Why my smile makeover changed more than just my teeth

I’d always been confident about my smile. I had braces as a teenager and my teeth were naturally very white. But as I got older, I noticed my picture-perfect teeth getting slightly more yellow as the years went on and the discolouring started to frustrate me.

Despite professional cleaning at the hygienist every six months, it wasn’t enough to take away the yellow hint on my teeth and I started noticing it more as I looked at pictures with friends. I became less confident to give a big teeth-y grin as I once had.

So, when I was given the chance to try the Mini Smile Makeover at Marylebone Smile Clinic, I jumped at the chance to regain my confident smile.

What is a Mini Smile Makeover?

The Mini Smile Makeover is a group of non-invasive treatments, that, when combined, create a big difference to your smile. There are three elements to the makeover; teeth whitening, tooth reshaping and teeth stain blasting.

The appointment begins with stain blasting, which is a high-pressure cleaning system used to remove surface stains – great for the coffee drinkers amongst us!

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The stain removal prepares the teeth for whitening, and the difference in my teeth in just this treatment alone was incredible.

My dentist, Dr. Sahil Patel then recommended I had some reshaping on my front teeth, where he carefully contoured my front four teeth by gently shaving them down, so they were perfectly straight. This gave instant results with no pain and my once slightly wonky front teeth were perfectly aligned.

The final part of the makeover is teeth whitening, which brightens and boosts the colour of your natural teeth and is the part you do at home. After making impressions of my teeth, Dr. Patel created the whitening trays. Gone are the days of waiting weeks for these to be made; after an hour I went back and collected my trays, ready to start my whitening journey.

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Along with the trays, you are given tooth whitening gel. It should be noted that although this gel can be bought online, it’s important to always get this from your dentist to ensure it is legitimate and safe.

Every night for two weeks I carefully applied the gel to each tooth on my tray before wearing them while I slept. Dr. Patel took time to go through how to use the trays, watching me as I practiced in the clinic to make sure I was prepared for when I got home.

For 14 nights, I stayed consistent, even making sure to take the trays and whitening gel with me when I went on holiday to ensure I didn’t miss an evening.

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Dr. Patel did warn me of sensitivity which is totally normal during the whitening process and this did subside once the two weeks were over. There were a few days that the sensitivity was much worse than others, especially in the first few days, but I stuck with it and knew the results would be worth it.

How did I feel after my Mini Smile Makeover?

I could really see a difference in the whiteness of my teeth and was shocked that in just two weeks there was such a change.

Colleagues at work couldn’t help but comment on my new sparkly teeth and they really were brighter than I imagined.

With my new smile came a new confidence, which saw me no longer smiling with my mouth closed but grinning from ear to ear with my new bright smile.

So why did this smile makeover change more than just my teeth?

Neuroscientist Dr.Tara Swart explained that when we change something about ourselves and like it, our brain releases a cocktail of happy chemicals. She explains: “In response to liking what you see and feeling happy about it, the chemicals produced are dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin – creating a warm fuzzy feeling.”

That warm fuzzy feeling is exactly how I feel when I catch a glimpse of my new smile in the mirror. So whether it’s a new hairstyle, a new smile or a new wardrobe, take the plunge and don’t wait a second longer, I promise you, you won’t regret it.

 Find out more about Marylebone Smile Clinic’s Mini Smile Makeover

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