Today there’s no reason to live with a smile you don’t like to see in the mirror every morning. Dr. Winters can give your smile a makeover. A smile makeover uses the latest techniques in cosmetic dentistry to give you a perfect smile.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION TODAYWhat Are the Goals of a Smile Makeover?
A big part of every smile makeover with Dr. Winters is finding what you like and what you hate about your smile. There isn’t a set group of procedures; everything we do is based on your unique situation.
These are areas Dr. Winters, DDS. will address with your dental makeover planning:
- Alignment and spacing | A smile makeover doesn’t address serious alignment issues that would require orthodontic treatment. But we do target problems such as slightly crooked teeth, gaps between teeth, and misshapen teeth. Porcelain veneers can do an amazing job fixing these problems.
- Missing teeth | Replacing missing teeth doesn’t qualify as truly “cosmetic,” but this is surely a part of a cosmetic upgrade for your smile. If you’re missing a tooth or two, Dr. Winters, DDS, believes dental implants are far and away the best replacement option. If you’re missing a series of teeth a bridge, or even a partial denture, can be used.
- Tooth color | Every smile makeover at The Hills Dental Spa includes teeth whitening. It’s usually our first procedure because whitening returns your teeth to their natural whiteness. From there we can match other pieces of the puzzle, such as porcelain veneers, to your natural, whitened tooth color. If your teeth are stained beneath the enamel, possibly from a reaction to tetracycline as a child, we can cover the stained fronts with porcelain veneers.
- Balance | A balanced smile is a good-looking smile. If you have an overly gummy smile, it can be the only thing a person talking with you notices. Dr. Winters uses a diode laser to recontour your gums to lengthen your teeth (visually). Otherwise, we’ll fix or cover chips and cracks in your teeth with dental bonding, porcelain veneers, or porcelain crowns, such as CEREC same-day crowns.
Would I Be a Good Candidate for a Smile Makeover?
No one has a perfectly natural smile. There isn’t a threshold to qualify for a smile makeover with Dr. Winters; it depends on your goals. One requirement is that your basic oral health is good. Our smile makeovers involve various cosmetic fixes to your smile. Serious oral health problems such as tooth decay, missing the majority or all of your teeth, and gum disease have to be dealt with before any dental makeover procedures can begin.
What Are the Benefits of a Smile Makeover?
What’s the value of a dazzling, balanced, beautiful smile? A smile makeover can change how easily you smile and how confident you are when you do. We don’t even realize how much we subconsciously hide issues with our teeth, such as tetracycline staining. A smile makeover will make you more confident and proud of your smile.
What Are the Procedures Included in a Smile Makeover?
Every smile makeover is unique to the patient, a combination of your goals and Dr. Winters’s expertise. Together, these are the procedures that could be a part of your smile makeover:
- Teeth whitening | Using our hydrogen peroxide whitening gels, we return your teeth to their natural color, removing stains from coffee, red wine, and the passage of time.
- Porcelain veneers | These thin shells of porcelain are applied to the fronts of the teeth to give your teeth perfect symmetry and a bright white sheen. You’ll be amazed at the ability of veneers to cover issues such as gaps between teeth or deep staining.
- Tooth-colored fillings | Out with the old silver amalgam fillings, in with tooth-colored, invisible composite resin fillings.
- Gum contouring | Using a diode soft-tissue laser, Dr. Winters, DDS, removes excess gum tissue, making your teeth appear longer and in proportion. The dental laser not only removes the unwanted tissue, but it also seals the cut to prevent gum bleeding and vastly lowers the chances of infection. Recovery is not difficult.
- Porcelain crowns | If a tooth has a deep crack or maybe has a large tooth filling that needs replacing, the strength of the tooth is compromised. In these cases, we use a porcelain crown to overlay the entire tooth all the way down to the gumline. Dental crowns return full strength to a tooth and can be used to change the overall shape of the tooth.
- Dental bonding | For small chips or subtle changes in one or more teeth, we may use dental bonding. Cosmetic bonding for teeth uses composite resin that is painted on in thin layers and then cured to cover imperfections or change the shape of a tooth. Tooth bonding isn’t a substitute for a full set of porcelain veneers, but it can address smaller issues with a beautiful end result.
- Dental implants | Dr. Winters, DDS, is a big fan of dental implants as the best method for tooth replacement. Tooth implants feature a titanium implant that is screwed down into the jawbone. The jawbone then grows around the implant, fully incorporating it. A post is attached to the implant with a porcelain false tooth atop that. Dental implants function exactly like a natural tooth.
What Is the Process of Getting a Smile Makeover? How Long Does It Take?
