Cosmetic dentistry is big business, with many celebrities opting for surgeries and treatments to create a dazzling smile. But most people want a more natural smile, so how do we go about creating something less obvious?

Famous faces

We’ve all seen the before and after photos of celebrities’ teeth. With a little help from dental implants and veneers, bright smiles of stars from Hollywood to TOWIE light up our screens.

It’s the one physical aspect all stars seem to share – perfect teeth.

There’s constant speculation on the dental treatments that A-list celebrities have had, from film stars like Tom Cruise to singers like Justin Bieber. Then there are the celebrities like UK TV personality Joey Essex, who openly promotes his dentists in exchange for a little work on his teeth. Rylan Clark’s teeth famously have their own Twitter page (@Rylansteeth), although he’s expressed regret at just how blindingly white they are.

Whitening treatments have their place, but most celebrities that have noticeably had their teeth “done” have had implants or veneers, because they change both the shape and colour of the tooth.

However, the tide seems to be turning on just how bright is too bright, and those unnaturally huge, white smiles are becoming less coveted – it’s all about the natural smile.

Natural smile

Think about what you want to achieve from your cosmetic dentistry treatment. For most people, we’ve found their aim is quite simple: a beautiful, natural smile. The kind of smile that boosts your confidence, and people notice because it’s healthy, not blinding!

Of course, your friends and family will probably notice when you first go from having missing, stained or chipped teeth to flashing a brighter smile. But over time, it should be the sort of thing that people don’t even notice – because it’s just natural.

A 2012 study by researchers from the universities of Leeds and Central Lancashire found what we already know – that white, evenly spaced teeth make people look more attractive. However, brilliant white smiles were found to be no more attractive than natural ones.

Veneers vs implants

Porcelain or composite veneers will improve your smile in the shortest amount of time, and cover chips, gaps or stains on your own teeth. Thin layers of porcelain or composite cover the front or whole surface of your tooth to change its colour and shape. At The Courtyard, we design and hand-finish them before we custom fit them to you – plus they last for years. Veneers get a bad rap for looking fake or unnatural, but the best ones make you look both younger and more attractive without the dentistry being obvious.

If you have any teeth missing, you’ll need dental implants, as they replace your entire tooth from the root up. Using a simple local anaesthetic, a titanium screw is placed in the space to provide support to the replacement tooth, so they can’t slip or shift. Then, over the space of a few months, the bone in your jaw fuses to the implant, and when it’s stable, the false tooth can be fitted.

Although this surgical treatment does take longer, it is a permanent solution, as implants can last up to 25 years. The end result is a tooth that looks, feels and functions like a natural tooth, and you retain your face shape, avoiding the sagging or sinking that can occur with missing teeth.

Weighing up the cost of teeth veneers v implants, you should consider your time and effort along with your finances as, over the course of a lifetime, it may come out fairly even.

If you’d like to know more about the veneers process, we’ve covered it with our seven-step guide and we also have reviews from our veneers patients too.

We can help

The Courtyard has a hi-tech approach to both implants and veneers. We use digital scanners, 3D printing and CAD CAM technology to make all our veneers and implants.

If you’re still wondering which you need, we can advise you on which is the best course of treatment to brighten your smile. We offer a free consultation service for all our treatments, along with affordable payment plans.

Enquire now with our award-winning team, and we will explain how we’ll achieve a natural, healthy smile you’ll love.