneers can cover the entirety of a person’s visible smile or only cover a few teeth that need an aesthetic boost. In some cases, veneers can be a less-invasive alternative to dental crowns.

Bonding

Dental bonding is an affordable alternative to veneers. It isn’t  permanent, but it does yield beautiful results for around five years on average. Bonding is when your dentist sculpts a thin layer of composite resin over the surface of your teeth to cover yellowing, improve their shapes, and cover minor flaws, like surface cracks, slight chips, or small gaps.

Bioclear

Bioclear is a fantastic option if you want the best aspects of veneers and dental bonding wrapped up in one treatment. Bioclear outlasts dental bonding and offers superior coverage. However, unlike veneers, Bioclear doesn’t permanently change the natural structure of your teeth, which means you aren’t locked into your new smile if you do decide to go for porcelain veneers later on.

Whitening

Teeth whitening is our most frequently performed cosmetic dental service, so it definitely deserves mention. Professionally whitening your teeth instantly makes your smile appear brighter and more youthful. It can be a solo service to boost your confidence, or you can use it in tandem with other cosmetic services as a sort of pre-treatment to ensure your veneers or Bioclear achieves your ideal shade of white. 

Dr. Harrison offers no-pressure evaluations for anyone interested in cosmetic dentistry solutions.

A one-on-one consultation with Dr. Harrison is the best way to learn about smile makeovers and how cosmetic dentistry can give you more confidence. You can schedule your appointment today by calling our Plano, Texas, office or filling out our online appointment-request form.