“Hollywood” Or “Natural”: What’s Your Smile Style?

What’s your ideal smile? Do you want a smile that rivals any you’d see on a red-carpet celebrity – perfectly aligned, symmetrical and white? Or do you just want to improve what Nature gave you, reducing imperfections and getting rid of discoloration that makes you look and feel self-conscious? When it comes to smile design, the choice is up to you.

While there may be some issues you’ll definitely want to address – issues like overcrowding that can have a bearing on your future dental health – the aesthetic options offered by smile design are virtually limitless, and the best part is, you get to choose what you want your end result to look like.

Today, the media play a major influence in shaping the choices many young people make when it comes to appearance. As a result, many men and women today prefer the so-called “Hollywood” smile characterized by perfectly shaped and aligned teeth and bright white veneers or bleaching treatments that take teeth a shade or two whiter than what would occur in nature.

Because of the popularity of the “perfect” smile in recent years, many men and women may be left with the impression that that’s the only option in smile design. And while achieving that ideal is certainly possible, it’s important for patients to understand that the Hollywood look is not their only option. Here’s how smile design can help you get the look you prefer:

The “Hollywood” look

Patients in this group want their smile to be perfect – or as perfect as possible – and that means they want their teeth to be perfectly spaced and aligned with maximum regularity with regard to shape and proportion. They also want to achieve maximum brightness in both veneers and whitening options. Invisalign®, veneers, crowns and precise spacing and alignment techniques may be used to get that “more perfect than nature” look you crave.

The “natural”

If Hollywood-style glam is not your preference, there are lots of options that can let you enjoy a beautiful smile with just enough character to make your smile look like a generous gift from Nature. Aligning teeth to correct crookedness and unevenness and ensuring your smile is symmetrical, especially with regard to the very front teeth, can give you a much more attractive yet still “natural” appearance; whitening and any necessary veneers can be chosen in creamier shades of white so your smile still looks brighter but not “extra” white. In some cases, and depending on your preference, some slight irregularities can even be left in place to help provide that natural appearance you crave – for instance, rather than ensuring that the bottom edges of all teeth align horizontally, small imperfections along the edges of the teeth or slight unevenness of the canines or incisors that border the two front teeth can be left “as is” to achieve an absolutely natural look.

Whether you prefer the dazzling white Hollywood-style smile preferred by many celebs or you simply long for a smile that looks more attractive without drawing a lot of attention, smile design at Dentistry for All Ages can provide you with the options you need to look great. Get started right away by calling our office at 859-296-9711 to schedule a consultation so we can discuss your needs and start planning your ideal smile.