Six Steps You Can Take for a Healthier Smile in Just a Few Weeks
Just as the days get brighter and warmer with spring approaching, so do the smiles of those who take a spring break. A week off may mean days of driving the kids to and from activities for some, but for others, it means vacation photo ops and Instagram-worthy pictures with mother nature as the backdrop – no filter needed. You’ve been working hard the first two months of the year and deserve a vacation, but the question: is your smile ready for one?
In just a few steps, you can create a photo-worthy spring break smile that will stop friends from scrolling on their social feeds to admire your family photos. After all, a picture may be worth a thousand words, but a smile is worth a thousand more! Here are a few of the options you have:
1. Whiten Up
The world of teeth whitening is entirely different than it was even ten years ago. Today’s in-clinic bleaching procedures are fast and effective… so much so that you can have whiter teeth by spring break this year.
Did you know that a single one-hour visit to your dentist can give you dramatically whiter teeth?
It’s that simple. Some people will want to come back for multiple or longer visits, especially if years of soda sipping or smoking have left their teeth badly stained.
Alternatively, you can ask your dentist to make an at-home mouthpiece tray that will whiten your teeth throughout several weeks.
Talk to your dentist about which option is right for you. People respond differently to different whitening products (which means you should talk about any over-the-counter whitening strips with your dentist too, lest you sink a lot of money into a product that leaves you with sore gums and minimal improvement).
We still have a few weeks before spring break rolls around, which means you still have time to (A) schedule a teeth whitening consultation with your dentist and (B) get started with at least your first round of treatment, which for many people will produce noticeable results in a short amount of time.
2. Straighten Up
Nothing kills confidence in a smile like teeth that have grown crooked or out of alignment. That’s not a problem you can cure entirely overnight, so we won’t promise you perfectly straight teeth by spring break. But some people do see visible improvement in their teeth alignment after just a few weeks of custom-fit corrective therapy (e.g. Invisalign).
If a wonky smile has you feeling less than Instagrammable, don’t settle for less than your best. Talk to your dentist about the different alignment options that are out there — some of them much more affordable than you may think.
3. Get Your Teeth in Shape (With a Drill, Not a Gym)
The great thing about teeth is that they can get in shape without any exercise.
Do you have a tooth that’s too long, jagged, or oddly shaped? Your dentist may be able to give it a more uniform appearance in a single, simple procedure.
Using a drill or similar tool, your dental care professional can remove some of the existing tooth, molding it into the right shape without any orthodontics or surgery.
Likewise, if an individual tooth is too small, your dentist may be able to add a filling material to make it bigger.
4. Give Your Tooth the Royal Treatment (Put on a Crown)
People tend to think of dental crowns as reparative in nature — something you get after you fracture your tooth or an old filling cracks. But they can also offer increased comfort and cosmetic satisfaction.
Crowns are used to give teeth a better, fuller shape. They can also even out your bite, reduce tension on your jaw, promote better gum health, strengthen weak teeth, and give you an overall better-looking smile.
5. Consider Bonding or Veneers
Veneering — it’s not just for furniture.
A veneer is a thin, custom-made application that covers the visible surface of an unsightly but otherwise healthy tooth.
Alternatively, a process known as “bonding” allows your dentist to fuse porcelain or a resin material to your tooth’s natural enamel to give it an overall better look.
With either option, the result will look like your natural teeth, so that no one can tell you’ve had work done. Instead, all they see is a full and healthy-looking smile.
6. Literally, Practice Your Smile
While we’ve mostly focused on cosmetic options available in your dentist’s office, there’s a lot you can do to get better at the art of smiling.
Let’s face it: some folks aren’t great at having their picture taken. Their smile is big, cheesy, and over-acted. Others are timid or unexpressive. If you feel uncomfortable or unnatural when posing for a photo, it probably comes across that way.
As with anything in life, practice makes perfect. You can find plenty of guides to smiling online, but the best advice might be to force yourself to be in photos. Work on striking an attractive smile each time. If you’re planning a spring break getaway, your vacation’s the perfect chance to become a guru of the grin.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Dentist In Your Area
Getting a better smile seems like a big challenge until you make an appointment with a dentist and discover that it’s very attainable in the short term.
The best time to get started is now.
There is still time to improve your smile for spring break this year!
Get started by visiting an Ideal Dental office near you. We have 60 locations across the state of Texas, and we are committed to making better, brighter smiles affordable.
We believe no one should feel embarrassed about wanting to look better when they smile. Smiles are important! Besides, the same treatments that make your teeth look better will often make them healthier too — and better whole-mouth health is always our goal. Schedule an appointment today.