The Monday Piece - Party Season Smile Tips

This week's Monday Piece is on party season smile tips! With the festive season right around the corner, now is the time to book in for those all-important appointments to ensure your looking and feeling your best. Here, Lead Dentist and Clinical Director of Quest Dental, Payal Bhalla, reveals how to get that party-perfect smile this party season.

1. Book in for a scale and polish Before you start any whitening treatments you should book in to see your hygienist or dentist to ensure your teeth are in good nick and to also get a scale and polish. A scale and polish is a treatment which works to remove any stubborn plaque from your teeth that you may not be able to reach with a toothbrush, your dentist will be able to ensure all plaque is removed. A polish then goes over the teeth to ensure that any stains on the surface of the teeth are polished away to reveal a cleaner, brighter and more even smile.

2. Composite bonding for a perfect smile If you have any chipped teeth, or would like a more even smile then you could always look into having composite bonding done with your dentist. Bonding is usually used for filling chips, fractures or gaps between teeth, but can also be good for fixing discoloration. If you are looking to perfect your smile then this would be a good treatment to opt for prior to party season. 

3. Look at whitening options You can get your teeth professionally whitened using Zoom Whitening is an in-surgery whitening system which takes about an hour. Zoom whitening is the fastest and most effective form of whitening, it involves careful application of peroxide to the enamel of the teeth, a specialised light is then used to accelerate the breakdown of the peroxide to speed up the whitening process. This would be a good treatment to opt for if you do not much much time or as a last-minute option pre-party season. You can also opt for tray whitening. Tray whitening is a longer process than zoom as it takes around 1-2 weeks to see results and you have to be a little more careful as there are certain foods and drinks you cannot consume during the treatment, so this would be a good option if you have the time and are looking for buildable results. If you do not already have trays from any teeth straightening treatments, your dentist will have impressions of your teeth made to create the trays, you will then fill the trays with the whitening treatment and leave on your teeth for however long the treatment advises. Most tray whitening’s are done overnight. 

4. Keep your oral hygiene routine in check Ensuring you look after your teeth and keep up with your oral routine is imperative to ensure healthy teeth throughout the festive period. It’s well known that festive foods and drinks such as prosecco, champagne and sweet desserts can cause damage to your teeth if consumed in excess, so you should ensure that to help prevent any damage you are brushing your teeth thoroughly morning and night, flossing and using mouthwash to ensure your mouth is clean. 

5. Invest in whitening toothpaste To help keep your whitening treatment last, you may want to purchase some whitening toothpaste from your local drugstore which should help to remove any staining that happens over the party season. There are many different brands of whitening toothpastes available on the market, you may also want to invest in an electric toothbrush as these are much more effective for keeping teeth clean and removing stains. 

6. Lip fillers for an even smile To achieve that perfect, even smile you may also want to talk to your dentist about possible dermal fillers to help even out your smile. Not only are they a great way to boost your pout, but they can also be injected to help even out your smile, for example your dentist may suggest certain areas of the lips that could benefit with a little bit of filler, this will most likely compliment your pearly new whites too :).

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