Photography: Invisalign
It's been reported that people with perfect teeth don't just have more confidence, but have a higher mean income! Fancy a smile makeover to improve your fortune or just want to flash perfect pearly whites at the wedding? Then it's time you paid a trip to the dentist.
According to principle dentist Dr Ronnie Yap at Orchard Scotts Dental, brides come to him at least six months before the wedding to address the ABCs of smile perfection. A for alignment, refers to those who wish to straighten their crooked smile via orthodontics; B for brightness, uses various types in-office or at-home teeth whitening treatments; and C is to contour the shape of your teeth (length, width, shape) using various non-invasive methods to help you look younger, slimmer and rectify certain teeth-related health issues.
Keen on a worthwhile smile makeover? Depending on your budget and time constraints, here are five ways you can improve your smile in time for the wedding.
Straighten out a crooked smile
To correct misaligned teeth or an uneven bite, you can choose to wear braces. Instead of the traditional metal wire that takes at least 15months of wear-time, a see-through metal-free alternative is Invisalign – an orthodontic technology that uses a medical grade thermoplastic material to create a clear removable retainer to realign the teeth. Because it's colourless, no one will know you're getting your teeth straightened and you can remove it at any time, and pose with a great big smile for your pre-wedding photos! Best of all, it takes approximately half the time to align your teeth than traditional braces.
Get cleaned up
Now's the best time to pay your dentist visit for a routine consult to check for gum disease, cavities or any other oral problems. If you haven't been to see him in a while, it's good to have your teeth scaled and polished to remove unwanted stains and dislodge plaque and other deposits. This can be done as early as a few days before the wedding or pre-wedding shoot.
Brighten up those pearly whites
The yellowing of teeth is caused by many factors – ageing, fillings, nerve degeneration, consumption of certain antibiotics, or dark-coloured food and drinks like curry, coffee and Coke – but there's a very simple way to remove these tough stains … whitening! Lucky for you, there are various teeth whitening options to suit your budget and timeline. Depending on how white you want to go, Orchard Scotts Dental offers in-office treatments and various take-home kits that can be done separately or combined for optimal results. Do note you can never go whiter than the colour you were born with.
Recontour your teeth
At Orchard Scotts Dental, we regard Dr Yap and his team as smile architects … simply because they can reshape your facial structure by re-contouring the shape, proportion and size of your teeth. Most times, this is done using ceramic veneers that are glued to the teeth so perfectly that they feel like your natural enamel. The veneers can also crown the larger molars to give your teeth more height, improve your bite and elongate your face. Many brides request rounded, longer teeth which helps thicken the lips and give them a youthful appearance. This type of facelift dentistry can also improve your quality of life by reducing snoring, jaw clicking, neck pain and headaches, refining wrinkles, correcting your bite, and more.
Sample it with a trial smile
Before you take the plunge to have smile makeover, you can do a trial smile first which affixes temporary plastic stick-ons to your teeth to mimic the effect you get with the real thing, so that you have an idea of what your final smile will look like. During this practice run, you and your dentist will examine your new look as you smile, speak and relax, to make sure everything lines up exactly as it should. And then you can discuss options available to achieve your goals.
Orchard Scotts Dental is an Invisalign-dedicated clinic and full-service dentistry practice, providing specialist care on cosmetics, restorative services including fillings, crowns, bridges, partials, dentures, root canals, implants, and periodontal treatment.
