Thinking Of Smile Improvements In The New Year?

Thinking Of Smile Improvements In The New Year?

If you are looking to have whiter teeth or perhaps improve a crooked smile, why not start to plan now?

The period leading up to Christmas and the new year is one where we often put to one side, any plans other than those relating to the festive period and meeting up with friends and families. This isn’t surprising and often, it isn’t until new year’s eve when we think we should perhaps make a new year resolution or two!

Even if no practical action is taken at this time though, it can be a good time to start to think about what you want from the new year. From a dental perspective, this often means looking at which treatments you feel you would benefit from the most. It goes without saying that your overall oral health should be at the top of your list all year round and most of you will maintain regular check ups and dental hygiene appointments at our Ipswich dental clinic. If your teeth are in good health though, now might be a good time to consider any cosmetic dentistry that would help you to improve your smile.

A fast acting smile boost

While there is still time to have your teeth whitened in the run up to Christmas and the new year thanks to our one hour teeth whitening treatment, some of you may prefer to leave this until the new year to help remove any staining from the red wine that you might consume in larger quantities than normal! If you would like your teeth whitening beforehand though, please do contact us as soon as possible.

Having your teeth whitened in this way is not only fast acting, with your teeth lightened by several shades by the time you leave the Foxhall Dental Practice, but is a perfectly safe, non-invasive and relatively inexpensive treatment as well.

Once we are happy that your teeth are healthy (there is little point in whitening a decayed tooth), then your gums and lips will be protected to prevent any of the bleaching agents from coming into contact with them. A whitening gel will then be applied to your teeth and activated using a special light. One hour later, the gel will be removed and you will see the immediate benefit in the improved whiteness of your teeth.

This is an ideal treatment for mild to moderate discolouration. Heavier staining may benefit more from dental veneers which we will discuss shortly.

Crooked teeth correction

While the teeth whitening procedure shows results within one hour, correcting crooked teeth takes much longer. This can be a major factor in the decision of some patients to leave their teeth crooked rather than undergo a lengthy treatment. This is understandable to some degree if you are thinking that you would need to wear the old style metal dental braces. These are highly visible and require numerous visits to have them adjusted by the dentist. In addition to this, cleaning the teeth can be very difficult when wearing them.

The good news is that patients of our Ipswich dentists can now benefit from the modern orthodontics that we have available.

For those seeking minor corrections, such as a slightly crooked front tooth that spoils an otherwise nice smile, we can correct this using a modern version of traditional braces. These are much less visible and are made from finer tooth coloured materials making them much more discrete. As the treatment period for this can be relatively short; just a few weeks in some cases, this is an effective option for anyone in this situation.

For anyone with more significant correction needed, we are likely to recommend the popular Invisalign orthodontics. These abandon the wires and brackets altogether and use a series of ‘trays’ that fit over the teeth, with each tray designed to move the teeth a little before the next one is fitted. These trays are removable for when you eat and for cleaning your teeth and offer not only a discreet way to straighten teeth but one that is comfortable and convenient too.

Chipped or cracked teeth?

If you are one of the unfortunate people whose teeth have suffered from tiny cracks or chips that cause no immediate harm to your teeth but make them look less attractive than you would like, then the answer may lie in having porcelain dental veneers fitted. These also work very well for people with teeth that are too badly stained for a teeth whitening procedure to be fully effective.

In most cases, having veneers fitted will involve the removal of a fine layer of surface enamel, using a local anaesthetic. When this has been done, impressions are taken of the teeth and temporary veneers attached to protect them while your new custom veneers are produced.

When these are ready, the temporary veneers are removed and your new ones attached using a strong dental adhesive. Finally, these are trimmed and polished to make them look natural and leave you with a fantastic new smile. Veneers are highly stain resistant (though you should still brush them of course) and can last you for approximately ten years or more, providing that you look after them well.

We hope that the above has given you a few ideas on how you might make a few improvements next year. If you would like to find out more about these, or, if you have another smile problem that you would like us to correct, why not get in touch now to arrange an appointment for the new year, or before if appropriate. You can call the Foxhall Dental Practice on 01473 258396 and we look forward to helping with your new smile journey!