Hollywood Smile

A Hollywood Smile isn't a single procedure so much as a plan. Every tooth that shows when you smile — usually 20, sometimes 28 if your smile is wide — is restored as part of one design, so shape, length and shade are decided across the whole arch instead of tooth by tooth. That's the difference between a smile that looks treated and one that looks like teeth.

How it's done

1. 01

   Digital smile design

   Photographs, a facial scan and an intraoral scan are used to design the new smile on screen first. You see and approve the shape before anything is touched.

2. 02

   Preparation

   Each tooth is reduced by a small amount to make room for the crown. How much depends on the tooth — a worn or previously filled tooth needs less.

3. 03

   Temporaries

   A provisional set is fitted the same day, matching the approved design. You wear these for the rest of the trip and they are the real test drive.

4. 04

   Lab work

   The final crowns are milled and layered while you're still in the country. Clinics with an on-site lab turn this around in three to four days.

5. 05

   Final fitting

   The temporaries come off and the finals go on. Small adjustments to bite and contact points are made in the chair before cementing.

Who it suits

People with several worn, discoloured, chipped or unevenly spaced teeth who want the whole smile addressed at once, and who accept that healthy tooth structure is reduced in the process.

Where it falls short

It is irreversible. Once teeth are prepared for crowns they will always need crowns. If only a few teeth bother you, veneers or bonding will preserve far more of your own tooth.

Recovery

Gum tenderness for a few days and some sensitivity to hot and cold, which settles within a couple of weeks. You can eat normally on the temporaries, avoiding anything very hard.