Secrets to Improving Your Smile

Reviewed June 2024 by Our Content Experts

A smile is a person’s most prominent facial feature. It is an important part of a first impression and often remembered long after you have left the room. There are, however, people that try to hide their smile. This is due largely to imperfections with their teeth. You no longer have to settle for stained, chipped, missing or misshapen teeth. Advances in dentistry have come up with answers to these problems. You now have choices that will help you smile with confidence.

Importance of your smile

A recent American study has found that teeth are the number one facial feature that people would change. 75% of adults think that a nice smile is important to career success. 84% think that an attractive smile is important for meeting Mister or Miss Right.

The study was conducted on a representative sample of 1000 American adults both men and women between 18 and 50 years of age. The poll explored the importance of smiles in relation to business and careers, dating and marriage, the social arena, and the overall value of smiles and self-esteem.

Survey Source: HPOL conducts research in more than 80 different countries in more than 30 different languages.

Smiles and the Social Arena

94% of those polled said they are likely to notice a person's smile when they meet them for the first time. People are less likely to notice someone's height, eyes or figure. More than one half (71%) believe people with a nice smile make friends more easily. Over one third agree that bad teeth overshadow the rest of a person's appearance. An overwhelming majority of adults (85%) consider a person's smile to be very important when meeting someone for the first time.

Smiles and Self Esteem

Almost two-thirds (64%) agree that people with a nice smile are more outgoing. 77% think that having discoloured teeth as an adult makes a person feel self conscious. 87% think a person’s smile is very important to their self esteem. When asked which facial characteristic they would change if they could, one in four adults (25%) would change their teeth/smile. Smaller proportions would change their skin (17%) or nose (13%).

Smiles and Relationships

84% of adults perceive having an attractive smile as important for getting a date with Mister or Miss Right. Over one-third would not be likely to set up their best friend on a blind date with someone with bad teeth. One-third would not be likely to kiss someone with bad teeth. An overwhelming majority of adults (85%) consider a person's smile to be very or somewhat important when meeting someone for the first time. Almost 9 out of 10 (86%) think people with good teeth are more attractive.

Improve your smile

Even the most subtle change in your smile can make a dramatic difference in the way you look and feel about yourself. Our participating cosmetic dentists can help you show off a bright and wonderful smile using various cosmetic dentistry procedures. Such cosmetic procedures include the use of white fillings, teeth whitening, dental bonding, dental crowns and dental veneers. Our approved cosmetic dentists have helped many individuals gain an attractive smile they have always wanted. We could do the same for you.

White Fillings

Are white fillings for you?

If you have a cavity in a tooth, broken fillings, mercury fillings, or amalgam fillings, this type of dental filling is well worth discussing with our participating cosmetic dentists. Mercury fillings or amalgam fillings can be easily removed and replaced with tooth coloured fillings. These fillings actually strengthen your tooth beyond the level it had with the amalgam fillings. Composite resins may also be used to enhance the appearance of any tooth.

Before & After

Before Filling	After Filling

How white fillings will benefit you?

• They look better and are colour blended to match your natural tooth colour.
• The white fillings add further support to the remaining tooth structure which helps prevent breakage and damage to your tooth.
• Studies and tests show that the allergy potential is reduced considerably with white fillings.
• The modern composition provides white fillings with high stress resistance. Tests confirm that the fillings are more dimensionally stable and more abrasion-proof under chewing stress.
• White fillings last about 6 to 12 years.
• The procedure usually takes only one visit to your dentist.

What are composite resin fillings (white fillings)?

Many people have amalgam fillings (silver) or gold filling restorations. Metal fillings are effective but very noticeable and tend to blacken in colour over time. Composite resin fillings were created as an alternative to traditional metal fillings. Composite resin fillings are tooth fillings coloured to look like a natural tooth. Composite resin fillings are strong, durable, and make for a very natural looking smile.

Teeth Whitening

Is teeth whitening for you?

If you drink coffee, tea or red wine, smoke, enjoy curry then teeth whitening is well worth discussing with our participating cosmetic dentists. Whitening of the teeth is performed for you if you desire a brighter smile. Teeth whitening can be performed to reduce discolouration and staining or simply to provide you with whiter, brighter teeth.

Before & After

Before Teeth Whitening	After Teeth Whitening

The benefits for you?

• You will feel more confident especially when talking with others.
• A whiter smile will give you a more youthful and energetic appearance.
• Whiter teeth are associated with beauty and a healthier lifestyle.
• You will smile more often and be less self-conscious with a brighter smile.
• A whiter smile gives you a friendlier appearance.

What is teeth whitening?

Teeth whitening is a bleaching process that lightens discolorations and removes stains from the enamel of your teeth. The ‘Custom Trays’ teeth whitening is a straightforward and painless procedure.

How the procedure is performed?

Custom made bleaching trays are made from impressions taken of your teeth. These custom made bleaching trays are designed to fit over your teeth. You then place the bleaching gel solution in the trays and it works to remove stains and discoloration from your teeth. The trays can be worn while you sleep. An improvement in the appearance of your teeth is often noticeable after only a few days. Your Smile dentist will help you decide on the duration and intensity of treatment best suited to your needs.

How long does teeth whitening last?

Lightness should last from 1 to 5 years. This will depend on your personal habits such as smoking and drinking coffee and tea. At this point you may choose to get a touch up. This procedure may not be as costly because you can probably still use the same custom made trays. Re-treatment time is also much shorter than the original treatment time. 

Dental Bonding

Is dental bonding for you?

