To mark National Smile Month this May, Dr. Tom Crawford-Clarke from Luceo Dental, London provides advice on how to achieve a healthy smile, and explains how less is more when it comes to creating new smiles.
Words: Katy Sunnassee. Images: Shutterstock
We’re constantly being bombarded with images of celebrities and influencers on social media, confidently displaying their perfect “piano key” smiles. For many, veneers have been the ‘go-to’ for an instant smile makeover, but they often require invasive and irreversible dental work and while they can cover a multitude of flaws, they’re expensive as they need to be replaced around the 10-year mark.
According to leading cosmetic dental expert, Dr Thomas Crawford-Clarke, whose expertise is creating natural-looking smiles, the flawless Hollywood smile is becoming less popular with his patients, who are looking for a more authentic look. He explains that in his London practice, Luceo Dental, he has seen a boom in patients moving away from veneers and they’re now looking for ways to work with their own teeth to achieve a more natural result.
‘Veneers can be a solution to reshaping teeth and hiding gaps and chips, but they do require your cosmetic dentist to “prepare” your natural teeth, which involves removing some of your natural enamel to make room for the veneer,’ he says, adding that while highly qualified, skilled practitioners will make veneered teeth look naturalistic, there are horror stories of ugly cosmetic dentistry that has left patients with ill-fitting, unnatural smiles.
‘Over the past year or so, I’ve seen a clear shift in trend when it comes to achieving the “ideal” smile. For a long while, many people wanted incredibly white, straight, uniform smiles, and veneers were a great way to achieve this look. However, in more recent years, I see people moving away from that trend. Most people are looking to achieve a more natural look and generally, they’re keen to explore how we can work with their own teeth to achieve a whiter, straighter, more natural smile. It’s less about achieving perfection nowadays.’
Dr Crawford-Clarke’s advice for anyone seeking a new smile is to look for a dentist offering minimally invasive procedures. ‘Good practitioners will want to remove as little of your natural teeth as possible,’ he stresses, adding, ‘they can do this by aligning, or straightening your natural teeth before deciding how much additional cosmetic work you might need; perhaps some cosmetic bonding, which is a composite resin designed to match your natural teeth that fixes minor chips or remaining gaps.’
Tooth straightening technology has advanced dramatically over the past few years too, he says. ‘For anyone imagining a mouthful of uncomfortable and unsightly wire and brackets braces, think again. Nowadays, discreet clear aligners, such as Invisalign treatment, are a highly effective, more comfortable and less intrusive way to straighten the teeth. Your dentist will take x-rays, clinical photographs and a digital 3D scan of your teeth to create a series of custom clear aligners that you will replace every one to two weeks, and which will gently move your teeth over the course of your treatment. But there are two important things to consider before you start any treatment.
1. Align before you refine
Aligning your teeth in advance of having cosmetic restorations will dramatically reduce the amount of invasive treatment you need, while still giving you the smile you want. The dentist you chose should be able to use an iTero digital scan and AI-powered technology to show you what your new smile might look like by visualising your straightened and cosmetically enhanced teeth in a video or photograph of your face. You’ll be able to discuss everything with them before your treatment begins.
2. Never neglect your gums
Don’t forget, there’s no point investing your money in a new smile if you’re not going to invest your time in good oral health. Not only will it help to ensure you’ve got a bright smile and fresh breath, it will also make your teeth less susceptible to decay and keep your gums healthy and less likely to bleed. Believe it or not, this could also help to keep the rest of your body healthy too.
‘Before I embark on any cosmetic procedure with a patient I always ensure their gum health is pristine before we begin. If it’s not, then I’ll give my patients an in-clinic and at-home oral hygiene regime to follow first,’ he explains.
‘Research increasingly points to a link between oral health, specifically gum disease, and a plethora of other, serious health issues, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and even premature births. New research points to a link between gum disease and dementia, so it really pays to take preventive action. Fortunately, gum disease is preventable using easily available, cost-effective methods at home, so there’s really no excuse!
‘For instance, everyone should be brushing and flossing at least twice per day for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste and, preferably, an electric toothbrush, powered flosser or interdental brush every morning before eating and before bed. By cleaning between the teeth you can reach the 20% to 30% of tooth surfaces that a toothbrush alone cannot get to,’ advises Dr. Crawford-Clarke.
Dr. Crawford-Clarke’s 8 easy-to-follow tips for a healthy smile
- Look for toothpaste that contains at least 1,450 parts per million fluoride (adult toothpaste).
- Brush twice per day for two minutes – concentrating on each tooth in turn for around five seconds.
- An electric toothbrush, such as a Philips Sonicare or an Oral B IO, will clean far more effectively than a manual brush. But don’t press too hard or you could damage your gums – let the electric toothbrush do the hard work for you. Some models have pressure sensors to ensure you’re not brushing too hard and some work with an app to ensure you’re brushing each section of your mouth thoroughly.
- If your gums bleed, keep brushing and flossing. It might seem counterintuitive but continuing with a thorough oral health routine should see the bleeding stop within two or three days. In fact, pay more attention to bleeding areas, not less!
- If you’re worried about missing areas, use disclosing tablets which will colour the dental plaque, so you know where to focus your brushing for a little longer.
- Rinsing with water after brushing flushes away the fluoride. Instead, rinse with a mouthwash.
- If you’d like brighter, whiter teeth to complement your new, straighter smile, ask your dentist about the Invisalign Professional Tooth Whitening System. Its whitening gel is uniquely formulated to work in your Invisalign aligners so you can have your teeth straightened and whitened at the same time!
- Maintain your whiter smile bright by avoiding drinks that might stain your teeth, including black coffee and tea, red wine and cola, and foods like curries with turmeric or condiments like soy sauce. If it stains your clothes it can stain your teeth.
Dental expert, Dr Tom Crawford-Clarke is the founder and principal dentist of Luceo Dental, Wimpole Street, London. Visit luceodental.com/ to find out more.
