Can I Change The Shape Of My Teeth? FAQs

If your teeth are misshapen and affecting your smile, there are options available for you to have this corrected and make your smile appear straighter. Similarly, if you have mildly misaligned or gappy teeth, this can be corrected too. At Dental Excellence, we can offer this as part of our same-day smile makeover, meaning it's a quick and less invasive alternative to having braces. We're able to reshape your teeth using a composite bonding process, where we use tooth-coloured material to fill in gaps and reshape individual teeth.

The difference in treatment time between our composite bonding treatments and other options, such as braces, is huge. Fixed braces can take several months to correct your teeth, however, our same-day smile makeover is exactly as it sounds - a single-day treatment. This means once you've had your full case assessment and any stabilisation work (fillings, hygienes etc.) is complete, you're able to walk into our facility and leave on the same day with a brand new smile. This limits the number of appointments you'll need to have and eliminates the hassle of having to wear, clean and maintain braces.

Composite bonding is one of the most versatile treatments we offer here at Dental Excellence, with the ability to fix issues from the smallest imperfections to rebuilding broken down teeth. The treatment doesn't damage any of the original teeth so the structure remains intact, instead, we use the tooth as a basis to which we apply the composite material. It's also completely pain-free, with no needles or drilling, minimising the impact the treatment will have on your daily life. The composite bonding treatment can also be used to whiten teeth, making your smile not only appear straighter but much healthier too.

The way braces work is by moving your teeth to more natural positions if they have grown unnaturally. So, essentially braces can't change the shape of your teeth but they can change the shape of your smile by moving your teeth. Braces are a longer-term solution to straightening your teeth, instead of composite bonding - which can achieve breathtaking results in a single day. The benefits of having braces, however, is that once you've completed your treatment and your teeth have moved into their desired positions, you won't need any 'touch up' appointments like you would with composite bonding treatments.

The way in which braces work to move your teeth and aid your smile is through a series of metal brackets and wires. Each tooth will have a bracket fitted to it and these brackets will then be connected by a wire. The wires are tightened periodically which then pull on the brackets, forcing them to move the teeth. This can cause mild discomfort for a day or two after the braces are tightened but can easily be managed with paracetamol. Sometimes the metal braces can rub on your gums, but again, this can be managed with pain relief or using dental wax. 

We do offer a more comfortable alternative in the form of our Clear X Aligners. The tooth trays are moulded to your teeth and the smooth plastic reduces any rubbing on the inside of your mouth.

One benefit of Clear X Aligners over braces is that you're in control of your own treatment, which means fewer trips to the dentists and a way to track results. With fixed braces, you need to regularly visit the dentist to have your braces tightened or receive a new tray but with Clear X, you just have one tray per 3 adjustments and use the booster case with built-in 4D technology to reshape your tray. The companion app will let you know when your tray is due to be reshaped and help you keep track of your progress, throughout your treatment.

Fixing smiles is what we do best here at Dental Excellence and with a combination of our highly skilled team and incredible modern dental technology, we can offer a range of treatments to reshape your smile. Some of the most common issues which may lead to you wanting your smile to be corrected are misaligned teeth inherited from your parents, crooked teeth as a result of bad habits, damaged teeth, or missing teeth. We have treatment options that can fix each of these issues for you and ensure you have the confidence you want.

One of the most popular options for reshaping and correcting smiles is our same-day smile treatment. This is where we'll use composite materials to reshape your teeth and make them appear healthier and more natural. By applying this to each tooth we're able to make a full set of teeth appear perfect and with the composite material offering whitening benefits, you'll have a stunning, glowing smile too. 

Another option that works to reshape your smile is Clear X Aligners, which is the treatment we offer as an alternative to fixed braces. This works by supplying you with an aligner that is reshaped using the innovative 4D booster, reducing the number of dental checkups and cutting down on plastic waste. Due to the treatment putting you in the driving seat, you can manage your own progress and often, Clear X Aligners provide results even faster than traditional aligner systems.

