Can Anyone Get a Smile Makeover? What Dentists Consider

If you’re unhappy with the current state of your teeth, getting a smile makeover in Columbus may be an attractive option. However, there are certain health factors your dentist should consider before giving you the green light for any cosmetic dental procedures, like the state of your gums or your lifestyle habits.  

Failing to do so can hamper the results of your procedure and even lead to unexpected complications. Here’s a detailed guide on every factor a dentist will consider before offering you a smile makeover, with detailed explanations of the reasons behind each one.

What’s a Smile Makeover?

A smile makeover involves undergoing one or several cosmetic dentistry procedures to improve the appearance of your smile. By combining various treatments, you can transform your smile, improving its looks and your confidence.

Smile makeovers start with an oral exam. During the exam, your dentist will determine whether you’re eligible for the treatment and customize a detailed plan to develop your new smile. An important part of this process is ensuring your new teeth match your overall appearance.

To do so, professionals consider several factors, such as your skin tone, facial features, hair and tooth colors, size, and even the shape of your gum tissue and lips. In addition to these aesthetic factors, health issues are also considered.  

Healthy teeth and gums are crucial before any cosmetic procedure, and smile design treatments aren’t an exception. Here are some underlying dental issues that may put your makeover at risk.

1. Tooth Decay and Cavities

You should take care of any tooth decay or plaque buildup before considering the possibility of a smile makeover. A cavity is a tiny hole that forms in your teeth when the enamel, the tooth's hard outer layer, is damaged.

Our mouths are filled with numerous bacteria. When we consume foods high in sugar, these bacteria produce acids that harm the enamel on our teeth. Since enamel isn't a living thing, it cannot repair itself.

A cavity may not hurt at first, but it may become noticeable with time. If you don’t treat it, the decay will eat through your enamel and eventually reach the tooth's root.

When you get cosmetic procedures like porcelain veneers on teeth with cavities, you’re just covering the decay. It will still spread and could cause the veneer to come off – or worse, it might require extracting the entire tooth.

Another thing you shouldn’t attempt is whitening a tooth with a cavity. Cavities increase sensitivity, so the bleaching chemicals used may cause unnecessary pain and damage your gums while offering unsatisfying results.

2. Gum Disease

Periodontitis, or gum disease, is another dental condition that can prevent you from having a smile makeover. It is a prevalent kind of infection that harms the soft tissues surrounding teeth.

When you forget to brush and floss your teeth regularly, plaque starts to accumulate around your teeth. After 72 hours, it solidifies into tartar, making it harder to clean your gums. Over time, this leads to irritation and inflammation in your gums, also known as gingivitis.

Other symptoms of gingivitis are swelling, redness, and bleeding in your gumline. These are all early signs of gum disease, which can develop into periodontitis if left untreated. Over time, periodontitis can cause gum recession, leaving more of your teeth’s surface exposed and vulnerable to bacteria.

The recession can continue until the root of a tooth is damaged, leading to its loss.  

Because of this, any cosmetic procedure requires a stable foundation of healthy gums. If you were to whiten your teeth while having gum disease, the bleaching agents can irritate your already sensible gums and teeth.

Gum disease weakens the bone structure, making your teeth less suitable for veneers. There is also a higher chance of veneers chipping, cracking, or falling off. Needless to say, a procedure like a dental implant would be out of the question without a healthy jawbone or gums.

3. Bruxism

If you have bruxism, your dentist will probably advise treating it before getting any cosmetic treatment. If you don't, there’s no guarantee your new smile will last. Bruxism is a condition where you clench, grind, or gnash your teeth, either while you're awake or asleep.

The issue with bruxism is that it erodes your teeth over time. In fact, people tend to exert 70 pounds of force when chewing. While asleep, this can increase to 250 pounds of force because you lose control over how much force you use during sleep.

While porcelain veneers are very durable and strong, grinding your teeth can damage them. The constant pressure could cause your veneers to chip, crack, loosen, or fall off.

Even durable restorations like dental implants can be damaged by the pressure. In the best-case scenario, your implant's crown would only need to be replaced sooner than anticipated. In more severe situations, the force may weaken the bone around your implants, causing them to become loose and raising the possibility of implant failure.

Therefore, before having a smile makeover, it is critical to identify the cause of bruxism and analyze any available treatment options. Some solutions could be practicing stress-reduction techniques or sleeping with a custom mouthguard.  

4. Low Bone Density

Any smile makeover that requires dental implants may be fruitless if your bone density isn’t enough to support the implant.

Bone density is a measure used to assess the mass and strength of bones. It’s a very important factor to consider before getting dental implants, as these need to fuse with the jawbone to be successful.

If you have low bone density, you may need an alternative course of treatment, like bone grafting, to improve your chances of success. This process involves substances in weak, broken, or deficient bones to provide added support and stimulate growth.

5. Diabetes

If you have diabetes, you may have wondered if you could get a smile makeover.

Diabetes is a disorder that alters how your body processes glucose, which raises blood sugar levels. This illness may affect how well your body heals, which is important when receiving certain dental procedures, like dental implants.

When considering a smile makeover for individuals with diabetes, it’s important to acknowledge that certain procedures, like implants, pose added risks. Diabetes compromises your healing ability and immune response, increasing the risk of infection and implant failure after surgery.

However, that doesn’t mean every treatment commonly associated with a smile makeover is out of reach for you. An alternative to restoring missing teeth is a dental bridge. Additionally, there’s nothing stopping people with diabetes from getting procedures like teeth whitening.

In cases like this, it’s crucial to consult a dental professional. They will analyze the state of your current teeth and develop a treatment plan that fits your situation.  

Learn If You’re Eligible for a Smile Makeover in Columbus

A smile makeover addresses functional problems and improves the overall appearance of your smile by combining restorative and cosmetic dentistry techniques. Because of the procedure's broad scope, having ideal oral health is frequently essential.

That doesn’t mean you cannot achieve the smile you desire. It just means you would have to work out any possible problems before doing so. This can be a piece of cake with the help of a Spectrum Dental & Prosthodontics professional!

If you’d like to hear more about smile makeovers and see if one can help your unique situation, give us a call!