Smile Makeover
- A smile makeover is a personalised treatment plan that addresses both the appearance and function of your teeth, covering everything from colour and shape to alignment, gum line, and missing teeth.
- Unlike a Hollywood Smile, which focuses mainly on aesthetics, a smile makeover may include restorative elements such as implants, crowns for structurally compromised teeth, or treatment for gum disease alongside the cosmetic work.
- Every plan begins with a comprehensive examination. Active decay or gum disease is treated before any cosmetic or restorative work is placed.
- Digital Smile Design (DSD) and a physical trial smile (mock-up) allow you to review and approve the proposed result before anything irreversible begins.
- Timelines vary significantly depending on what the plan includes, a veneer-only plan takes 7 to 10 days in Istanbul; a plan including implants or orthodontics takes longer.
- With consistent oral hygiene, professional check-ups, and appropriate lifestyle habits, results typically last many years.
A smile makeover is a treatment plan, not a single procedure. It brings together whichever combination of cosmetic and restorative dentistry your teeth actually need, in the right sequence, to produce a result that looks right and functions properly.
The distinction from a Hollywood Smile is worth stating clearly. A Hollywood Smile focuses primarily on the aesthetic appearance of the front teeth, typically through veneers or crowns. A smile makeover can include all of that, but it also addresses underlying structural and health issues: missing teeth, worn-down enamel, gum disease, or bite problems that affect how the teeth work, not just how they look.
Most patients who come in asking for a smile makeover have a mix of concerns. Some are cosmetic, discolouration, chipped teeth, an uneven gum line. Some are functional, teeth that are worn from grinding, gaps from missing teeth, or old restorations that no longer fit well. A smile makeover plan maps out how to address all of it, in the right order, within a realistic timeline.
What a Smile Makeover Can Include
The procedures in your plan depend entirely on what your teeth currently look like. No two smile makeover plans are the same. Here's what each component addresses and when it's typically used.
| Procedure | What it addresses | When it's used |
|---|---|---|
| Porcelain Veneers | Colour, shape, minor gaps, chips | Structurally healthy teeth needing aesthetic correction |
| Zirconia Crowns | Damaged, heavily filled, or root-treated teeth | When full coverage is needed for structural reasons |
| Teeth Whitening | Shade improvement | Before veneers/crowns to establish the new colour baseline |
| Dental Implants | Replaces missing teeth | Gaps in the smile, placed before restorative/cosmetic work |
| Composite Bonding | Minor chips, small gaps | Conservative option requiring no tooth reduction |
| Clear Aligners | Crowding, spacing, mild misalignment | Before veneers when alignment needs correcting first |
| Gum Reshaping | Uneven or prominent gum line | Gummy smile, asymmetric gum levels |
| Gum Disease Treatment | Periodontal health | Always treated before any cosmetic or restorative work |
| Digital Smile Design | Visual planning and simulation | Planning stage of every makeover |
How Is a Smile Makeover Different from a Hollywood Smile?
The terms are often used interchangeably, but they describe different scopes of treatment.
Hollywood Smile
- Primarily aesthetic focus
- Usually veneers and/or crowns on the front teeth
- Completed in 7 to 10 days in Istanbul
- Requires healthy teeth and gums as a starting point
- Best when structural issues are already minimal
Smile Makeover
- Aesthetic and restorative
- May include implants, orthodontics, gum treatment
- Timeline varies depending on what's included
- Can address teeth that are damaged, missing, or functionally compromised
- Appropriate when health issues need resolving alongside aesthetics
If your teeth are structurally healthy and you mainly want to improve how they look, a Hollywood Smile plan is likely appropriate. If you have missing teeth, significant wear, old restorations that need replacing, or gum disease alongside your cosmetic concerns, a full smile makeover is the more accurate description of what you need. The assessment will clarify which applies.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
A smile makeover is relevant for any adult with a combination of aesthetic and functional dental concerns who is in reasonable general health. The starting point is always a thorough examination to understand the full picture before a plan is drawn up.
✅ A smile makeover may be right for you if:
- You have discoloured, chipped, or worn teeth you want to improve
- You have one or more missing teeth creating gaps in your smile
- Your teeth are misaligned and affect both appearance and function
- Old crowns, bridges, or veneers no longer look or feel right
- Your gum line is uneven or your smile shows too much gum
- You grind your teeth and have visible wear across multiple teeth
- You want a comprehensive plan rather than addressing one issue at a time
❌ Work should be deferred if:
- Active gum disease is present and untreated
- Tooth decay or active infection has not been addressed
- Significant bone loss around the teeth is unmanaged
- Bruxism is severe and no protection plan is in place
- General health conditions that affect healing are uncontrolled
⚠️ Needs assessment before treatment begins:
- Teeth grinding: a night guard plan should be in place before restorations are fitted
- Missing teeth: implant placement and healing happen before the cosmetic phase
- Significant misalignment: clear aligners may be recommended before veneers
- Existing crowns or bridges: compatibility with new restorations needs to be reviewed
Not sure what your teeth need? Send us your smile photos and a brief description of your concerns. We will put together a personalised treatment overview within 48 hours.
