Spotlight-ready smiles from Southern York Smile Care start with a plan, whether that means whitening, veneers, implants or a makeover. Each plan is matched to your face. You don't need to walk a red carpet to want a smile you're proud of. Whether it's a wedding, a new job, a big birthday or just everyday confidence, here's how cosmetic dentistry can help.
Why Your Smile Matters
Your smile is one of the first things people notice. Stained, chipped, crooked or missing teeth can make you hold back, smile with your lips closed or avoid photos altogether. A smile you feel good about does the opposite. Many people find they smile more, speak up more and feel more relaxed in social and work settings after cosmetic treatment.
A camera-ready smile doesn't have to mean a celebrity price tag either. Some of the most effective changes are also among the simplest, and treatment can often be phased over time.
Planning around a big event
If you have a wedding, reunion or photo shoot on the calendar, give yourself time. Whitening can be done close to the date. Bonding is often finished in one visit. Veneers usually take more than one visit, since they're custom made. Invisalign takes months, and dental implants need healing time before the final tooth is placed. The earlier you start, the more options you'll have. Tell the team your date at your consultation, and your plan can be built around it.
It also helps to keep up with your regular cleaning before a big day. A professional cleaning removes surface stains and tartar, and it gives your dentist a chance to spot anything that should be fixed first. It's a simple step that makes any cosmetic result look its best.
Experience Behind the Smile
Dr. Steven Haywood has more than 35 years in practice and completed cosmetic training through the NYU Aesthetic Continuum. Dr. Haywood has been seen on ABC's Extreme Makeover, is a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and is an Elite Invisalign Provider. That mix of cosmetic, implant and straightening experience means your smile can be planned as a whole, not one tooth at a time. Read more on the meet the doctor page and see real results in the smile gallery.
Brighter Teeth With Professional Whitening
Teeth whitening is one of the simplest, least invasive ways to refresh a smile. Over time, coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco and age dull the color of teeth. Professional whitening lifts many of those stains.
Laser whitening in the office
In-office laser whitening gives the quickest result, with a brighter smile from the first visit, which makes it popular before a big event. Your gums are protected, a professional whitening gel is applied, and a light helps activate it.
Why not just use a store kit?
Store-bought strips and gels can help a little, but they usually take weeks, and the results often don't last. They also can't tell you whether your stains will respond to bleaching at all. Some discoloration, like gray staining or spots inside the tooth, needs veneers or bonding instead. A professional exam tells you which kind you have. Learn more on the teeth whitening page.
A tip: if you're planning bonding, veneers or crowns on front teeth, whiten first. Those materials don't change color with bleaching, so they're matched to your new, brighter shade.
Reshaping and Perfecting Your Smile
Whitening fixes color, but not shape. For chips, gaps, worn edges or slightly crooked teeth, there are several options.
Porcelain veneers
Porcelain veneers are thin shells bonded to the front of the teeth. They can change color, shape, length and the look of alignment all at once, and they resist stains well. That's why veneers are a common choice for smiles that will be photographed often. In some cases, prepless veneers need little or no change to the natural teeth.
Cosmetic bonding
Cosmetic bonding uses tooth-colored resin to repair small chips and gaps in a single visit. It's a quick, affordable touch-up.
Invisalign and instant orthodontics
If your teeth are crowded or gapped, Invisalign clear aligners can straighten them without metal braces. For some cosmetic cases, instant orthodontics with veneers can create the look of straight teeth more quickly.
Cosmetic gum lift
Sometimes the teeth are fine but the gumline is uneven or shows too much. A cosmetic gum lift can even it out for a more balanced smile.
Filling the Gaps With Dental Implants
A missing tooth stands out in photos, especially near the front. Dental implants are artificial roots placed in the jawbone. Once they heal, they support a crown that looks and works much like a natural tooth. Implants also help prevent the bone loss that follows a missing tooth, which keeps the face looking fuller.
For a missing front tooth, see front tooth implants. For more on the process, visit the dental implants page. Implants are planned with Green CT 3D cone beam imaging for precise placement.
The Complete Smile Makeover
Many people need more than one change to reach the smile they want. A complete smile makeover combines treatments, such as whitening, veneers, implants and gum shaping, into one plan.
A makeover starts with a consultation. You'll talk about what you like and don't like about your smile, and your dentist will look at your teeth, gums, bite and facial features. Cosmetic imaging can preview the result on a photo of your own face, so you can see where you're headed before treatment begins. The plan can be done all at once or phased over time.
A beautiful smile has to be a healthy one too. Any decay or gum disease is treated first, so your new smile is built on a strong foundation. Cleanings at the office are a full 60 minutes, which helps keep it that way.
Southern York Smile Care is out of network with every insurer: you pay at the visit and the office files the claim for reimbursement. CareCredit and Cherry payment plans can help spread out the cost, and Invisalign can be paid monthly after a down payment. Kelley Fisher, the Patient Care and Treatment Coordinator, will go over your plan and financing. See the financing page. If dental visits make you nervous, oral sedation is available.
Get Your Spotlight-Ready Smile in Shrewsbury
If you're ready for a smile you'll love showing off, call Southern York Smile Care at (717) 235-3871 or request an appointment for a smile makeover consultation. The office is at 4 S. Main St in Shrewsbury and welcomes patients from York, southern York County and northern Baltimore County.
DDS cum laude 1987, US Air Force residency, NYU cosmetic training and Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, with 35+ years in practice.
Meet Dr. Haywood →
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Coronation: Dental Crowns in Shrewsbury PA
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