The 3 Things to Do Before Your Smile Makeover Consultation

The 3 Things to Do Before Your Smile Makeover Consultation

If you’ve scheduled a smile makeover consultation with San Diego dentist, Dr. David Eshom, then congratulations! You are well on your way to a brighter, more beautiful smile. Smile makeovers are a highly customized process in which your aesthetic goals drive the direction of treatment.

Some patients may want to see dramatic changes to their smiles, some may wish only to fix a few flaws, and others aren’t sure exactly what they want, as long as it’s a change for the better!

With Dr. David Eshom, all of those changes are possible with a smile makeover. The key to having successful cosmetic dentistry treatments is preparing for your consultation by spending some time thinking about, and looking at, your smile. From there, Dr. Eshom will take over the heavy lifting and you’ll be able to sit back and relax.

1. Evaluate Your Smile

We don’t expect you to evaluate your smile the same way a dentist would, but you should spend some time deciding what you like and don’t like about the appearance of your teeth when you smile. A great place to start is by looking in the mirror.

We typically only examine our teeth when we are brushing and flossing, to make sure we get them nice and clean. This can give you a skewed impression of what your teeth really look like to others, as we do not make the same natural expressions then that we make with others. Have a good, long look at your teeth, and take note of what you like, and don’t like, about your smile. Additionally, take a look at how your smile looks in photographs, selfies, and other images you may have. Instead of looking at your overall appearance, look only at the teeth. What do you see?

For a more honest look at your smile, record yourself saying the pledge of allegiance, and smile big at the beginning and end of the video. Position the camera to focus only on your mouth. When you watch the playback, you’ll see a raw, unfiltered glimpse of how others see your teeth when you speak and smile.

Make a list of things you like that you don’t want to change, and a wish list of characteristics you’d like to change. For example, many smile makeover candidates wish to correct the following flaws in their smiles:

• Overall yellowing of the teeth
• Specific stains that stand out
• Chipped teeth
• Dark spots where the enamel has worn down at the edges
• Uneven arches
• Teeth that look cracked
• Asymmetrical smiles
• Teeth that are too pointy
• Gaps between teeth
• “gummy” smiles, or teeth that appear too short
• Metal fillings in the back

2. Find Smiles You Like

The next step is to find images of smiles that look appealing to you. Don’t think too hard about this; let your eyes do the work. Scan through pictures of your friends and family, magazines, or other media to find beautiful smiles you would like to emulate. Your smile evaluation will tell Dr. Eshom what you’d like to change about your smile, but these pictures will give him an idea of your aesthetic goals.

For example, some patients may prefer a natural looking tooth color, like that seen in young children, while others prefer a pure, snowy white. Some patients prefer an identical row of similarly sized teeth, while others find the characteristics of unique smiles charming. Look at some of your favorite actors—what do like about their smiles?

3. Look at Dr. David Eshom’s Online Gallery of Smiles

Visit Dr. Eshom’s home page, and click Smile Gallery to select either before-and-after photos, or images that are specific to the cosmetic dentistry treatments he provides. This will give you a sense of the results that are typical of various treatments, which will be explained and discussed during your smile makeover consultation.

During your consultation, Dr. Eshom will listen to your concerns and learn your aesthetic preferences before making any recommendations. He will never try to “push” one treatment over another, but he will let you know which treatments are best suited to your smile goals. He will also discuss the procedure for each treatment, the timeline, and the cost, to help you make informed decisions and create a smile makeover plan that suits your lifestyle.

If you are ready to schedule your smile makeover consultation, contact San Diego cosmetic dentist David Eshom, D.D.S to make an appointment. There is no risk involved in a smile makeover consultation, and you will always have the final say. Call us today at (858) 455-9151.