If you have missing teeth which affect your confidence when smiling, we have a treatment for that too. We're able to provide dental implants which fill the gap in your smile and provide additional oral health benefits. The treatment consists of a titanium screw being fused with your jawbone to create a root for the artificial tooth which is then attached. The tooth will restore your smile and fill the gap where bacteria would otherwise be able to grow.

If you have damaged teeth or want to improve your smile with a longer-lasting option then we can provide you with porcelain veneers treatment. This is when we'll remove a thin layer of the tooth, often just 1mm, and replace it with the porcelain veneer which will make your teeth look better than ever. If you have existing crowns we can give you a smile makeover using a combination of veneers and crowns.

If you opt for one of our same-day smile makeovers, there is no recovery time as the process is quick and completely pain-free. As we use the natural tooth for the basis - to maintain its structure - we only add composite material, which causes no pain. This is one of the reasons our same-day smile treatment is so popular, due to the pain-free nature and speed at which we can complete it. Even with other options such as Clear X Aligners, there is no recovery time as these are not invasive procedures. The only advice we would give is that once your retainer has been reshaped it is likely your teeth will hurt for a day or two, as they adjust to the new mould, but the pain will subside once they have adjusted.

Dental implants, which don't change the shape of your teeth but can change the shape of your smile, will require some recovery time to return to a normal routine afterwards. In most cases, recovery time will take around 7-10 days, whilst in extreme cases, it can require patients to have a soft diet for up to 6 weeks. The recovery time will vary from person to person, which is why it's important not to push yourself to return to your normal routine, as you can cause damage to your mouth and the implant. 

There are plenty of benefits to reshaping your teeth that can boost oral health and confidence. One of the most important things a lot of patients don't realise about dental treatment is that it improves their health as well as their appearance. For example, if you have a set of misaligned teeth, where some overlap with others, you may want to get this fixed solely for appearance purposes but there could be underlying issues to your health too. The crowded nature of your teeth could be causing a build-up of pressure over time which could lead to more serious issues such as pain or crooked teeth.

Similarly, if you're looking to have a dental implant to repair your smile, there will be health benefits too. When you have a missing tooth, the gum where the tooth used to be is exposed, leaving your gums more susceptible to disease. The gap now left by the tooth can also be a hotspot for bacteria and food build-up, due to it being difficult to clean properly. By receiving a dental implant you're not only massively improving your smile but also protecting this area of the gum by having an artificial tooth fitted in its place.

Patients also get a huge confidence boost after treatment, knowing that their smile looks exactly how they want it. If you've suffered from dental issues such as crookedness or discolouration, you'll know just how damaging it can be on your confidence and the anxiety you can get just from smiling. By fixing this and/or whitening your teeth as well, you can smile knowing your teeth look better than ever. Some patients also see dental treatments, such as braces, as a scary option as they can completely engulf your smile. That's why we offer treatments that don't hide your teeth, so you can enjoy your daily routine without fear of your smile being affected.

Our composite bonding process has no side effects, nor poses any issues to your health. To ensure the procedure runs smoothly and you're not allergic to any of the materials we use, we would carry out a test in one of the appointments prior to treatment day. The composite material is completely safe and once applied to your teeth won't cause any pain or discomfort.

One factor to bear in mind, however, is that the composite material isn't as strong as your natural tooth, meaning chips and damage can occur more easily. This would require you to have a 'touch up' appointment to repair the damage but your tooth will remain intact. The material is also susceptible to discolouration if you don't clean your teeth regularly, or if your diet contains large amounts of food and drink with dark colours. Just as coffee and wine can change the colour of your natural teeth, they can do the same to composite materials. Composite bonding doesn't last forever either, which means that you'll need to have the treatment reapplied every 5 - 7 years.

Treatments we offer here, such as Clear X Aligners, don't have any side effects but due to them moving your teeth to fit the mould, it is likely you will feel discomfort after the tray has been reshaped. This shouldn't last long and after a few days, your teeth won’t hurt. The same can be said for fixed braces, as it's carrying out a similar process, however, with Clear X Aligners, there is the added benefit of having no hard to reach areas when carrying out your oral hygiene.

