Your smile is often the first impression you convey to those you meet.
It creates an immediate, subconscious, visual impact. A bright, even smile gives the impression of good health, vitality, happiness, and warmth.
In a survey of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, virtually all adults polled (99.7%) believe that your smile is an important social asset. It may be a professional asset as well. Three-quarters (74%) of adults feel an unattractive smile can hurt a person’s chance for career success. Studies show that people who display positive facial emotions are generally more successful than those who go through life unsmiling.
Perhaps the most telling example of the value people place on their smiles is another statistic from the same study. A majority of female respondents indicated that they would pay to fix their teeth before they would invest in weight loss help, thinning hair, wrinkles, or spider veins.
There’s good reason to place value on your smile. It makes us happy! Research studying brain activity shows that when participants were asked to smile, the activity was the same regardless of whether the smile was impulsive or deliberate.
A healthy smile is also your personal “fountain of youth”. A Chinese proverb claims that, “Every smile makes you a day younger.” In the same AACD survey, 45% of respondents said that a healthy smile is age defying.
Still unconvinced?
An unhealthy smile can be a sign of further medical problems. According to Annapolis dentist Dr. Scott Finlay
“True natural esthetics are only a mirror of the relative health of your mouth. If there is a blemish or concern that you have about your smile, then there is usually a biological or functional reason why. Left untreated, it will only continue to deteriorate.” Taking care of your smile helps you to take care of your overall physical health.
So, how can we help you feel happier, look younger, and potentially find greater success? Dr. Finlay and his team can work with you to create your dream smile through smile design.
Designing your new smile is a collaborative effort between the dentist, the dental team, and the patient. First, the patient’s preferences are taken into consideration. Do you want a dazzling “Hollywood” white smile or a more natural appearance? Do you want your teeth longer, shorter, or straighter? Patients are able to view actual before and after cases completed in the office for examples and testimonies from those previous patients on how their new smiles have affected their lives.
The next step is to complete a broad exam that involves the latest technological dental practices. The dental team will take digital radiographs and photographs, complete dental and periodontal exams, perform an occlusal exam including the T-scan, and take diagnostic models that are indexed and mounted on an articulator which replicates how the jaw moves. Using this information, Dr. Finlay and his team can begin to discover the possibilities for your new smile and develop a list of changes to aid in the design process.
Before starting the physical work, the dental team will use virtual technology to accomplish these changes, using digital photographs and computer imaging. This will present the first glimpse of what your potential smile may be. To take your smile to the next dimension, the next step is to make the same changes on a duplicate set of mounted models in wax. These prototypes allow the dental team to see how the changes will actually function in the mouth. This becomes the architectural template to outline how treatment will proceed. Now everyone has a vision of what the intended results will be before any treatment is started.
Not happy with your smile? Contact Scott Finlay and Associates, DDS to make an appointment for a smile design consultation and create your own comprehensive plan to fix it. You can also learn more by visiting with us at What’s Up Media’s Third Annual Beauty & Wellness Event, The Look, on Friday, February 26th, at the Loews Annapolis Hotel from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.