Feel Camera-Ready With a Smile Makeover

If you dislike how your smile looks in photos, it is usually a handful of specific things the camera picks up: yellow or uneven color, a chipped edge, a gap, too much gum, crooked teeth or a front tooth that does not match the others. A smile makeover can address those details so you stop tilting your head, closing your lips or stepping to the back of the group shot. The goal is not a perfect studio smile. It is a natural one you are happy to see in every picture.

This article explains what photographs reveal about a smile, which cosmetic treatments help with each issue at the Timonium office of Dr. Steven W. Haywood, DDS, and how to make sure the result looks real on camera.

Why your smile can look different in photos

Many people are surprised that they like their smile in the mirror but not in pictures. In a mirror you see yourself moving, from an angle you are used to. A photo freezes one moment, often up close, often in bright light or with a flash, and it stays on a screen where you can study it. Small differences in color, a chipped edge or an uneven gum line are easier to notice when the image holds still.

The result is familiar: smiling with your lips closed, turning to your “good side”, or deleting photos before anyone else sees them. When those habits start to feel automatic, it may be time to look at what is actually bothering you.

What the camera picks up, and what can help

Yellow, stained or uneven color

Color is often the first thing people notice in a photo. In-office teeth whitening starts with a thirty-minute professional treatment, followed by a laser applied for 1 to 2 hours to activate the whitening agent and dissolve stains. If your teeth are very dark, Dr. Haywood can explain your options first, because porcelain veneers and dental bonding can also correct discolored teeth.

A chipped or uneven edge

A chip on a front tooth can catch the light in every picture. Dental bonding repairs chips with tooth-colored composite resin, sculpted right on the tooth and polished to look natural, usually in a single visit. One patient wrote after a repair: “The tooth looks better than before it was chipped!”

Gaps between the teeth

Spaces between teeth can be closed with bonding, porcelain veneers or prepless veneers that keep most if not all of your natural enamel. When the teeth need to move, Invisalign can close gaps gradually.

Too much gum when you smile

A gummy smile can make teeth look short in photos. It is often caused by extra gum tissue rather than short teeth. A gum lift moves the gum line up on the upper teeth with a dental laser or radiosurgery, and the Haywood surgical smile makeover combines the gum lift with same-day custom veneers.

Crooked or uneven teeth

Veneers can make crooked teeth look straighter without braces, and Invisalign clear aligners can move teeth into a better position. The trade-offs are explained in options for crooked or gapped teeth.

A front tooth that does not match

A filled front tooth that has chipped or stained can stand out next to its neighbors. Veneers are often the answer, and when veneers are not a suitable solution, a porcelain crown made to replicate the color and translucence of your natural teeth may work well.

A missing tooth

A gap from a missing tooth shows in almost every smiling photo. Dental implants replace missing teeth and can be part of a smile makeover alongside veneers, crowns and whitening.

Avoid the “too perfect” look

The opposite problem is a smile that looks fake on camera: teeth that are one flat, opaque white, or all exactly the same shape. Dr. Haywood insists on a natural, never-fake look. Ultra-thin porcelain stays translucent and shiny like natural enamel, even once bonded, and with veneers you evaluate a “test drive” set before the final set is made, so you can judge the shape, color and look while there is still time to refine them. For a closer look at how shade, shape and proportion are planned, read the artistry of cosmetic dentistry.

Your preview is a photo of you

If photos are what bother you, the planning tool will feel familiar. Cosmetic imaging uses digital photographs of your smile, changed on the imaging computer, so you see a before and after of your own face and plan the improvements together. Before-and-after demonstrations are part of every cosmetic evaluation at the practice, and the iTero Element scanner can also create a simulation of what your results may look like.

To compare a computer preview with real outcomes, browse the smile gallery, which shows before-and-after photos of actual patients of the practice.

Confidence that shows beyond the camera

Photos are often just where people first notice they have been holding back. Patients describe the change in their own words. One wrote: “My anxiety was put to rest in one visit… Now I actually get compliments on my teeth and I enjoy smiling more than ever.” Another, who came in with every tooth broken, patched and filled, wrote: “I get compliments everywhere I travel and I am loving it.” For the wider social side of a smile, see why a smile is one of your most important social assets.

Choosing the scope of your makeover

One or two things bother you. Whitening, bonding or a gum lift may be enough, and a same-day smile makeover can fit on your day off.
Several things bother you. An ultimate smile makeover combines multiple cosmetic procedures in a customized plan, completed in as few as two visits.
You are unsure how much to change. Read how to match a smile makeover to your personality before your consultation.

Keeping a photo-ready smile

A new smile photographs best when it stays healthy and bright. The practice advises minimizing staining foods and whitening your teeth routinely. Bite protection is recommended for any cosmetic treatment to protect your investment. Healthy gums matter too: a professional cleaning every six months is recommended, and cleaning appointments at the practice are a full 60 minutes.

Cost, insurance and financing

Every smile is unique, so the cost depends on your plan, and you get a clear estimate up front. The practice is out of network with insurance companies: you pay at the time of service, and the office files the claim on your behalf so your plan can reimburse you for anything it covers. Health savings and flex plans are welcome. Financing is available through CareCredit, with no-interest options for up to 12 months, and Cherry, with plans from 3 to 24 months.

Frequently asked questions

Will veneers look fake in photos?

They should not. Ultra-thin porcelain stays translucent like natural enamel, and the test-drive set lets you judge the look before the final veneers are made.

Only one tooth bothers me in pictures. Do I need a full makeover?

Not necessarily. Bonding, a single veneer or a crown can often correct one tooth. Some makeovers treat just a few teeth.

Can I see how my smile will look before treatment?

Yes. Cosmetic imaging changes digital photos of your smile to show potential results, as part of every cosmetic evaluation.

What if I am nervous about dental work?

Tell the team. The office is spa-like, laughing gas is offered as a complimentary service, and oral conscious sedation is available.