Smile makeover in Turkey: try it first, then decide.

A smile makeover is a treatment approach that looks at the teeth and gums visible when you smile as a whole rather than one by one, planning the intended look in advance and then carrying it out. It is not the name of a single procedure; it is the plan that sets the order and scope of several treatments chosen according to need.

Cleveland Clinic defines cosmetic dentistry as the branch of dentistry focused on improving the appearance of your smile. A smile makeover brings the tools of this field together:

• Colour: stains, yellowing, differences in shade between teeth
• Shape: chipped, worn, short or disproportionate teeth
• Alignment: gaps, mild crowding
• Gums: gums that show too much when you smile or sit at uneven levels

On our dental treatments page we briefly introduce these treatments. Here we focus on how a smile makeover plan is put together and which decisions are yours to make.

Adults whose oral health is generally good but who hold back when smiling because of the colour, shape or alignment of their teeth are suitable candidates for a smile makeover. What matters is whether the concern involves a single tooth or the smile as a whole; one stained tooth does not need a comprehensive plan.

In some cases cosmetic work has to wait. The American Dental Association's patient website explains in its information on veneers that tooth decay and gum disease must be treated first, and that veneers may not be a good choice for people who clench their teeth or have a deep bite.

• Treatment needed first: active decay, gum inflammation, infection at the root tip
• The plan changes: clenching and grinding, deep bite, severe crowding

The dentist looks at the face first, then the lips, and only then the teeth. A good smile makeover does not apply a ready-made template to the mouth; it measures the facial midline, lip movement and the proportions of the existing teeth, and draws the design around them.

• Midline: how the line where the two front teeth meet relates to the centre of the face
• Smile line: whether the biting edges of the upper teeth follow the curve of the lower lip
• Tooth proportions: the length-to-width ratio of the front teeth
• Gum display: how much gum shows when you smile and how symmetrical the gum levels are
• Colour and translucency: a shade that suits your skin tone, the whites of your eyes and your age
• Speech and bite: how the teeth meet the lips and the balance of chewing

The last point is often forgotten. A smile makeover that looks good in photos but upsets the bite comes back as fractures and sensitivity.

Digital smile design (DSD) means drawing the shape of the new teeth on a computer using facial photos, a short video of you talking and an intraoral scan. The aim is for the dentist, the laboratory and the patient to discuss the same image.

• Front and side photos at rest, with a slight smile and with a full smile
• A short video showing how your lips move when you speak
• A 3D model of the teeth taken with an intraoral scanner or an impression

For a remote preliminary assessment, an initial sketch can be prepared from the photos you send. The final design, however, is made at the examination after scans and X-rays, because a photo does not show the root beneath the tooth, decay or gum pockets.

A mock-up is the designed teeth applied over your own teeth in a temporary material, without any tooth being cut. It is the last reversible step in the smile makeover process: if you do not like it, it is removed and the design is changed.

A mould of the model produced from the digital design is filled with temporary material and seated over your teeth; in the mirror you see the new length, width and relationship with your lips. During the trial, check:

• Does the length of the teeth bother you when you speak?
• When you smile, do the teeth fill the lips or stick out too far?
• Is the shape too square or too rounded for your face?
• How does it look in photos and on video?

A mock-up does not show the colour exactly, and because it is added on top of the teeth it looks slightly bulkier than the final result. Teeth that sit forward and need reducing cannot be trialled with an additive mock-up; the dentist should tell you this from the start.

The current condition of each tooth decides which treatment goes into the smile makeover plan: a sound tooth that is simply dark and a broken tooth with a large filling do not receive the same treatment. In a good plan, the option that achieves the result with the least intervention comes first.

These durations are the ranges given on Cleveland Clinic pages; care and bite force can change them. The difference between veneers and crowns lies in the surface they cover: a veneer covers only the front surface, while a crown wraps around the whole tooth. Where a tooth is missing, the plan follows the two-trip timeline described in our dental implant guide for implant cases.

It depends on the treatment chosen: whitening and bonding do not touch the tooth or touch it very little, veneers need a thin layer of enamel removed from the front, and crowns reduce the tooth on all sides. This is the question to ask most openly when discussing a smile makeover, because enamel that is removed does not grow back.

