Today I’m sharing some ways to help improve your smile. Whether you need a bit of help brightening your smile, or you have a tooth you hate, this post is packed with helpful tips and advice to help you smile more. So keep reading for inspiration.
Fix That Broken Tooth
If you have a tooth which is broken or bad, it’s worth considering getting it fixed to help improve your smile. Whether it’s capped, has a veneer put on the front or as a last resort, is removed, there’s several options for all budgets. On the NHS, a capped or veneered tooth will cost £319.10 at present. (Feb 2025). A basic filling will currently cost £26.80.
Fill The Gap
If your tooth has to be removed, you can now choose from several options. False teeth aren’t the only solution these days. You can, of course opt for those at a cost of £319.10 at present. Alternatively, a bridge can be created between two healthy teeth, and one “false” tooth permanently attached there.
This won’t need removing for cleaning and will look natural. This will cost £319.10 as well. The downfall of a bridge is that if one of the anchoring teeth later becomes loose or bad, the bridge will fail.
Dental Implants
This means many people now opt to have dental implants instead. These involve permanent artificial teeth being fixed to your gums, via screws into your jaw bone. They look and feel like real teeth, and allow you to have a normal life. They aren’t available on the NHS though, so you will have to consider the costs carefully. A full jaw currently costs around £10,000 and a full mouth costs around £17,000.
These costs are leading to more people travelling abroad for cheaper treatment but I would wholeheartedly advise against this. I know two people personally who have passed away while having treatment abroad, so for me, the risk is just too high, no matter what the saving.
Help Beat Gum Disease
If, (like me), you spent your teenage years wearing braces on your teeth, it may have lead to gum disease. For me personally, I had braces on from age 12-16, when I was then fitted with permanent wire, low down on the reverse of my teeth, in place of a removable retainer. While the wire was more convenient, it lead to gum disease due to microscopic bits of food getting stuck at my now super hard to reach, rear gum line. This is an ongoing battle which has left me never smiling with my teeth.
Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing, but back in the ’90s, oral hygiene wasn’t high up on my priority list. My parents bought toothpaste but not floss, mouthwash or electric toothbrushes. As a result, by age 30, I had pretty serious gum disease. The wire was removed from my top teeth to save them, and this lead to them becoming really crooked again.
So now, not only do I have receding gums, I have a large gap in my front teeth and one that sicks out. Of course I now use mouthwash religiously, but I suspect it’s too late to save my own teeth. I think that I’ll be lucky to still have them when I hit 50. I am now nagging the kids to brush and rinse, so they can beat gum disease.
Teeth Whitening
The last way to help improve your smile that I’m sharing today is teeth whitening. I have to be honest – I am not a fan of those blazing white “Turkey Teeth” which seem to be popular at present. I like a natural white, myself. For me, the best things I have done to help whiten my teeth are: upgrading my electric toothbrush, switching to a whitening toothpaste, drinking less coffee and more water.
Final Thoughts on Ways to Improve Your Smile
So there you have it – five ways to help improve your smile. Whether it’s a small change, like choosing a whitening toothpaste, or a real investment like paying for a full set of dental implants, there’s something available for all budgets. Can you think of any more ways to improve your smile? Let me know in the comments.
