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How Long Does a Smile Design Take?
New York City may be known as the city that never sleeps, but in reality, every hour counts! That’s why every patient’s first question is, “How long does a smile design take?”
The answer isn’t straightforward, as every smile design is customized for the patient. Each treatment takes a different amount of time. Teeth whitening can brighten your smile in one visit, but dental implants or veneers take weeks to months. At 65 Broadway Dental, we’ve tailored smile designs for hundreds of patients, providing their dream smiles in as few as 2 to 3 visits. Complicated smile makeovers may take up to 6 months.
This written guide walks you through the smile design timeline and stages, so you know what to expect.
What is a Smile Design?
A smile design is basically a full smile makeover. People choose it to perfect their smile when they have many issues. It restores confidence in your smile and helps make multiple fixes in one go.
Smile designing is a collection of procedures. It connects cosmetic dentistry with other preventive and diagnostic procedures. Patients seek smile designs and makeovers to improve their appearance and dental health.
What Problems Does a Smile Design Correct?
Smile designs consist of several smaller procedures, allowing you to fix more issues.
- Teeth Staining or Discoloration
Discoloration or staining of teeth is a common dental issue people encounter. Coffee and wine intake, which New York residents frequently engage in, contribute to teeth staining.
Apart from this, diets rich in acidic fruits and foods, curries, candy, carbonated drinks, and berries are not ideal. Here’s a list of 12 foods that stain teeth, as listed by Colgate. - Missing Tooth Spaces
Teeth can fall out for many reasons, but aging, accidents, and decay are common ones. Losing teeth in vital places can affect your ability to speak, eat, or smile normally. - Gaps Between Teeth
Spaces form between teeth due to the natural decline of teeth. However, diet and habits can also work to increase the speed at which this happens. - Broken or Cracked Teeth
Teeth become weaker and are more likely to break after the age of 60. In younger people, biting hard objects or grinding teeth can cause cracks or breakages. Weakened teeth at this stage are often linked to faster tooth decay in older adults. Learn more about why tooth decay worsens after 60 - Misshapen Teeth
This begins at a young age, and habits like thumb-sucking and tongue thrusting start it. Genetics, delayed teeth arrival, injury, and poor oral health can also cause misshapen teeth. - Teeth Misalignment
Many people experience misaligned teeth, which affects the appearance of their smile. Tooth loss, genetics, poor nutrition, gum disease, and trauma can lead to teeth misalignment. - Bite Issues like Overbite & Underbite
An overbite or underbite occurs when the upper or lower teeth overlap the lower or upper teeth. Together, overbite and underbite issues are collectively known as malocclusion.
Poor childhood habits, genetics, jaw issues, tooth impaction, and injury can cause an overbite or underbite.
How Long Will it Take to Make a Smile Design?
Creating the design takes just over an hour with advanced software. This software allows dentists to show you what your smile will look like. It’s a plan for dentists, detailing the steps to take and when.
The time it takes to complete all the procedures of a smile makeover varies. Treatment duration depends on the procedures, patient healing, and other factors.
On average, it takes 2 to 3 visits for simple smile designs. Complex smile designs take over six months if dental implants are necessary!
Opting for a Smile Makeover in NYC: Here’s What to Expect.
Factors Affecting the Length of Smile Design Treatment?
The length of all treatments included in your smile makeover varies depending on these three factors.
Case Complexity
The more complicated the case, the longer it will take. Dentists like the ones at 65 Broadway Dental prefer precision over speed. That’s why we wouldn’t rush any procedures, knowing this can have lasting effects on the final result, your smile!
The more work or the more surgical intervention necessary, the more complex the case.
Patient’s Overall Health
The patient’s overall health may not speed up treatment, but it can slow it down. The presence of gum disease or loose, decaying teeth can increase treatment time and costs.
Managing health issues is vital because dental health affects overall health and vice versa. Any health issues arising during treatment can compromise your smile design treatment.
Types of Procedures
Dental procedures aren’t the same, as some are more specialized than others. Some may require surgery and a healing period, while some are completed in one session.
