The Hollywood smile is fading as self-conscious Brits opt to flash more naturally enhanced pearly whites, says Juliet Heard. He talks to Dr Tom Crawford Clarke, winner of Best Young Private Dentist at the Dental Awards 2019, about how anti-aging your smile through more natural means can help boost your confidence.
How to naturally anti-age your smile
As a nation, we’ve never been more obsessed with our smiles. Whether it’s the Zoom boom, social media or Hollywood, we’re more conscious than ever when we say ‘cheese’, with one in four Brits admitting to hating their smile. It even affects our relationships and dating lives, according to a recent survey by Smilewhich found that 57 percent of people are afraid to smile at their partners.
As a result, most of us (77 percent of respondents) want to improve our appearance when we flash our pearly whites and are ready to invest in cosmetic dental treatment.
But while in the past, people aspired to dazzle with celebrity-style veneers, now they want to show off a more naturally enhanced smile. “We’re moving away from that Hollywood era of smiles,” says leading British cosmetic dentist Dr Tom Crawford Clarke, founder of London. LUCEO Dental.
The so-called “turkey teeth” procedure, which involves filing the teeth down into stems or canines so that crowns can then be secured over the rest of the tooth, is also a firm no-no in his books. “Most people go to Turkey to get dental crowns, but it’s the most invasive thing you can do,” he warns. “People with healthy teeth should never have them for appearance reasons, but social media means many people strive for unrealistic perfection.”
For Dr Crawford Clarke, who specializes in restorative and complex dentistry, it’s all about ‘anti-aging’ a person’s smile in the most natural way – with an emphasis on good oral health. This is especially important for women who are going through hormonal changes due to either menopause or pregnancy, which can make them more susceptible to gum disease and other potentially serious problems.
LUCEO Dental
10 Expert Tips from a Dentist
Here, Dr Crawford Clarke explains how to boost your confidence – and your health – with a natural smile:
1. Know the three stages
There are three basic steps to strengthening your smile and creating a foundation for long-term oral health. You need to make sure the teeth are in the right position to start, to make sure the bite is stable and the teeth are straight. They will be less likely to wear out then and easier to clean. The first stage is usually some straightening of the teeth using Invisalign, which takes four to six months on average to move the teeth into the desired position. It follows a three-week whitening process to make your teeth naturally white without the risk of damage. The final step is to enhance the natural shape of your teeth, bring them in sync with your smile and restore symmetry with either composite bonding or minimal preparation of porcelain veneers.
2. Visualize your goal
The biggest advancement in dentistry is that it can show patients digital simulations of how they could look, which makes it very easy for them to decide what they want. We use specific facial features to guide the new smile, such as lip curvature and facial shape and symmetry, to ensure your new teeth are the right shape and position. I usually aim to subtly improve the natural features of my patients’ teeth, rather than change everything.
3. Don’t worry about age
I do people of all ages who want to improve their smile, from people in their 60s who want to look more attractive after a divorce or younger professionals starting a new job or going for a promotion. Self-esteem is a major driving factor and there is certainly an element of feeling better about themselves and having more confidence.
4. Trust Tech
The patient is not always the best person to ask when it comes to finding out what will look best. Someone else’s smile may not make them. After our digital smile design, I can show them a preview of their new smile on their real teeth using a temporary material. They have a very good idea of what their new smile could look like and it gives them the opportunity to say if they prefer a slightly squarer or longer tooth, for example. Ultimately it comes down to subjective nuances.
5. Straighten your teeth
When you have straighter teeth, you are less likely to have gum problems, there is less recession and your teeth are easier to clean. Invisalign works so well and achieves the same effect as metal braces. The main reason people choose it is because it is much more comfortable and the aligners are custom made to your teeth so they are much less noticeable. Because of their biomechanics, they usually work faster than braces and are pre-programmed to move teeth gradually, meaning you never have to strain too much.
6. Try Whitening
One’s anti-aging smile mainly involves addressing the color of one’s teeth – the older you are the more yellow they become – as well as the length. We use the home whitening method, making whitening trays and providing specific gels to get the best result. In the UK, only a dentist can use hydrogen peroxide above 0.1 per cent and on average we use between 3 and 6 per cent to safely and effectively whiten teeth. Teeth become shorter as you age due to natural wear and tear. By elongating the teeth and recreating some natural anatomy at the edges, you can revitalize someone’s smile. Female teeth lend themselves to a slightly softer, more rounded shape, while male teeth are slightly squarer with a sharper tip.
7. Check the alternatives
My area of expertise is composite bonding, which involves a tooth-colored resin (the same material used in white fillings) being sculpted onto the natural tooth to achieve a ‘veneer’-like effect. It is non-invasive, highly customizable and improves the appearance of the teeth without having to drill any of the teeth. I have done more than 10,000 compound welds and there is a definite art to it. Everything is done by hand using special brushes. You can have five to six colors in a natural tooth and the fun is in trying to duplicate those with composite. It lasts about three to four hours and time flies.
8. Consider a professional cleaning
Professional methods for cleaning teeth have come a long way. Historically, you only had hand tools to scrape the surface of the teeth, then along came ultrasonic scalers and now there is Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT), which is what we use at LUCEO Dental. It combines powder and water spray to gently remove surface bacteria, which is much more effective and comfortable than traditional cleaning.
9. Keep your gums healthy
Oral biofilm is a fancy way of saying bacterial habitat, a collection of different types of microorganisms, including primary bacteria that form on the teeth and along the gum line and allow other bacteria to attach. While a small percentage of people won’t have gum problems no matter how they brush their teeth, most people are at risk if they let this sticky film go unchecked. The gums are the gateway to your body and almost like a window to your overall health. Recent studies have shown a direct link between gum health and your overall health, as bacteria present in the oral biofilm can enter the bloodstream and contribute to various conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. More recently, links to dementia have been found.
10. Prioritize your oral health
For women, especially those in menopause, oral health is vital. Changes in hormone levels during menopause can lead to dental problems such as dry mouth, gum disease and an increased risk of tooth decay. For pregnant women, gum disease has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can make gums more susceptible to inflammation and infection, exacerbating the effects of oral biofilm. Poor oral health in pregnant women has also been associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications. These risks highlight the importance of oral hygiene and regular dental care during pregnancy to ensure the health of both mother and fetus.
Images courtesy of LUCEO Dental
