Toothjobs are the new facelift

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/celebs-on-sunday/beauty/2008/11/19/why-toothjobs-are-the-new-facelifts-115875-20908467/


Why ‘toothjobs’ ..are the new facelifts


By Clare Fitzsimons 19/11/2008
The thought of the dentist’s chair might make most people shudder but cosmetic dentistry is now almost as popular as nips and tucks. Here’s what’s new.

Every year plastic surgery becomes more popular and people are willing to spend thousands of pounds to transform their bodies. But now smile makeovers are starting to catch up.
With a new set of teeth often costing less than drastic surgery, and with fewer complications, soon we could all have perfect Hollywood smiles.
Dr Thang Nghiem, 34, from UltraSmile dentists, UK practice of the year, says a new smile can change your whole outlook on life.
He says: “There has been an increase in interest about cosmetic dentistry, probably due to all the makeover shows on TV.
“Studies have shown that people link nice smiles with success, health and intelligence. And others indicate a smile makeover is now replacing a facelift.
“A great smile takes attention away from other parts of your face and gives you a huge confidence boost.
“If people have a makeover with crowns, veneers and all sorts it can be expensive but a smile improvement doesn’t have to be that much, it can be as simple as whitening or fixing a chipped tooth.”
Small treatments can cost just £50 while extensive procedures can run into hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds.
So if you want to change your smile, here’s everything you need to know…
The wand
“This is perfect for patients who are afraid of needles,” says Dr Nghiem, “it’s a painless injection system. “The pain from an injection isn’t from the needle going into the gum, but from the pump of the solution going in. “The wand controls the delivery of the anaesthetic so it’s very slow, drop by drop and the needle’s thin.”
Invisalign braces
These are originally from the US and are an alternative option to metal braces. Dr Nghiem, who trained in the US and UK, says: “They are clear transparent trays that you wear day and night.
“However you do take them out for eating, drinking and brushing your teeth so it’s better for hygiene than permanent braces. “It’s so popular because it’s virtually invisible when you’re wearing it.”
Inman aligners
If only a few of your front teeth need straightening then these braces are perfect. Dr Nghiem says: “They only treat the front six teeth, not the back ones. They’re also removable with a clear front piece so again, it’s relatively invisible.”
Whitening
Tooth whitening can be done in two ways but both add a gel of hydrogen peroxide.
Home whitening uses custom-made trays that you wear at night and fill with the gel. It usually takes one or two weeks to work.
The alternative is in-surgery whitening. Dr Nghiem says: “It’s put directly on the teeth and then we shine a light on it to activate it, which takes around an hour and a half.
“That creates an instant effect and for the best results it’s best to start with an in-surgery treatment followed by home whitening.
“Your teeth whitening effect will be temporary though, usually one to two years depending on what you eat.
“There’s a misconception that you’ll end up with a Hollywood smile from whitening, but that won’t happen. However, it will make them look cleaner and brighter.”
Veneers
Porcelain veneers are used to change the shape, colour and often the position of teeth. They’re used for closing gaps in your smile, too and the front of the tooth is filed down first.
“Most Hollywood smiles have had porcelain veneers fitted,” Dr Nghiem says. “If for instance your teeth stick in and you need to make them look in line with other teeth, we can place thick porcelain veneers on them.
“From the front it will look like they are in line with everything else. It gives the impression that the teeth have changed position, even though they haven’t really.
“Veneers are very thin pieces of porcelain bonded directly to the front of the tooth. They’re like false fingernails for teeth. But once they’re on they are glued on permanently.
“The ideal outcome is for you not to notice them, and for them to feel natural when you eat and talk.”
Crowns
Crowns are another way of changing the colour and shape of teeth but they require a lot more work than veneers as the teeth have to be filed to stumps. “For crowns both the front and back of the tooth has to be filed,” says Dr Nghiem.
“Crowns are necessary when the teeth are very short or very heavily filed so there’s not much tooth left. Veneers are attached to the front of teeth while crowns cover the entire tooth.”
Missing teeth
There are three ways to replace missing teeth – dentures, bridges and implants.
Dr Nghiem says: “When someone loses a tooth a dentist will check everything is OK but often they aren’t told that, in the gap, both the bone and gum shrink, and will continue to shrink throughout your life. It can cause your face shape to change.
“A denture is usually the worst option as it irritates the gum and isn’t very stable. Then there’s a bridge, which goes on the two teeth either side of the gap. It looks really nice and works well but the downside is that you have to file down the teeth either side.
“People can also have implants, which are the best option for replacing teeth because you don’t touch the two teeth at the side, and they have around a 95 per cent success rate after five to 10 years.
“We make a small nick in the gum and then drill into the bone. It sounds worse than it is! It’s painless and there are minimal complications.
“The implant is a titanium screw that goes into the bone and it’s left for 4-6 months to heal and then we put on a normal crown. Once it’s in it’s permanent and stops the bone and gum from shrinking.”

Dr Maurice Johannes of The Harley Street Smile Clinic knows only too well how a a new smile can make you look so much younger. A curve to the smile line is what makes a smile look youthful. As we age, teeth wear down and the curve to smile is lost making us look older. A smile makeover of porcelain veneers can transform your face and make it appear as though you must have had a face lift! The good thing about cosmetic dentistry is that when it is done well, it is difficult for someone to recognise what is different about that person. People more often think when you have had your teeth corrected with porcelain veneers that you have had a hair cut, or that you just look really well, but they cannot figure out what is different about you. Unless you opt for a smile makeover using Hollywood White veneers, in which case it is more obvious that it is your teeth that have been worked on. Check out some of Dr Johannes' smile makeovers at:
http://www.harleystreetsmileclinic.co.uk/london-smile-makeovers.html