Shape-Shifters

March 2011 Issue, Women's Weekly Magazine

Minor corrections to your teeth alignment can change your facial profile and give you more feminine appeal and fuller lips. 

Braces
Not big on the Ugly Betty look? Now you have options beyond ugly metal braces. Lingual braces work the same way as regular braces except that they are glued to the inside of teeth instead of the outside. The only catch is that they cause minor speech problems for a couple of weeks, and take some getting used to.

To shorten the braces-wearing period, opt for Invisalign, which are removable invisible aligners. When worn, they slowly shift teeth into place. Prices for braces range from $1,000 to $10,000 depending on the type of work done, and from $5,000 for Invisalign.

Veneers
If you can’t wait a year or two for braces to show results, veneers give you faster and more dramatic results. These are thin layers of tooth-coloured material placed over the tooth surface to mask any surface imperfections, such as when there are gaps between teeth, or when tooth is malformed or malpositioned.

“The veneer procedure modifies the tooth parameters such as colour, shape and contour to restore the proportion and positioning of teeth, improving a patient’s smile dramatically,” says Dr Christina Sim, senior consultant from the Prosthodontic Unit at the National Dental Centre of Singapore.

Veneer prices vary greatly according to the customised treatment plan, and may range from a few hundred dollars to several thousands.

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