Send Your Smile Photos: Free AssessmentDt. Emrah İPEK, Aesthetic and Restorative Dentistry
"The first conversation I have with almost every smile makeover patient goes the same way: they come in with a list of cosmetic concerns, and during the examination we find something structural that needs to be addressed first.
That's not a problem, it's just the reality of how teeth work. A crack that's been there for years, an old crown that's starting to fail, a gap where a tooth was lost a decade ago, these things affect what we can do aesthetically and how long any cosmetic work will last. So we address them first, in the right order.
The patients who end up happiest with their results are the ones who understood from the start that a smile makeover is a process, not an event. The planning phase, the examination, the digital simulation, the trial mock-up, that's where the real work happens. By the time we're placing the final restorations, everything has already been agreed and tested."
Dt. Emrah İPEK, Aesthetic and Restorative Dentistry, DentAkademi
The Planning Process: From Examination to Trial Smile
Comprehensive Examination
Every smile makeover begins with a thorough assessment: digital X-rays, intraoral scanning, periodontal charting, and a review of the bite and jaw relationship. The examination identifies any issues, decay, gum inflammation, bone loss, failing restorations, that need to be resolved before cosmetic or restorative work begins. Skipping this step is the main reason smile makeovers fail prematurely.
Digital Smile Design and Treatment Planning
Digital Smile Design software uses photographs and facial measurements to model the proposed outcome before any tooth is touched. The simulation considers the relationship between the teeth, gum line, lips, and facial proportions, not just the teeth in isolation. You review the simulation with your dentist, give feedback, and agree on the final direction before the plan is confirmed. This is also when the sequence of procedures and the full timeline are mapped out.
Preparatory Procedures
Any health issues identified during the examination are treated here. This may include professional deep cleaning, periodontal treatment, cavity repair, extractions, or implant placement. If clear aligners are part of the plan, they are started at this stage and completed before restorations are fitted. If whitening is included and natural teeth will remain visible alongside the new restorations, whitening happens here to establish the shade baseline.
Trial Smile (Mock-Up)
Before any permanent restorations are placed, temporary materials are used to build a physical trial of the proposed design directly over the teeth. You can see, feel, and speak with the mock-up in place. This is the most important quality checkpoint in the whole process: you give feedback on the shape, size, and appearance, and any changes are made before the final versions are fabricated. Nothing irreversible happens until this stage is signed off.
Tooth Preparation and Temporaries
Each tooth is minimally reshaped to the degree required by the planned restoration. Digital impressions are taken and sent to the in-house dental laboratory. Temporary restorations are placed immediately so you are never without teeth and can continue to give feedback on the shape while the permanent versions are being made.
Final Placement and Review
The permanent restorations are tried in for fit, shade, and appearance. Minor adjustments to the bite or surface contour are made before final bonding. Gum reshaping, if part of the plan, is completed at this stage using laser treatment. A closing appointment checks the bite, comfort, and overall integration of the result. Written aftercare instructions and full clinical documentation are provided before you leave.
Your Istanbul Smile Makeover Journey
The timeline for your Istanbul visits depends on what the plan includes. Here are the two most common scenarios.
Scenario A: Veneers and/or Crowns Only (no implants or orthodontics)
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival in Istanbul, VIP airport transfer to hotel |
| Day 2 | Comprehensive examination + Digital Smile Design + written treatment plan |
| Day 3 | Whitening (if included) + any preparatory procedures + trial mock-up |
| Day 4 | Tooth preparation + digital impressions sent to laboratory + temporaries placed |
| Day 5–6 | Temporaries worn, feedback given to dentist and lab |
| Day 7 | Try-in of permanent restorations + adjustments |
| Day 8 | Final placement + gum reshaping if needed |
| Day 9 | Final review + bite check + aftercare instructions |
| Day 10 | Return flight home |
Scenario B: Makeover including implants or clear aligners
| Phase | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Visit 1 (3–4 days) | Examination, DSD, treatment planning, implant placement or aligner start | Istanbul |
| Implant healing | 3 to 6 months osseointegration or aligner treatment (6 to 18 months) | At home |
| Visit 2 (7–10 days) | Mock-up, tooth preparation, temporaries, final restorations | Istanbul |
| After both visits | Annual check-ups with local dentist, coordinator available by WhatsApp | At home |
Your coordinator maps out the full timeline in writing before any travel is booked. If your plan includes implants or orthodontics, you will know from the start how many visits are needed, how long each is, and what happens between visits. There are no surprises about timelines after you arrive.
On the Trial Mock-Up
"The mock-up phase is the stage that most patients underestimate beforehand and appreciate most afterwards. It lets you see a physical version of the proposed result in your own mouth, in natural light, while you're talking and smiling normally. Photos on a screen don't give you that.
I've had patients who saw the mock-up and said 'the teeth are a bit too long' or 'can we make the front teeth slightly narrower'. Those changes take minutes to make at the mock-up stage. If we found out the patient wanted those adjustments after the final ceramic restorations were fitted, it would be a much bigger conversation.