Some require custom-made fittings, naturally requiring more time to complete. Further changes or adjustments to these can extend the timeline or delay the next procedure
Digital Smile Design (DSD) Software: Fast-Tracking Your Smile Transformation
DSD or Digital Smile Design software aids dentists in creating unique smile designs. It lets them generate many treatment plans and allows patients to view the results beforehand. This way, patients have control over the final results, and dentists can also have their say.
Benefits of Digital Smile Design for Patients in NYC
- Saves time on making and remaking the smile design
- Patients can see the results before starting
- Result previews work to build trust between the dentist and patients
- 3D planning gives dentists a detailed treatment plan to follow
- This imagery will give dentists more insight into the necessary procedures
Using this software saves time and can improve the accuracy of the treatment plan. This brings you closer to your dream smile, faster!
What Procedures Does a Smile Design Include?
On average, smile designs involve various procedures. They aim at more than appearance and are added to improve your oral health.
1. Dental Implants
Dental implants are becoming the solution people in New York use to hide missing teeth. The technique doesn’t hide the space; it fills it with a natural-looking artificial tooth. A metal root piece is placed in the jawbone while a crown is placed over it using a connector (abutment).
If you’re interested in the smaller version of dental implants, read this: Mini Dental Implants Explained.
2. Porcelain Veneers
Veneers are another method of refreshing your teeth’s appearance using thin covers. The dentist attaches these thin covers to the front surface of your teeth.
Your original teeth require preparation to remove some of the enamel to fit the veneers. Once the custom veneers are ready, your dentist attaches them using a special cement.
Can’t choose between this and bonding? Check out the comparison of Veneers vs Bonding in NYC: Which One Is Right for You?
3. Teeth Whitening
Everyone in NYC is bound to have tried whitening their teeth at least once! Teeth Whitening is common among people wanting to maintain their appearance and confidence.
With high consumption of coffee, tea, wine, or citrus fruits, staining is possible. Of course, there have been questions about safety.
Is Dental Whitening Safe? NYC Experts Reveal the Truth will answer safety questions and more.
4. Crown Lengthening
Also called gummy smile treatment, it involves reshaping the gum tissue to expose more of your teeth.
Crown lengthening is a sensitive procedure that requires planning and expertise. That’s why the 65 Broadway Dental periodontal team is the best destination with over 13 years of operational experience.
5. Porcelain Crowns & Bridges
Traditionally, a bridge fills a missing tooth by placing a false tooth that’s supported by neighboring teeth. It often requires healthy teeth to undergo permanent changes to support the artificial bridge.
In an implant-supported bridge, the false tooth gets support from implants, not neighboring teeth. If you’re choosing between these and dentures, read this blog on Implant-Supported Bridges vs Dentures: Which is Better?
Smile Design Duration: Based on Individual Treatments
| Treatment Name | Duration (in Visits) | Approximate Duration (in Weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Implants | 2 to 4 visits | 6 to 12 weeks (or more if healing is slow) |
| Porcelain Veneers | 2 to 3 visits | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Teeth Whitening | 1 visit | Same day |
| Crown Lengthening | 1 visit (+1 follow-up) | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Porcelain Crowns & Bridges | 2 to 3 visits | 2 to 4 weeks |
What are the Stages of Smile Design Treatment in NYC?
Booked your first smile design appointment in New York, here’s what the whole process looks like.
Want to know what to expect from a cosmetic dentistry appointment? Here’s what to expect at your first cosmetic dentistry appointment.
Stage 1 - Consultation
Your first session after making an appointment is the consultation. During this session, your dentist will: Check your oral health, discuss your needs, alert you to potential problems or risks, provide information on your options, start taking X-rays and 3D scans. This session won’t last too long, and no work is done as such.
Stage 2 - Planning the Treatment
After the consultation, the dentist uses the information to create a treatment plan. This details the necessary procedures, estimated treatment duration, and visits necessary to complete the plan. This plan will be customized to ensure you get that dream smile. When planning the treatment set, your dentist will use specialized software to design a custom smile. They will consider your face shape, lips, skin tone, and more.