If you're familiar with the treatments we offer here at Dental Excellence, you'll know we can carry out a smile makeover in a single day, which is when we'll use composite material to reshape your teeth. As highly skilled dentists, we've become experts at carrying out treatments extremely efficiently, making this process incredibly quick. For other treatments, it can take longer depending on the patient. For example, dental implant surgery can only take a few hours to carry out but there will be a series of appointments beforehand and several days of recovery, followed by months of healing afterwards.

Braces also take much longer to work, with them needing to be worn for several months to gradually move the teeth over time. The length of time they will need to be worn for will depend on the patient, the severity of their dental issues and how quickly they are able to achieve results. When it comes to dental procedures, you shouldn't let the length of the treatment put you off, as options such as Clear X Aligners can be a great choice for correcting your teeth. Although they take longer than same-day treatments, they retain 100% of your natural teeth and will leave you with a permanently corrected smile.

At Dental Excellence, we list all of our fees on our website so you know exactly what to expect and can plan your budget accordingly. Our fees vary depending on the service and in the case of veneers and composite treatment, we provide a cost per tooth. For a composite treatment, you can have composite edge bonding for £205 per tooth or receive composite veneers for £345 per tooth.

With composite edge bonding, we apply the material to the edges of your natural tooth to repair any chips and fractures, damage caused by wear or grinding, and make subtle cosmetic changes to the shape or length of your teeth. With composite veneers we can apply the material to your natural tooth so that it retains its structure but appears whiter and healthier than before. It can be used to fill in gaps between teeth and make a mildly misaligned set of teeth appear perfectly straight. Porcelain veneers, which last longer than composite veneers (up to 15 years) will cost £800 per tooth. Although porcelain veneers are more expensive, the length of time they last make it a cost-effective investment.

If you're opting for our Clear X Aligners treatment, which offers a more natural form of teeth straightening, there are a few options available. For our simple Clear X treatment, it will cost £2,415 for a Single Arch, and £2,999 for a Dual Arch. For the more complex Clear X Aligners treatment, it will cost £2,999 for a Single Arch, and £4,370 for a Dual Arch. If you'd like to know how much our other treatments cost, you can view our full list of fees on our website and if you'd like to book a consultation to begin discussing treatment for you, you can do so directly through our website.

Porcelain veneers are one of the most effective ways to reshape teeth and make them appear straighter and more symmetrical. By removing a very thin layer of tooth, we're able to alter any imperfections or misshapen edges so that they appear neater once the veneer is applied. By having veneers applied, your teeth can be fully reshaped to fix a crooked smile. Whether it's porcelain veneers or composite, your teeth will also appear whiter as any discolouration will be hidden.

Veneers are a good, long-lasting option to have the shape of your teeth altered as the procedure can be completed relatively quickly and in the case of porcelain veneers, last up to 15 years in some cases. Although a braces treatment can permanently align your teeth, the process is far longer than the procedure to get veneers and it's unable to change the shape of individual teeth. They also don't provide any teeth whitening benefits, which veneers do, however all of our braces packages include tooth whitening at the end of treatment

It's difficult to accurately reshape your teeth naturally, as it can require special equipment to achieve your desired results. Through fixed braces and Clear X Aligners treatment, you can reshape an entire set of teeth to make them straighter but they won't be able to reshape individual teeth. Composite bonding and veneers don't remove or damage your natural teeth, they simply add to it, retaining the main structure of your teeth. This is a more natural alternative to porcelain veneers, where a thin layer of the tooth is removed to make room for the veneer but the results of both are stunning and widely popular.

The other benefits of fixed braces or the Clear X Aligner treatment are that once your teeth have successfully aligned to your requirements, they will be permanent. You will have to wear a retainer afterwards to prevent your teeth from moving back to their original position and depending on your age, the length of time you will need to do this may vary, but you won't need to wear braces again. Your teeth will also retain completely natural meaning you won't need any additional appointments for touch-ups or re-application and should you wish to receive further treatment, you will still have fully natural teeth.