Start Planning Your Smile When You Start Planning Your Wedding

July 12, 2017

Congratulations on your engagement! Now that you’re just coming down from the emotional high at this wonderful event, you’re starting to realize that the next year or so is going to be full of a lot of work if all the details are going to turn out right.

What detail is causing you the most stress? Is it the venue? The dress? Which relatives you’re going to have to invite? Or is it your smile? If it is your smile, now’s the time to start planning your smile makeover, because not all dental procedures can be completed quickly.

Procedures That Can Take up to a Year

There aren’t very many, but there are a few dental procedures where allowing a year for completion is advised. Orthodontics and dental implants should be allowed a year to accomplish.

The truth is that neither of these procedures typically takes a year these days. But they can, and starting planning now gives you enough time to look for a dentist you trust and get your procedure completed before the wedding.

Invisalign used to take about a year, but with modern technology, the procedure typically takes half the time. However, this doesn’t mean just six months: it may be a little longer for you. Getting started early also gives you a cushion, and means you won’t have to wear your retainer much at the wedding or after.

Dental implants rarely take a year. But if you have serious gum disease and/or bone loss related to gum disease, it’s best to start early.

Six Months: Implants Are Still an Option

As we said, dental implants don’t normally take a year. In fact, they don’t usually take six months. In many cases, you can get an attractive dental implant placed in one day.

But if you really want to be free to enjoy the wedding dinner, wedding cake, and your honeymoon, it’s best to give your implants time to become fully integrated into your jawbone.

Talk A Smile Makeover at Three Months

At three months before your wedding, we should talk about a smile makeover using porcelain veneers and/or dental crowns to give you the smile of your dreams. These smile makeovers can be completed in four to six weeks, but starting at three months gives you a bit of a cushion.

After all, who wants to be scheduling dental fittings once your family and bridesmaids make it into town? It’s best to just have it out of the way.

Teeth Whitening at Two Months for Best Results

The best teeth whitening–or teeth bleaching –is one that works gradually, but can slowly penetrate deep into the tooth enamel to make it dramatically whiter. It typically takes about six weeks to achieve maximum whitening. So starting at two months means that your smile should be its beautiful new hue–bright white–by the time of the wedding.

One Month or Less

So what do you do if things are getting down to the wire and you haven’t had a chance to get any of these other procedures done? Don’t panic: there are still things that can be done.

Dental bonding is a one-visit procedure that can be used to correct chips and cracks, or even close small gaps in your front teeth.

We also offer ZOOM! Whitening. If your teeth are discolored, all it takes is one 1-hour whitening session to enjoy significantly whiter teeth.