Pearly whites worth flashing

SIMON O'DWYER/The Age

PEARLY WHITES: A patient undergoes a the process of getting her teeth bleached in 20 minutes.

Relevant offers

Beauty

Victoria Beckham ahead of hair trends Denise Richards' secret to good skin Aussie Miss Cougars get claws out Beauty advice for the frequent flyer Latest beauty products reviewed Just peachy Product test: Kérastase Soleil collection Ryan Seacrest beats bags with tea Hair dye disaster for Kate Moss Time for a tan

'I don't want to look like Donny Osmond." That's often the first thing prospective patients say to Wellington dentist Angela McKeefry when discussing cosmetic procedures.

"People are terrified of looking like 'those Americans with big horse teeth' but they won't. New Zealanders want to look like themselves - their best selves," she says.

Cosmetic dentistry has been in wide practice for decades in the United States, but Dr McKeefry credits television "makeover" programmes (like 10 Years Younger and Extreme Makeover) for giving New Zealanders a taste for it.

While she has reservations about the merit of such programmes - their subjects may end up worse off if they can't afford to maintain their new teeth in the future - she admits they have "raised awareness".

"I think it's like the Botox phenomenon," she says, referring to the popular anti-wrinkle treatment which uses injections of jellyfish toxin to temporarily paralyse facial muscles and smooth the complexion.

"It's less invasive than a facelift, just a small thing that can make a big difference. We get people who are afraid to smile because they are ashamed of their teeth, and people who don't smile seem unfriendly."

One of Dr McKeefry's patients, Jan Fiolitakis, said she used to keep her mouth shut around strangers. She was self-conscious about her uneven and discoloured teeth.

"I had always had quite prominent teeth, but over the years, especially after I had children, they got worse."

Gum disease caused her gums to shrink and her front teeth to drift sideways.

It took just one planning appointment (to have X-rays and impressions made of her teeth) and one six-hour treatment appointment to place 10 upper front composite veneers to straighten, whiten, re-shape and close gaps. The result: a new smile.

Now 53, she says the difference was more than enamel-deep.

"I feel like I have renewed self- esteem. I don't even think about smiling any more; I just do it naturally.

"I was just looking at old photographs of myself the other day and cringed.

"I had no idea it would make such a difference."

The cost involved in having more attractive teeth

* Teeth whitening or bleaching costs from $500 for a take-home DIY pack to $1500 for a combination of in-surgery  and home maintenance treatments.

Bleaching gel is applied to the teeth inside a specially moulded mouthguard.

The latest advances can even fix staining from tetracycline, an antibiotic that used to be given to children, causing dark bands right through teeth.

"You can still drink red wine and coffee and smoke without worrying whether it will make your teeth yellow," Dr McKeefry says.

* Dental veneers are glossy new facades stuck on to your old teeth.

Porcelain veneers, about $1500, are usually used when more extensive treatment is required, such as repositioning teeth, which may involve cutting away a lot of tooth.

Custom-designed, the porcelain laminates are bonded to the tooth, which has been trimmed back. They last about 15 years.

Composite veneers, made of bonding materials to match the colour of your teeth, are cheaper, at $500 to $1500, and do not require as much tooth-tissue removal.

The surface of the tooth is roughened slightly and the paste applied directly and set under blue light.

Different types of composite are used on different parts of the tooth: hard- wearing for the bits that grind against other teeth, and shiny but less robust for the front of the tooth.

They generally last about 10 years, but can be "upgraded" easily if they start to look a bit shabby.

"Teeth are not one solid colour. They are glassy, opaque and translucent in parts, with flecks of colour. We can reproduce that in veneers."

* Gum recontouring: After babyhood, a "gummy smile" is not so cute. A gum lift uses a laser beam to reshape a "high smile line" by reshaping uneven or excessive tissue growth.