A smile makeover is geared towards correcting cosmetic dental issues. However, a cosmetic dentist can take a more holistic approach to treatment. This is often the case for patients with crowded or slightly crooked teeth. Depending on the severity of the crowding, a dentist will tailor their patient’s treatment plan to ensure long-term oral health.
What a smile makeover does
Simply put, a smile makeover gives a facelift to a person’s teeth. Because different people have different needs, there is no cookie-cutter process for smile makeovers. A dentist creates a customized course of treatment that depends on the results of a patient exam. The most common imperfections that a smile makeover corrects are:
- Stains and other types of discoloration
- Uneven teeth (cracks, chips)
- Missing teeth
- Crooked or crowded teeth
- Gummy smiles or receding gums
Some patients require smile makeovers that correct oral health problems like tooth decay and gum disease. In such cases, a smile upgrade crosses over into more traditional dental treatments. Crowded teeth can be one of those scenarios.
How the severity of teeth crowding informs a patient’s options
At the end of the day, a dentist wants their patient to go home with a healthy set of teeth. They will not recommend a superficial treatment for crowding if the patient suffers poor oral health as a result of the crowding. Instead, the dentist will recommend orthodontic treatment; a process that takes time to yield results.
In contrast, a patient with slight crowding is a candidate for a treatment option that only requires a couple of sessions in a dentist’s chair. Here are the different ways that a dentist corrects crowded teeth.
Veneers
Dental veneers are restorations that look like wafer-thin, tooth-colored fingernails. A dentist who recommends this option starts treatment by designing a perfect smile for their patient. They do this by editing a digital image of their patient’s teeth. They use the edits as a blueprint for the creation of a set of custom veneers.
These resultant veneers will correspond to the shape and arrangement of a patient’s teeth. Once installed, the veneers hide the actual alignment of the underlying teeth to create a bright and even smile.
Orthodontic treatment
Dentists incorporate teeth straightening in smile makeovers for moderate or severe crowding. A cosmetic dentist will consult with an orthodontist whenever they treat patients with serious crowding.
Orthodontic treatment may require braces or clear aligners. In situations where the patient’s quality of life is affected by the crowding of their teeth, the consulting orthodontist may recommend treatments that reshape the jaw.
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