• Sound teeth that are only dark in colour are tried with whitening first
• For shape and small gaps, bonding or veneers may be enough
• Crowns make sense on teeth that already have a large filling, a fracture or root canal treatment
• Even with so-called ‘minimal-prep’ veneers, some enamel is removed

1. Initial consultation with photos and X-rays. Your smiling photos and any panoramic X-ray are reviewed, and a first opinion is shared on possible treatments and the number of visits.
2. Examination and records. On arrival in Turkey, X-rays, an intraoral scan and photos are taken, and tooth decay and gum health are assessed. We describe the overall flow of the trip on our treatment process page.
3. Digital design and mock-up. The smile makeover is discussed on screen and then tried in your mouth; you can ask for changes before you approve it.
4. Preliminary treatments. If needed, scaling, fillings, root canal treatment, teeth whitening or gum contouring are done at this stage.
5. Preparation and temporaries. The teeth receiving veneers or crowns are prepared, impressions are taken, and temporaries in the approved shape are fitted.
6. Try-in and bonding. The restorations from the laboratory are tried in; once you approve them, they are permanently bonded.
7. Check-up and follow-up. Your bite is checked again before you leave. Ongoing care continues with your own dentist.

A smile makeover based mainly on veneers and crowns usually fits into a single 5–7-day visit; most of that time is spent waiting for the laboratory to make the restorations. The number of teeth and any need for preliminary treatment change the order and the length of stay.

If gum contouring was part of the smile makeover, the tissue needs time to settle; the dentist decides, based on healing, whether the final restorations are made during the same visit.

For patients travelling from abroad, a smile makeover is planned over one or two visits depending on its scope. Three things decide whether one visit is enough: whether implants are needed, the extent of any gum surgery and the need for orthodontics.

• Bonding is scheduled at least one day before your flight home; the bite is adjusted before you leave the country
• The shade is chosen in daylight; a shade chosen at an evening appointment is confirmed the next morning
• You are given your X-rays, scan files, material name and shade code; this makes future repairs easier
• Accommodation and transfers are arranged close to the clinic

Neda Deniz holds the Turkish Ministry of Health International Health Tourism Authorisation Certificate (AK-1032) and is an intermediary agency, not a clinic. All treatments within a smile makeover are carried out by our partner specialist surgeons in the relevant clinics. The doctor we work with in dental treatments is Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery Specialist Dr. Taylan Akça, and the doctor you proceed with is confirmed after the preliminary assessment. When choosing a dentist, check whether they offer a mock-up and give a reason for each tooth.

Turkish regulations do not allow price advertising for healthcare services, and because a smile makeover is a combination of treatments that varies from person to person, a single figure means little. On the NHS, dental treatment done purely for appearance, such as veneers or whitening, is generally not covered, so check with your dentist or insurer what, if anything, applies to you. When comparing quotes, it is enough to look at these items:

• Number of teeth and type of treatment: how many teeth get veneers, how many get crowns and which get whitening only
• Materials and laboratory: the type of ceramic, and whether it is made by hand or digitally
• Preparatory treatment: fillings, root canal treatment, gum treatment, gum contouring
• Planning: digital design, mock-up and temporaries
• Accommodation, transfers and number of visits

Most of the difference between two quotes usually comes not from the unit price but from the number of teeth to be cut. A smile makeover that involves fewer teeth can be both more economical and more conservative.

A smile makeover can change your appearance noticeably, but it is not a permanent, maintenance-free solution; restorations have a lifespan and some of the work cannot be undone. Before deciding, you should know these limits:

• Irreversibility: enamel removed for veneers and crowns does not come back
• Sensitivity: there may be sensitivity to hot and cold after preparation; it usually eases within weeks
• Fracture and debonding: porcelain can crack or come loose when biting on hard objects or through clenching
• Colour is fixed: porcelain and zirconia cannot be whitened later; the shade must be chosen correctly from the start
• Gum reaction: redness and recession around restorations with poorly fitting margins
• Decay risk remains: decay can form at the edge of and beneath a restoration

Let us also be clear about expectations: a smile makeover does not produce a copy of a smile from a photo; it is shaped around your face and teeth.

If your smile makeover plan also involves a missing tooth or another procedure on the face, these guides can help:

• Dental implant guide — bone, grafting and the two-trip plan
• Rhinoplasty guide — open and closed technique
• Facelift guide — four techniques and recovery
• Hair transplant guide — choosing a method and planning the grafts

A smile makeover decision is made not by the number of teeth but by three questions: Is what really bothers me the colour, the shape or the alignment? How much of my sound teeth am I willing to give up for it? Will I give my approval without seeing the result in my mouth? The answer to the third question should be no.

If you are unsure about a smile makeover, getting an assessment first does not commit you to anything. Send us photos of your smile and any X-rays you have; our partner doctors will review them, and we will explain clearly which treatment is recommended for which tooth, and why. If whitening alone is enough, we will tell you that too.