Smile Makeover Tips From An Edinburgh Dentist

A smile makeover can mean many things to many people from changing just a single tooth to changing them all.  Most patients that come to see me have an idea in their head of what they wish. I am often asked for a specific treatment for example Teeth Whitening, Inman Aligner, 6 Month Smiles or Porcelain veneers.  These requests are  very often the result of hours of web based research. As a dentist  I am always pleased to find that my patients already know  a lot about the treatments that they are looking for as this is a great way to move towards a situation where you can make a really well informed choice of the right treatment for your mouth.

Ironically none of us really wants any of the above treatments, what we really want is the results that the treatments can bring,  be it improved confidence or simply  a better appearance in photographs. So I often  find the best place to start is to discuss in some detail what  results my patients hope to achieve. After that we  carry out a detailed point by point assessment of all aspects of our patients dental health. the aim here is to  look at  how we can create a smile that our patients will love while maintaining or better still improving their overall dental health.   

So to get the best out of any cosmetic treatment a great tip is to begin with the end in mind. By being clear about what you really want to change you can  aim to have the least amount of treatment  to achieve your goals.

Here are just a few questions that might help......

• What do you notice most about your smile good and bad - tells us what things we need to preserve
• When are you most aware of these features - can shed light on hidden problems that only show eg in photos
• If you could change just one thing what would it be - helps us to prioritise

Here are 3 more questions that I am always keen to hear my patients views on

• How do you feel about the colour of your teeth
• How do you feel about the shape of your teeth
• How do you feel about the position of your teeth

If you have a cosmetic problem that you would like to know more about why not drop us a line at our Edinburgh Dental Practice