The mock-up is a checkpoint, not a formality. We take it seriously and encourage patients to be honest about what they see. The goal is to make sure the final result is exactly what was agreed."
Dt. Emrah İPEK, Aesthetic and Restorative Dentistry, DentAkademi
Why Do Patients Choose Istanbul for a Smile Makeover?
The cost difference between Turkey and Western Europe for comprehensive smile makeover treatment is significant. A plan involving 8 to 16 veneers or crowns, before any additional restorative work, typically costs £8,000 to £15,000 in the UK. The same plan at DentAkademi costs substantially less, using the same Emax and zirconia ceramic materials.
An in-house dental laboratory changes the timeline. DentAkademi fabricates restorations on-site, which means the communication between the clinical team and the lab technicians happens directly. When you give feedback on your temporaries, the permanent restorations can be adjusted accordingly before they are made. This level of control is not possible when restorations are sent to an external laboratory with a 1 to 2-week turnaround.
The mock-up process is built into every plan. At DentAkademi, the trial smile is not an optional extra. It is a standard part of every smile makeover, not something charged additionally. You see a physical result before anything permanent is done.
Before booking any smile makeover abroad, ask: Is a physical mock-up included or just a digital simulation? Who fabricates the restorations and how quickly? What is the protocol if something needs adjusting after I return home? A clinic that answers these clearly is more likely to handle the unexpected well.
Aftercare: What Keeps the Result Looking Good
Oral hygiene as normal, but more precisely. Brush twice daily with a soft-bristled toothbrush and non-abrasive toothpaste. Use interdental brushes or floss to clean between the teeth and along the margins of the restorations. The ceramic doesn't decay, but the underlying tooth and the gum line around the margins can, which is why cleaning the margins matters.
Protect against grinding. If you grind at night, a custom-fitted night guard is not optional, it is the single most important thing you can do to protect ceramic restorations. One night of heavy grinding can chip a veneer in a way that months of normal use would not. The night guard should be organised before the restorations are placed, not afterwards.
Professional monitoring every 6 months. Regular check-ups allow your dentist to detect early signs of gum recession around restoration margins, micro-cracks in the ceramic, or changes to the bite. Caught early, these are minor corrections. Left until they become symptomatic, they may require replacing the restoration.
Lifestyle habits that affect longevity. Regular intake of deeply pigmented drinks such as coffee, tea, or red wine can affect the shade of the cement at restoration margins over time. Tobacco stains both natural tooth structure and cement. Avoiding biting into hard foods with the front teeth and not using teeth as tools prevents the most common causes of chipped ceramic.
DentAkademi by the Numbers
Want a personalised treatment overview before committing to anything? Send us your photos and a description of your concerns.
Get My Personalised PlanPractical Considerations for International Patients
How many visits does a smile makeover require?
It depends on what the plan includes. A veneer and crown-based plan with no implants or orthodontics is completed in one visit of 7 to 10 days. A plan including implants requires a minimum of two visits, with the implant healing period between them. A plan including clear aligners requires orthodontic treatment to be completed before the cosmetic visit. All of this is mapped out in writing before any travel is booked.
What if I need an adjustment after I return home?
Minor sensitivity after new restorations is common and usually settles within a few weeks. Questions about fit, bite, or appearance can often be assessed remotely from photographs. If a physical adjustment is needed, your coordinator works with you to arrange this, either through a local dentist using the documentation we provide, or through a return visit to Istanbul if necessary.
What documentation do I receive?
Every patient receives complete written records: treatment notes, X-rays, laboratory specifications including ceramic shade and material details, and aftercare instructions. If you need work done on a restoration in the future, any dentist can use this documentation to understand what materials were used and match them as closely as possible.
Can I combine a smile makeover with other dental treatment?
Yes. Many patients use their Istanbul visit to address hygiene, replace old fillings, or treat other teeth not included in the cosmetic plan. Where this is clinically appropriate and won't extend the timeline beyond what's practical, we include it in the treatment plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Summary
A smile makeover is the appropriate approach when your concerns go beyond what cosmetic dentistry alone can address. Missing teeth, structural damage, gum disease, significant bite wear, these are not obstacles to the result you want. They are the starting point of the plan that leads to it.
The process at DentAkademi follows a clear sequence: examine first, plan digitally, trial the design physically, then place the permanent restorations. Nothing irreversible happens until you have seen and approved both the simulation and the mock-up. Everything you receive at the end comes with complete documentation for your local dental team.
Istanbul is a practical choice for comprehensive dental treatment if you are balancing quality, cost, and the time available. The treatments, materials, and laboratory workflow are comparable to what you would find in a well-equipped UK or European practice. The difference is the cost and the focused timeline that makes a complete makeover achievable in defined visits.
Start With an Honest Assessment
Send us clear photos of your smile and a brief description of your concerns. Our team will put together a personalised treatment overview, including which procedures apply to your case, the likely timeline, and what to expect at each stage. No obligation.
Send My Smile Photos
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