If you have small gaps between your front teeth, chipped or cracked teeth, crooked teeth, discolored teeth, uneven teeth, gum recession or tooth decay then it may be well worth discussing dental bonding with our participating cosmetic dentists. 

Before Dental Bonding	After Dental Bonding

How dental bonding benefits you?

• Composites will match the color of your other teeth.
• Composites permit your dentist to remove only the decayed area of your tooth.
• Composite bonding is less likely to cause cracks in your tooth unlike silver fillings.
• Composites bond directly to the tooth providing support.
• Composites can be used to fill in cracks, chips and gaps.

What is dental bonding?

Bonding is a procedure in which composite resin is applied to the front surface of a tooth. Composites are the solution for restoring decayed teeth. It can whiten stained teeth, lengthen short or chipped teeth, close minor gaps between teeth and can be used to correct crooked teeth. This method works well with brownish or greyish-tinged teeth which do not always respond to bleaching.

How the procedure is performed?

The dentist applies phosphoric acid to the tooth to remove the shine of the enamel. This step is necessary in order for the resin to stick to the tooth. Next, the dentist applies the resin to the tooth. Your dentist sculpts, colors and shapes it to provide a pleasing result. The dentist then flashes a high-intensity light which hardens the resin and the surface is finely polished.

How long does dental bonding last?

Dental bonding lasts about five to ten years. At that time, the process may have to be repeated as plaque and other stains may have caused the tooth to lose its shine.

Dental Crowns

Are dental crowns for you?

If you grind your teeth, have an improper bite, aging teeth, poor chewing patterns, fillings and tooth decay then it may be well worth discussing dental crowns with our participating cosmetic dentists as these can all be contributing factors in the wearing down, cracking or breakage of your teeth. Crowns are a cover or cap that is fitted on your affected tooth to improve its strength, durability and appearance. Crowns are also used to replace a missing tooth.

Before & After

Before Dental Crown	After Dental Crown

How dental crowns benefit you?

• Dental crowns can dramatically improve the appearance of your teeth.
• Crowns in general add strength to weakened or worn teeth.
• Crowns can replace missing teeth.
• Provides support to misshapen teeth or badly broken teeth.
• Fixes major "smile" and functional chewing problems.
• Looks completely natural. Porcelain crowns or new reinforced resin are considered to be the most aesthetically pleasing as it is easily matched in colour to the surrounding teeth.

What are dental crowns?

A dental crown, also known as dental caps, is an artificial material used to replace large parts of a tooth or a whole tooth that has been fractured or decayed. Crowns fit over and cover the outside of teeth starting at the gum line. They are usually made of gold, porcelain or a combination of both.

How the procedure is performed?

The "capping" procedure takes place under anaesthetic. As the crown is about two millimetres thick, the dentist first shaves this same amount off your existing tooth to avoid awkward-looking, oversized teeth. The dentist will also re-shape your tooth into a form upon which a cap can easily sit. The dentist will then make a replica of your tooth. Usually, this replica will be a putty mold. This mold is then sent to a laboratory where the crown will be made based on this mold. In the case of a porcelain crown, the dentist will choose a shade close to the colour of the surrounding teeth. You will return about two weeks later to have the crown fitted and once both you and your dentist are satisfied with the "look and feel" of the crown, it will be cemented over your original tooth.

Tooth Veneers

Are tooth veneers for you?

If you have teeth that are too small, too big, or have uneven surfaces then it may be well worth discussing tooth veneers with our participating cosmetic dentists. It is very common for people to have imperfect teeth. This includes oddly shaped teeth, chipped teeth, crooked teeth, teeth with small holes in them, an inappropriate sized tooth or unwanted or uneven spaces. Veneers solve such irregularities and create a durable and pleasing smile.

Before & After

Before Tooth Veneer	After Tooth Veneer

How tooth veneers benefit you?

• You can have the smile of your dreams in a very short period of time with porcelain veneers.
• Typically veneers are difficult to stain making veneers a very popular solution for many people seeking that perfect smile.
• Strong and very durable, veneers last from 10 to 15 years, and come in colours that will brighten dark teeth without ever changing colour.
• Veneers are typically done in only two one and a half hour long appointments and can actually strengthen your teeth.
• There is no additional maintenance other than a follow-up visit to your dentist and proper brushing and flossing on a daily basis.
• A whiter smile gives you confidence and a friendlier appearance.

What are tooth veneers?

Porcelain veneers are thin, shell-like slices of ceramic bonded to the front of the teeth. They are used to cover gaps, to reshape chipped teeth or whiten stained teeth. They are also one of the most natural-looking and long-lasting whitening options available.

How the procedure is performed?

The application of porcelain veneers requires 3 trips to your dentist. You firstly visit your dentist for a diagnosis and treatment-planning session. This is when you and your dentist will discuss your specific needs. Next, return for a preparation session. This time, your dentist will buff about half a millimetre off your teeth to create room for the veneer. The dentist will also create a mold of your teeth and send it to a laboratory. Within two weeks, the laboratory will send back the veneers based on this mold.

You return for the bonding session. Your dentist will first give you a "trial fitting" of your veneers. The dentist will use water or glycerine to attach them to your teeth. This fitting is your chance to comment on the fit and colour of the veneers and to request any final changes or adjustments. Once you are satisfied with the look of the veneers, your dentist will clean your teeth with bond-aiding chemicals and cement the veneers to your teeth. Finally, the dentist will flash a high-intensity light on the veneers to speed up the hardening of the cement.

How long do tooth veneers last?

Porcelain veneers are strong and very durable lasting from 10 to 15 years.