janeSpring Festival is here and celebrations give us one of the best rea- sons to smile. Everyone should remem- ber that a smile goes a long way. Smiles are one of the most important

of human facial displays, and a perfect, white shining grin works as a personal card unveiling your personality and at- titude before others and the world.

Keeping in mind our 2009 pledge – “Creating your Perfect Smile” – find out why it takes a professional cosmetic dentist to give you the smile you’re look- ing for and learn about smile makeover.

Find your cosmetic specialist

If you break a tooth, your dentist is the right man to fix it. But if correcting and polishing your smiles what you’re aiming at, then you should consult specialist in cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentists favor beauty and personality, and draw

special attention to de-tail regarding smile makeover. They’re teeth experts with an artistic approach towards dental treatment who receive addition-al training after dental school to master the specific skills to create smiles, such as special bonding techniques.

One face, one smile

It has been long recognized among dental professionals that tooth shape and proportions are directly related to the person’s face shape and have to be measured for smile makeover to guar- antee maximum harmony and beauty. Your cosmetic dentist will be able to advise you regarding proportions for a naturally beautiful and attractive smile. Several measurements such as the height and width of the face, distances between the eyes, between the tip of the nose and the chin, as well as the width of the mouth must be taken into account. Smile out your personal aspirations

A bright white smile is more than a facial expression of pleasure or amusement. Your smile is a mirror of personal aspirations. Oral hygiene is the first good impression a line of white teeth wires out. But a well-designed smile will make you look younger and more energetic. A sophisticated smile provides you a more confident image, exhaling intelligence, maturity and judgment. You should always request to see before and after photos of patients who’ve had smile makeover services.

Smile makeover options

The best techniques for a smile make- over include the following treatments:

- Porcelain veneers: wafer-thin shells of porcelain that are bonded onto the front side of teeth to create a cosmetic improvement for a tooth. Porcelain veneers are routinely used to make cosmetic changes for teeth that are discolored, worn, chipped, or misaligned.

- Tooth whitening: a treatment used to brighten the teeth if you’re content about their shape and position.

- Invisalign: invisible braces are the modern alternative to metal braces. This option will straighten the teeth line creating a perfect smile without most people even noticing you’re going through treatment.

- Dental bonding: this is usually a more economic solution than porcelain ve- neer. A tooth-colored resin ma- terial (a durable plastic material) is applied and hardened with a special light, which ultimately “bonds” the ma- terial to the tooth to restore or improve the patient’s smile. Dental bonding is a suitable procedure to repair decayed or cracked teeth, to close spaces between teeth, to change the shape of teeth and to improve the appearance of discolored

- Dental fillings: a restorative solution commonly used to repair minimal tooth fractures, tooth decay or otherwise dam- aged surfaces of the teeth. Dental filling materials include composite, porcelain and silver amalgam, that may be used to even out tooth surfaces for better biting or chewing.

- Gum recon touring – painlessly re-moves gum tissue that may be hiding part of the front teeth and giving you a “gummy smile.

A smile design consultation with the cosmetic dentist will go over all of the above mentioned aspects in order to give you the smile you’re looking for. The treatment plan and the chosen result should be a personal decision taking into consideration the expert’s advice. Remember… you’ll be the one looking at the mirror everyday and smiling.

I wish all the readers a Happy Spring Festival.

Keep smiling!

Jane Zhang, MD Dentist