Your wedding day is just around the corner, and you really want to look your best for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. If you're self-conscious about your smile, you may be considering undergoing some cosmetic dental work before the wedding. Whether or not this is really a good idea will depend on the extent of the work you need, how much time you have until the wedding, and a few other factors. To help you better decide whether a smile makeover before your wedding really is a bright idea, here's a closer look.
Start by having an evaluation.
Before you decide whether or not to go ahead with your smile makeover, schedule an appointment for an evaluation with a cosmetic dentist. They can give you an idea of what types of treatments they'll need to do to transform your smile. If they recommend that you have veneers placed over your teeth, then you can definitely go ahead with this before the wedding — assuming it's in your budget — because having veneers applied is painless and rather quick. On the other hand, if they recommend a lot of crowns and bonding, you may not want to rush to have the work done before your wedding. These procedures take longer and sometimes result in temporary discomfort. You don't want to be dealing with sensitive teeth and a sore mouth on your wedding day.
Remember that most smile makeover changes are permanent.
This is not like getting a tan. You can't just undo the dental changes after the wedding and go back to your original smile. Veneers require a thin layer of enamel to be removed before they're applied to your teeth, so those teeth can never be exposed again. Crowns and bonding require similar preparation. Keeping up these cosmetic dental alterations over the years can be expensive, so take the time to think whether this is something you really want long-term and not just on the day of your wedding.
Consider what guests will think.
Since all eyes will be on you, you might think you want to finally have a perfect smile to present to the room. But on the other hand, it might be awkward having to field questions about your teeth all night. If you have friends and family members who are warm and tactful and would know better than to say anything about your dental changes, then this may not be an issue. But if the idea of Great Aunt Hilda saying, "what happened to your yellow crooked teeth?" in front of the crowd is scaring you, then you may be best off buying yourself a smile makeover after the wedding.