Looking forward to a wedding? Bride, groom, mother, or father of the bride? Whatever your role on the big day, there’s one thing that’s certain – everyone’s going to be expecting that mega-kilowatt smile to be on full display!

If this is something that you’re concerned about, then be reassured that you’re not alone. Here at Appledore Dental in  Milton Keynes, we’ve managed to calm the nerves of many anxious wedding guests with some simple and straightforward treatments

We’ll talk you through the simple stuff you can do to make sure your smile is in the best shape, from regular brushing and flossing will help keep the teeth clean and bright, as well as limiting food and drink that you know stain the teeth, such as coffee and cigarettes.

There are also cosmetic treatments that are becoming increasingly popular, from whitening to shaping to closing spaces and replacing teeth. If you give yourself the right amount of time, these treatments can be successfully carried out in time for the big day.

Here are our 8 top tips for getting that kilowatt smile, together with some approximate timelines (although remember, each treatment plan will be unique to you and some treatments may take longer than others).

1)Hygienist clean

The simplest way to instantly brighten teeth is to book yourself in for a hygienist clean. Not only will this improve the health of your teeth and gums, but by giving those teeth a good scrape and polish, you’ll be amazed by how much brighter and how much better they will feel. We’ve had patients who were so amazed after their cleaning that they decided they didn’t need the whitening treatment they originally came in for!

Time to the wedding: Have your hygienist clean one week before.

2) Teeth Whitening

So, we’re all guilty of it. Too much tea and coffee, maybe the odd cigarette or an addiction to red wine. This all leads to teeth becoming stained or discoloured over time and even with the best tooth-whitening toothpaste, it’s hard to recover those original pearly whites.

Here’s where our whitening treatment can help. Our experienced dentists use a simple chemical process that will bleach your teeth without damaging them. We can do this in one of two ways, either in the clinic or with a system you can use at home.

You can whiten at home over two or three weeks with a custom mouthpiece tray that we will get made up for you, together with some whitening solution. Alternatively, we can do whitening in our clinic over one or two visits with our Zoom Whitening treatment.

Time to the wedding: Start your whitening treatment one month before.

3) Bonding

Many of us have a little imperfection in our teeth, such as a chip, a crack, or excess space between teeth. This is where a treatment called ‘bonding’ can improve your smile. Our Milton Keynes dentist can usually do this procedure in a single visit by applying an etching solution followed by tooth-coloured directly to the tooth’s surface where needed. This bonding can last for several years.

Time to the wedding: Start your bonding treatment one month before.

4)Veneers

You may be more familiar with Veneers, as they have become a very popular way of providing an instant Hollywood smile!

These custom shells, typically made of porcelain, cover the front sides of the teeth to change their colour and/or shape. Veneers tend to last longer than bonding and give a great finish. Veneers can improve teeth that have spaces between them, have become chipped or worn, are permanently stained or are slightly crooked.

Before inserting veneers, the dentist first takes an impression of your tooth, then buffs the tooth before cementing the veneer in place. A beam of light helps harden the cement, which secures the veneer to your tooth. Depending on the shape of your teeth, the dentist may need to remove some tooth structures to make space for the veneers.

Porcelain veneers are made in a laboratory, so you need a second visit to the dentist to have them inserted.

Time to the wedding: Start your Veneers treatment three to six months before.

5) Crowns

Got a tooth that’s badly cracked? Sometimes called caps, dental crowns completely cover a tooth, restoring a normal shape and appearance. Crowns are often suggested to protect a weak or broken tooth, such as one that’s had a root canal procedure or is heavily worn.

The dentist prepares the tooth for the crown, makes moulds of the tooth or takes a digital impression, provides you with a temporary crown if sending it to a lab, and then places the permanent crown at a separate time. Permanent crowns can have a long life if you take good care of them.

Time to the wedding: Start your Crown treatment three to six months before.

6) Bridges

Missing teeth are something that most people are self-conscious about, especially when meeting new people for the first time or having photos taken.

There are a couple of ways to replace a missing tooth and you could be surprised about how long these solutions last and how these straightforward treatments can restore self-confidence.

Bridges replace missing teeth with artificial tooth that looks very natural. Dentists anchor them onto surrounding teeth after preparing them for crowns. Then a false tooth joins the crowns, and the bridge is cemented onto the prepared teeth. The success of your bridge depends upon its foundation.

Time to the wedding: Start your bridge treatment six months before.

7) Implants

If you want a longer lasting solution for missing teeth, then you may want to consider a tooth implant. This is a more expensive treatment than a bridge but means that the adjacent teeth won’t be affected by having to have crowns, and implants tend to be longer lasting.

This treatment does involve a surgical procedure to place the implant into the jawbone. This is made out of titanium metal, which fuses to the jawbone. An abutment is added, which fits over the part of the implant that sticks out from the gums and then a crown is placed on top.

Here at Appledore Milton Keynes we do have a dentist who specialises in this treatment, Dr Whelan.

Time to the wedding: Start your implant treatment 12 months before.

 8) Braces & Aligners

Teeth straightening treatments are one of most dramatic ways that you can improve the look of your teeth. Annabel, one of our patients, claimed that the treatment changed her life, you can read about her wedding story here.

Braces, whether traditional metal braces or new aligner treatments such as Invisalign, can be used to improve teeth that are crooked or crowded. They can also improve irregular bite and correct jaw positioning and jaw joint disorders.

Braces are worn to apply pressure to and reposition the teeth, usually over a few months to longer for more advanced cases.

Invisalign is a very popular treatment for teeth straightening as the patient wears a  series of clear, customized appliances called aligners, or invisible braces. Your dentist will reshape and replace them about every 2 weeks to progressively move your teeth. Unlike traditional braces, aligners can be removed while eating, brushing, and flossing. They’re also more discreet – brilliant for people with busy lives who don’t necessarily want others at work to know that they are having their teeth straightened.

Time to the wedding: Start your teeth straightening treatment twelve to twenty-four months before.