Golden Opportunities

If you want to improve your appearance, you may get a new hairdo, or a new dress. You can even get a new smile! With hair and clothing, there are lots of different styles. You’d pick one out that fits you, the way you want to look. How about with a smile? Do smiles come in different styles? And can you pick one that fits your desired look? Here to make sure you get a smile to fit your style is the Versace of veneers, the Dior of dentistry, Dr. Steven Marsh.

Question: Everyone wants a great smile. But if you’ve gone to your dentist in the hopes of getting one, what do you ask for? Do people know how to articulate what they want?

<span class="QA">Answer: </span> One common thing that patients do is bring in pictures of smiles that they like. Sometimes it’s from a magazine. Other times they go on websites and print out pictures.
There are some questions that can help patients articulate what they are looking for. We have a a smile guide that asks some pertinent ones. Patients should sit down and look at their teeth while thinking about:

1. Are their front teeth straight? Even in length?
2. Are their teeth all the same color? Are the front fillings/crowns a different color than the rest of your teeth? Do fillings show when you smile or laugh?
3. Are gums receding from the teeth? Are their ridges or groves in the teeth?

Question: But will all those results be possible on their teeth?

<span class="QA">Answer: </span> Well, many times we take impressions and then make models from them. We can do what is called a “wax up” on the models—forming what the crowns and veneers would look like on the teeth.
Nowadays, though, we can go high-tech with this. An easier way is to take pictures with our imager. We can then draw what the finished results can look like while the patient looks on.

Question: When you find out what’s possible, what’s the next step?

<span class="QA">Answer: </span>Discuss treatment options based on:

1. What the models and x-rays show.
2. Different price ranges.
3. You should have lots of options to choose from. Like a menu.

You can have the smile style of your choosing. My thanks to Dr. Marsh for helping to fashion smile solutions for us.