How we handle your smile makeover is dependent on your unique needs. Most of these procedures are immediate and may be combined in a single appointment. Thanks to our CEREC system at The Hills Dental Spa, we are able to place crowns in a single office visit. Porcelain veneers require a second appointment, as we have a dental lab fabricate the porcelain shells. If dental implants are a part of your makeover, they take up to six months or so from start to finish. Other than implants, in most cases, a smile makeover can usually be accomplished in two appointments. Austin dentist, Dr. Kevin Winters, DDS, will discuss your possible time frame during your consultation.
Smile Makeover Before & After Transformation
What Is Recovery Like After a Smile Makeover?
With most of these procedures, there isn’t any recovery. Dental implants and gum contouring are the exceptions. Placing an implant requires a couple of recovery periods where your gums need to heal and you’ll eat a soft diet. Gum contouring will require a short recovery. Otherwise, procedures such as applying veneers and crowns or whitening your teeth have no recovery.
Read More Smile Makeover FAQs
Is anesthesia used during smile makeover procedures?
Yes and no. Some parts of a smile makeover at The Hills Dental Spa don’t require any anesthesia, things such as teeth whitening and placing dental bonding on a tooth or teeth. When Dr. Winters uses our diode laser for gum contouring, it is almost painless, but we still place some local anesthesia to keep you comfortable.
The most involved treatment in a smile makeover would be placing a dental implant to replace a missing tooth. This would involve local anesthetic prior to Dr. Winters making the incision to access the jawbone. This would be repeated when he opened the gums to attach the post to the implant base. But this is minimal local anesthetic.
Because these are cosmetic treatments, there isn’t the need for much anesthesia.
How many appointments are needed for a smile makeover?
Most of these treatments can be accomplished in just a couple appointments. As mentioned above, it only takes a single appointment to place crowns, thanks to our advanced in-house design and milling capabilities. Porcelain veneers still need to be fabricated in a dental lab, so these treatments require two appointments. Otherwise, placing composite fillings, teeth whitening, dental bonding, and gum contouring take just a single appointment.
When Dr. Winters meets with you for your consultation, he can give you an idea of what treatments he thinks you’ll need and your time frame.
Are there risks associated with smile makeovers?
These are all low-risk procedures. There is a small risk of infection with the placement of a dental implant, but that is quite low. There is a risk of the implant failing, but implants have over a 95 percent success rate. Any risk is lessened even more so thanks to Dr. Winters’s extensive training and experience.
Otherwise, treatments such as placing veneers, teeth whitening, bonding, and the like have little, if any, risk.
Are there any food restrictions after I have a smile makeover?
There aren’t any restrictions on what you can or cannot eat after a smile makeover with our team at The Hills Dental Spa. If porcelain veneers were part of your makeover, it would probably be a good idea to stay away from biting into caramel apples and gnawing on rib bones, as you could loosen or pull off a veneer or two. But that’s just advice, not a restriction.
What is the difference between a smile makeover and general dentistry?
It’s important to remember that a smile makeover is cosmetic in its approach. The procedures improve the aesthetic appeal of a patient’s smile; they aren’t meant to address serious underlying problems. For instance, if a tooth has a deep crack, a porcelain veneer won’t fix that. The crack needs to be addressed to save the tooth before a cosmetic veneer could be applied (a crown could actually be a better option). General dentistry is different from the cosmetic dentistry involved in a smile makeover. Dr. Winters is expert in both general and cosmetic dentistry, and there is some overlap in a smile makeover, but general dentistry usually is concerned with the patient’s overall oral health. Problems with deep decay, gum disease, and the like are not part of a smile makeover, and they need to be addressed first before moving on to these cosmetic procedures.
How long will my smile makeover last?
Dental implants can last for the remainder of the patient’s life. Gum contouring is permanent. Most of the other procedures have a lifespan. Porcelain veneers can last up to 20 years, while dental bonding usually lasts around a decade. Composite fillings can last 10-20 years. Teeth whitening? How long your teeth will stay white depends on how much you like coffee, red wine, and blueberries, and how diligent your home hygiene regimen.
Read What Our Patients Are Saying!
“The staff at the Hills Dental Spa were great. I had gone there for a second opinion and they took the time to look at my case. The office itself has a warm, welcoming environment and seems to be run very professionally.” — Vinay G.
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Schedule Your Consultation Today
If you’re interested in learning more about smile makeovers in Austin, Texas, and Westlake, please contact us for a consultation at 512-347-0044 or fill out our contact us form. We will discuss your needs and concerns, and determine your best course of action.
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