I was watching a Channel 4 programme last night called “Beauty and the Beast”, which involved a person who is obsessed by beauty to spend time with a person who may have a facial disfigurement that they were either born with or as a result of an accident. The point of the programme was to highlight the an obsession with your looks is not healthy, neither is the the quick fix solution such as liposuction, a boob job or any other irreversible surgical procedure. It may be that a healthy diet, good exercise plan and a positive attitude are the solutions.
In the world of dentistry, we are often asked to create a “Hollywood Smile” with wall to wall veneers. It is common place for celebrities to get their teeth “fixed”. The people asking for this treatment are often young and have had little or not previous dental treatment in the past. They are looking for an instant fix, and want it now!
When I am advising patients what is best for them, I take into consideration all the factors that are relevant to that particular person:
- how old they are
- what their time frame is
- what their lifestyle is
- what previous treatment they have had
- the current health of their mouth
- what budget they have got
I also offer all appropriate options, sometimes people have assumed that they are too old for certain treatments available.
This brings me to what we call the “Natural Hollywood Smile”, and by this I mean moving the patient’s own teeth to create a beautiful smile. Any person who has largely unfilled teeth but just doesn’t like the position of them, should always consider the option of orthodontics before having them cut away to place veneers.
What is orthodontics?
It’s using various types of braces to move teeth gently to another position. Do I mean ugly metal train tracks? No I don’t!! These days there are many options available using tooth coloured braces, invisible braces or rapid braces. No one needs to know that you are wearing a brace, apart from your dentist.
Why is orthodontics a better option than veneers?
Well, it may take a bit longer than the quick fix solution, but in the long run, you will have your own teeth that will not be in a cycle of needing veneers replacing every 10 -15 years. That is better for you, better for your teeth and better for your pocket. You could finish off your new smile with some tooth whitening just to give it that final boost!
Am I against veneers? Not all all, at Evolve we place them all the time, but only for the cases when orthodontics has been considered and is not suitable, this may be because there are crowns or veneers that need to be replaced, or the teeth have large fillings in them, or the teeth are stained in such a way that straightening and whitening will not give the result that our patient is hoping for.
I heard this morning that Chris Evans is going to wear an invisible brace to straighten his teeth, so even celebrities can see the benefit of investing a bit of time to get the best result.