“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight,” says Phyllis Diller.
With the evolution of technology and research methodologies and the ever-growing advancements in every field, dentistry has also witnessed groundbreaking discoveries that are helping people in many ways to improve their health and personality, as well.
‘Smile makeover’ is one such procedure that is synonymous with cosmetic treatments restricted to the oral cavity. It involves a series of dental procedures that focus on aesthetics of the patient and ultimately create a smile of their liking. Who wouldn’t want a beaming smile with aesthetically pleasing teeth.
Prerequisites for a smile makeover:
Usually, in people’s minds, a visit to the dentist usually implies a quick fix for toothaches or bleeding gums. However, dentistry has so much more to offer.
Cosmetic dentistry (concerned with smile makeovers) being one such field.
Dentists have the power to turn your frown upside down with a solution to everything related to your oral cavity, ranging from discolored or stained teeth, chipped off or crooked teeth, a gummy smile, gaps between teeth, missing teeth, and uneven size of teeth.
1. Confidence:
Research has proved time and again that dental aesthetics have a huge impact on an individual’s psycho-social wellbeing. In this connection, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the Aligarh University in India, where 426 students were given a questionnaire concerning their dental aesthetics. The result yielded that the biggest concern among them was tooth colour and position, which made them want to smile less in public.
Thus, the study concluded that self-perceived image of dental aesthetics plays a huge role in Improving or shattering confidence and self-esteem of a person.
2. Improved dental health:
Having aligned teeth can reduce the chances of getting caries, along with other diseases, such as gingivitis and periodontal disease. It also creates a maintainable oral environment, making it easy to brush and prevent plaque accumulation.
3. Good overall health:
Mal-aligned and missing teeth make mastication, a seemingly easy job, a nightmare for many. Hence, any alteration to your teeth is designed with your unique occlusion in mind. Improving your bite and chewing function will make it easier to eat a healthy, balanced diet.
4. Professional success:
According to recent research, having a beautiful smile may contribute to greater success at the workplace! In fact, research conducted by Oral B concluded that just having white teeth alone can increase a person’s appeal by 20 percent.
5. Improves mood:
Smiling helps release chemicals in your brain like dopamine (acts as an anti- depressant), serotonin and endorphins (act as painkillers). These hormones play a role in relieving stress and even improving the immune system.
6. Phonetics:
Teeth play an important role in speech. Just a single cracked or missing tooth from the front of your mouth can lead to speech impediment such as involuntary whistling or a noticeable lisp.
Therefore, a smile, albeit just involving a small part of the body, is intricately linked with its wellbeing as a whole. In the era of social media and social interactions, professional or otherwise, your smile can make or break your personality, way of living and confidence. Smile makeovers have become a minimally invasive recipe for esthetic success, ranging from teeth whitening and micro-abrasion, porcelain veneers and composite buildups, invisalign and braces, gingivoplasty and gingivectomy, zirconia crowns and implants. These are just a few of the many available treatment options that can be designed specifically to suit the patient’s needs, financial status and availability.
If you’ve always wanted that boost of confidence, a spritz of serotonin, a cure to dental concerns and a lifetime of limitless success with an exuberant smile, then the missing key is right in front of you, a smile you’re confident with. So, why not have that smile makeover you’ve always wanted?