Stage 3 - Pretreatment Preparation & Procedures
Before starting the procedures in the treatment plan, dentists perform pretreatment procedures. These dental procedures include, but are not limited to: Deep cleanings (for gum disease treatment), teeth whitening, tooth extractions, composite fillings. These procedures may need extra visits and more healing time.
Stage 4 - Active Treatment
After pretreatment procedures, the smile design procedures will begin. This stage will be the longest and needs the most time and visits. Complicated cases can take months, as some procedures may require healing time. The dentist will complete each procedure in the specific order mentioned in the treatment plan.
5. Available Time
The time you have to do the treatment also influences the final decision. If you’re in a rush, the faster solution is bonding. However, if you have more time for a two-part treatment plan, choose veneers.
Stage 5 - Follow-Ups
After the treatments, dentists must watch the healing progress to ensure long-term success. As a result, patients must commit to frequent follow-up visits. During these visits, dentists can do procedures to clean, maintain, or adjust your dental appliances.
What are the Benefits of a Smile Design?
There are countless reasons why you need your smile. A smile helps you visually express yourself and communicate with people around you. A bad smile can leave you embarrassed, stopping you from speaking through your smile.
Here’s what a dentist smile design helps you do:
- Become more confident
- Increases your self-esteem in public
- Helps enhance your mood
- Makes you seem more approachable
- Attracts positive attention
- Lowers stress levels
- Gives you a younger appearance
What is the Cost of Getting a Smile Design in NYC?
Most people in NYC want to know the final cost of this treatment before doing it. Unfortunately, it’s not this simple!
When patients request an estimate from us, we urge them to come down to our dental clinic in the Financial District, NYC.
By doing this, we give them a consultation to assess their case. Complicated cases are more expensive and take additional time. Simple cases are less costly and take less time.
Either way, you can get an accurate estimate by allowing the dentist to see what’s needed!
Conclusion
People with smiles that are far from ideal will look to smile designs for solutions. These advanced solutions use Digital Smile Design (DSD) software to create a suitable smile.
65 Broadway Dental has multidisciplinary expertise, enabling our team to use cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, and preventive procedures simultaneously. Through smile design, you can get teeth whitening, veneers, dental implants, bridges, and more.
The best part is that this treatment plan is customized to ensure the procedures lead to your dream smile.
FAQs
1. How long is the smile design treatment?
The exact time a smile design takes to complete will vary based on the case. Although creating the smile design template takes an hour or less, the procedures take time.
2. Is smile design painful?
Not at all, because most dentists will use local anesthesia to avoid pain and discomfort. Also, most of our methods are modern and aim to reduce pain.
3. How long does a smile design last?
Since a smile design consists of countless other treatments, assessing a time is difficult. Each procedure lasts for a different time; an average timeline is years to decades.
4. What does a smile design include?
A smile design consists of a visual design showing the procedures needed to create your ideal smile. It’s not limited to, but can include teeth whitening, veneers, dental implants, bonding, bridges, and crown lengthening.
5. Is smile design permanent?
No, dental treatment is guaranteed to last forever, but a smile design can last decades with the right care.
6. How much is the average smile makeover?
An accurate smile makeover cost estimate isn’t possible without knowing the complexity of the case. You can connect with us and share your details to get a clearer estimate.
Dr. Alexander Heifitz (Author)
Dr. Alexander Heifitz is the founder of 65 Broadway Dental in NYC, where he combines advanced dental expertise with a patient-first approach. He specializes in cosmetic and restorative treatments such as dental implants, veneers, Invisalign, and smile makeovers, helping New Yorkers achieve both oral health and confidence.
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Looking for a reliable dentist in Downtown NYC? Whether you need a routine cleaning, urgent care, or a full smile transformation — we’ve got you covered. We accept most PPO insurance plans and offer flexible scheduling.
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