Smile Makeover in Astoria and Bayside, NY

A beautiful smile has the power to convey an image of health, warmth, and happiness. However, if you aren’t confident in the appearance of your teeth, even if they’re strong and healthy, you could want to hide your smile instead. This is the reason why an increasing number of people are turning to cosmetic dentistry to achieve the smile of their dreams. Consider a smile makeover at Precision Dental in Astoria and Bayside, Queens, NY, as an alternative to plastic surgery that may enhance the appearance of your smile while also increasing your self-esteem, giving you more self-confidence, and helping you in achieving greater success.

What is a Smile Makeover?

A smile makeover is a way of cosmetically improving the appearance of your teeth to create a more aesthetically appealing smile. Multiple treatments can be used during a smile makeover. Some of these provide purely aesthetic benefits, and a good example is teeth whitening, as although it can make your teeth look beautifully white, there are no real benefits to your dental health.

Others, for example, dental crowns and bridges can provide oral health benefits. Any treatment that restores a damaged or infected tooth or a broken down or missing tooth will benefit your dental health, giving added appeal and value to your smile makeover. It’s also up to you as to how much you want to change your smile. Some people are looking for a complete smile makeover that totally rejuvenates the appearance of their teeth, changing the look of their teeth considerably. Others are looking for something a little more subtle and might be generally happy with the appearance of their teeth but have certain things they’d like to improve on.

How to Plan a Smile Makeover?

When you first see a cosmetic dentist, they will want to discuss your aims and desires for treatment. It’s important to be as clear as possible about what you would like to achieve. Some people find it helpful to come armed with photos of smiles that appeal to them, but the strategy isn’t always successful because something that suits someone else might not necessarily be right for you. Others have photos of how they used to look when they were younger, hoping to recapture a more youthful appearance.

The next thing to do is decide which treatments will be used to create your custom smile makeover. Numerous treatments can be used during a smile makeover, and the choice depends on your dental health, budget, and desires. Typical treatments used during smile makeovers include:

• Dental bonding. Dental bonding is one of the simplest treatments available and is great at helping to hide small chips and cracks in teeth, repairing them, and restoring them to their proper strength and structure. You can also use dental bonding to lengthen teeth that are slightly too short or worn down or are not quite the correct size or shape.
• Tooth-colored fillings. Tooth-colored fillings are ideal for mending decayed teeth and are strong enough to use in back teeth and for repairing front teeth. Composite resin can fill front teeth and is often suitable for small to medium-sized cavities in back teeth. If you have larger cavities in your back teeth, your cosmetic dentist might recommend a porcelain filling called an inlay or onlay.
• Crowns. Crowns and bridges are great for restoring teeth or replacing teeth that are missing entirely. You might need a dental crown if you have a misshapen tooth or if a tooth is too small. Porcelain crowns can also restore teeth that are severely decayed or which may have received root canal therapy.
• Bridges. A tooth-supported bridge is a cost-effective option to have if you are missing one or two teeth. It consists of crowns fitted over the abutment or adjacent teeth, holding a replacement tooth in between. If you don’t have abutment teeth strong enough to support a bridge, an alternative is to have an implant crown or bridge, a sophisticated treatment that provides long-lasting results.
• Porcelain veneers. Porcelain veneers are a great choice if your teeth are generally strong and healthy and free from larger cavities but are stained, misshapen or worn, or slightly chipped or cracked. They cover the tooth’s front surface, hiding it and creating a more cosmetically perfect appearance.
• Orthodontics. Orthodontics might seem a lengthy treatment to choose for a smile makeover, but it can provide results that last for life, bringing your teeth into the correct bite and helping protect your oral health and jaw joints. Also, straightening your teeth can be a healthier option than cutting them down in preparation for veneers or crowns.
• Teeth whitening treatment. Teeth whitening is the quickest and cheapest way to brighten your smile, and often an in-office appointment takes as little as an hour to complete. If you are looking for something fast and budget-friendly, a tooth whitening treatment might be all you need.

What Is a Smile Makeover Custom Treatment Plan?

Your custom treatment plan will show information about all the possible treatments and the costs associated with each procedure. Your Astoria dentist will go through each option carefully, as sometimes there may be a choice of treatments that can achieve similar results. They can explain the difference between each as it can be due to the materials and techniques used and which influence the cost and the time needed. Also, while one treatment may be cheaper, the outcome may not last so long, but it could be a good way to achieve a more beautiful smile, and then you can budget for the more expensive and longer-lasting treatment when you need to refresh the results.

There can be a lot to take in, and it might be tricky to understand exactly what each treatment involves and the predicted outcome. If you don’t quite understand something, make sure you ask your dentist to explain it again or even provide examples of what they mean. Your dentist can show you different samples of materials and lots of before and after photos of previous patients who have had similar treatments.

How Long to Complete a Smile Makeover?

The amount of time needed for your smile makeover is the time it takes to combine all of the treatments to accomplish the desired outcomes. Typically, that is the time required for the most time-consuming procedure in your smile makeover. Shorter procedures are frequently performed alongside lengthier ones. For instance, if you are using orthodontics to move your teeth, you may receive teeth whitening on the day your treatment is finished without adding any extra time.

However, some procedures must be completed in a specific order. For instance, if you are receiving orthodontics as well as dental implants, we will want to ensure that the orthodontic treatment is completed before starting the dental implants. This is because we want to ensure that the teeth and their roots are properly spaced before placing the implant.

How Much Does a Smile Makeover Cost?

The cost of a smile makeover is determined by a variety of factors, including the number of treatments needed, their complexity, the materials used, and the time necessary to complete the procedure.

Porcelain veneers, for example, can cost between $1,600 to $4,000 per tooth. Porcelain crowns can range in price from $800 to $3,000 per tooth. Each person has different demands. Some people may want a complete overhaul, while others may choose minimal adjustments. However, you can expect to achieve stunning, magnificent results that will be well worth your time.

How to Care For Your Teeth After a Smile Makeover?

Once you have chosen your treatments and have received your new smile makeover, you’ll want to look after it to help prolong the results. Good ongoing preventive dental care can go a long way to ensure new restorations last longer while protecting your dental health. Most people need to see a dentist every six months for a checkup. They should also see a hygienist at the same time to have their teeth cleaned professionally. Professional dental cleaning is an excellent way to maintain a smile makeover and helps ensure it remains brighter and fresher for longer.

If you’re a New Yorker who would like to create a smile that impresses your family and friends, visit a smile makeover dentist located in Queens. Our skilled restorative dentist and expert periodontist offer a customizable group of procedures, from a complete smile makeover to just minor tweaks that can provide effective, long-lasting, and natural-looking results. View our smile makeover before and after photos, or visit one of our offices in Astoria or Bayside to discover firsthand why we are viewed as the best restoration, rehabilitation, and mouth reconstruction specialists in NY.