“I’d love to improve my smile… but I just can’t afford it.”
It’s something we hear surprisingly often.
You may have a tooth that has always bothered you, wish your teeth were a little straighter, dislike their colour, or feel that your smile simply isn’t what it used to be.
But before you even speak to a dentist, you’ve already decided:
“Cosmetic dentistry is too expensive for me.”
At Dental Elements, one of the most important things we want patients to understand is that improving your smile doesn’t automatically mean an expensive full smile makeover.
There are often several different ways to approach the same concern, with very different treatments, timescales and costs.
The best place to start isn’t by deciding which treatment you need.
Start by telling us what you don’t like about your smile.
You might need much less treatment than you think
Social media can sometimes give the impression that cosmetic dentistry means dramatically changing every tooth.
In reality, good cosmetic dentistry can be much more subtle.
Sometimes whitening the teeth is enough. Sometimes improving the shape of one or two teeth can transform the overall appearance of a smile. For another patient, gently straightening their natural teeth may be a better option.
And sometimes doing less is actually the right treatment.
That’s why we prefer to start with a conversation about you, rather than a particular procedure.
“I just wish my teeth were whiter”
If you’re generally happy with the shape and position of your teeth but feel they’ve become darker or more yellow over time, professional teeth whitening could be one of the simplest ways to refresh your smile.
Rather than changing the teeth themselves, whitening works with your natural smile.
For some patients, that relatively small change is all they wanted.
“It’s just these one or two teeth…”
Perhaps you have a chipped tooth, an uneven edge or small gaps that catch your eye every time you look in the mirror or see yourself in a photograph.
Composite bonding may be an option.
Tooth-coloured composite material can be carefully added to selected teeth to alter their shape and proportions.
Not everyone who wants to improve their smile needs every tooth treated. Sometimes concentrating on the small detail that bothers you most can make a surprisingly big difference.
“My teeth are crooked — surely that will be complicated?”
Not necessarily.
If the position of your teeth is what bothers you, Invisalign® clear aligners may be an option.
One of the advantages of digital treatment planning is that we can assess how your teeth could potentially be moved and discuss the likely treatment journey with you.
Patients are sometimes surprised to discover that something they assumed would require extensive cosmetic work may instead be improved by moving and preserving their own natural teeth.
And once the teeth are straighter, you may decide that’s enough — or perhaps combine it with whitening or a small amount of bonding to complete the smile.
“My teeth have become worn and shorter”
Tooth wear tends to happen gradually, so you may not immediately notice how much your smile has changed.
As teeth lose height, they can look shorter and flatter. The proportions of the smile can change and, in more significant cases, the loss of tooth structure can also affect the support and appearance of the lower face.
Depending on the individual situation, composite veneers or bonding may sometimes be used to rebuild worn teeth and restore shape and proportion.
This isn’t simply about making teeth look prettier. With tooth wear, we also need to understand why the teeth have worn and consider their function and long-term health.
“I want to make a bigger change”
For some patients, a more comprehensive transformation is appropriate.
This might involve porcelain veneers, or a carefully planned combination of treatments.
But even then, the aim shouldn’t automatically be to treat as many teeth as possible.
The question should always be:
What do we actually need to do to achieve the result you want while looking after your natural teeth?
There may be more than one route to the same smile
Imagine two patients who both tell us:
“I don’t like my smile.”
One might benefit from whitening and a little composite bonding.
Another might be better suited to Invisalign followed by whitening.
Someone else may have worn, damaged or heavily restored teeth that require a completely different approach.
They may ultimately achieve similar improvements aesthetically, but their treatment plans — and therefore their costs — could be very different.
That is why looking at somebody else’s smile makeover and assuming you will need the same treatment isn’t particularly helpful.
Your smile needs your own plan.
Start with your smile — and your budget
We think patients should feel comfortable talking about cost.
There is little point designing a treatment plan that doesn’t feel realistic for you.
If you have a particular budget in mind, tell us. We can explain what may be achievable, whether treatment could be approached differently and which options are worth considering.
You might decide to make one small change now.
You might choose to work towards a larger treatment.
Or you may discover that the improvement you wanted is much simpler than you imagined.
There is no obligation to change everything.
Don’t decide you can’t afford your new smile before you know what it involves
If there’s something about your teeth that has bothered you for years, don’t begin by choosing a treatment from Instagram or assuming the solution will be too expensive.
Begin with three simple questions:
What don’t I like about my smile?
What would I like it to look like?
What feels realistic for me?
Then let us help you understand the different ways you might get there.
At Dental Elements, we can talk you through the options, explain the advantages and limitations of each and help you decide whether treatment is right for you.
Because your ideal smile might not require the treatment — or the budget — you imagined.
It starts with finding out what’s possible.
All treatment is subject to clinical assessment and suitability. Treatment times, costs and outcomes vary between patients.
