In recent years celebrities have helped give veneers an unjust reputation – that of being too white, too obvious, too perfect.
Although an ‘off the shelf’ smile that says ‘I’ve been to the dentist’ can make the owner feel proud of their outwardly perfect smile, their friends are often saying ‘what did she do to her teeth?’ behind her back. People want to own a beautiful smile but they don’t necessarily want to be known for it. Today, even Americans are starting to opt out of the stereotypical ‘Hollywood smile’ by favouring a more natural one, especially crafted for them to suit their skin, facial features and age.
Your individual smile should be just that – yours. Individually yours. One that tells your story. A perfectly imperfect smile with different textures and shades, natural translucency, opalescence and radiance. Often, it is our unique imperfections that make us more attractive, not perfect symmetry. You’d struggle to find perfect symmetry in nature.
A responsible dentist wouldn’t just apply veneers but adopt a multi-disciplinary approach. Straight teeth are the only way to ensure their full functional ability, throughout your life. As we age, our lower jaw shrinks, pushing teeth together, crowding them. Facial muscles change and start to droop, in turn, changing muscle pressure on teeth which forces them to become crooked. A misaligned bite causes teeth to grind and chip away at each other, causing cracks and tooth surface loss.
To achieve the most conservative outcome, teeth should be straightened before the thin yet incredibly strong veneers are applied. This ensures that as much natural tooth structure as possible is always preserved. An experienced Master ceramist will apply texture to each veneer, mimicking your natural enamel. Grooves and fissures can be added to scatter and reflect light as teeth do and different shades can be applied to make the teeth look natural – slightly darker by the gum line and lighter closer the tip. No tooth is just one colour. Each one contains many shades and characteristics. Your new smile must look like you.
It takes time and many hours for a knowledgeable cosmetic dentist and his or her team to create a healthy smile that looks like the patient has lived with their teeth for the last 50 years. If you are considering finding out more search online for a cosmetic dentist in Exeter, Plymouth or Devon and when you go for your assessment make sure to ask to see photos of similar cases they’ve treated. ‘Next level’ dentists take before and after images of patients to critically appraise their own work and to help them get better and better at what they do. If you’re having advanced dentistry created for you and you’ve not been shown photos, consider getting a second opinion.
Book a consultation with the cosmetic dentist of your choice and see where the journey can take you and your smile, when you have one designed, especially for you.