“Hollywood smile” isn’t a single treatment. It is the name for changing the colour, shape and line of all the teeth that show when you smile, usually with veneers on the upper and lower front teeth and crowns on any of them that are too damaged for a veneer. A typical plan covers 16 to 20 teeth, made in E.max (lithium disilicate), porcelain laminate or zirconia, and is fitted in one visit of six to eight days.
Who it’s for
It suits adults who are unhappy with the colour or shape of most of their visible teeth: heavy discolouration, worn or chipped edges, uneven lengths, old crowns that no longer match, or several small gaps. Your gums need to be healthy and your bite stable. Gum disease, decay or infection is treated first, and grinding is managed with a night guard afterwards.
If only a few teeth bother you, or the colour is the main issue, whitening, bonding or a smaller number of veneers may give you what you want with less work. We’ll say so.
The “Turkey teeth” question
The pictures most people have in mind are of healthy teeth cut down to pegs and covered with very white crowns. That isn’t what we do. Healthy teeth get veneers, which remove about 0.3 to 0.7 mm of enamel from the front and keep the rest of the tooth. Crowns, which need 1 to 2 mm removed all the way round, are kept for teeth that already need one. Tooth removed can’t be put back, so we always start from the least invasive option that gives the result you want.
The second part of the answer is shade and shape. A smile that looks natural follows your face: the width of your lips, the line of your upper lip when you smile, your skin tone. We design the new teeth around those, and you approve them on the try-in day before anything is fixed.
How it’s done
On day 1 you have a free examination and panoramic X-ray, photos and a digital scan, and a preview of the new smile. You agree the teeth, materials and shade. On day 2 the teeth are prepared under local anaesthesia and temporaries fitted. Days 3 to 5 are lab days. On day 6 you try the new teeth in, and on days 7 to 8 they are fixed and the bite is fine-tuned.
Before you travel
Send daylight photos of your smile from the front and side, and a panoramic X-ray if you have one. Tell us about pain, old root fillings and whether you grind. If you’d like your teeth whiter than the remaining ones at the back, whitening is done before the shade is chosen. Plan a full eight days so nothing has to be rushed.
Afterwards
Your teeth can be sensitive for a few days, and speech may feel slightly different until your tongue adjusts to the new edges. Avoid biting very hard things with the front teeth. Clean between the teeth every day with floss or interdental brushes, wear a night guard if you grind, and see your dentist at home for check-ups and cleaning.
Risks and alternatives
Veneers and crowns can chip or loosen, and a prepared tooth will always need a covering. Some teeth become sensitive, and a few need root canal treatment later, more often with crowns than with veneers. Over time the gum can recede and show the edge of a restoration.
Alternatives include whitening, composite bonding, orthodontics to straighten teeth before any ceramic work, and a smaller set of veneers on the upper teeth only. A smile makeover combines several of these.
Which option suits your teeth?
Send photos or an X-ray and we’ll write, tooth by tooth, what we recommend and why.
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