Even for the most nonchalant individual, the wedding day is the day to pull out all the stops and look their best. Many brides and even grooms go out of their way to look perfect for their nuptials and considering the number of times they would have to pose and smile for the camera, this is understandable.
But you need to remember that the camera does not only capture the beauty of your dress and the poise of your pose. The camera also captures the brilliance of your smile.
Brides are concerned with a lot of things when it comes to their wedding. From their body to their wedding dress, hairdo, makeup and smile, everything should be just perfect for their big day. No bride wants to go through her wedding photographs to see that her teeth were not at their pearly white best.
One of the commonest issues dentists handle before a wedding is the bride’s teeth. Chipped, discolored and stained teeth have to be fixed before the big day. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to ensure your teeth can give you that perfect smile when you say “I do.”
Grab a seat
Grab a seat at the dentist’s office actually. On her wedding day, the bride is decked out in a beautiful shining white wedding gown, maybe a tiara, beautiful flowers and lots of fancy accessories, but none of them are as pretty as a happy smile. A pretty smile is the best accessory a bride can have, and to make that happen, a visit to the dentist is required.
Depending on what you want done to your teeth, you might need to get the process started some time before the wedding draws close. Placing porcelain veneers can take up to two months, while realignment and straightening can take up to a year.
“It is a good idea to start a year before your big day,” says Dr. Cecilia Luong of Tiger Smile Family Dentistry. This is rather sound advice because the bigger the change you want to see in your teeth, the longer it is going to take, and you wouldn’t want to scramble when it gets close to your big day.
Start whitening
If you want your teeth to match your wedding gown then whitening is the thing to do. Whitening your teeth takes at least two weeks so you don’t want to leave it until the late minute. There are several good DIY teeth whitening kits that can give you your desired results, but even these work with time.
Don’t make the mistake of whitening your teeth a day or night before your big day. Whether you visit a dentist or choose to do it at home, ‘cramming’ the whitening of your teeth can lead to gingival irritation.
So for the soon-to-be brides reading this, if you like everything about your teeth except the color, then a teeth bleaching solution is enough to give you the dazzling white smile to make your wedding perfect.
White smile program
Apart from the obvious health benefits, you actually help your teeth when you munch on crunchy, fibrous fruits like apples, carrots, celery and broccoli. These foods are packed with fiber which is an abrasive that helps clean and exfoliate your teeth and remove stains.
The white smile program involves a healthy consumption of these fruits and vegetables. The program also involves paying attention to your hydration. Drink lots and lots of water. It’s a no brainer really, water keeps your body hydrated, improves your skin (what bride doesn’t want smoother skin on her wedding day?) and helps prevent your teeth from getting stained. And best of all, water keeps your mouth lubricated and your lips moisture which will make it easier for you to smile more on your perfect day and keep your lipstick looking fresh all day long.
As you get closer to your big day, try as much as possible to stay away from food that stains – such as red wine, coffee or tea, barbecue and soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, berries and even soda. But if you can’t remove them from your diet completely, then always remember to drink water during each meal and rinse your mouth with water afterwards.
Maintain your dental habits
There are a thousand and one things to think of and put in place before the wedding. Guests list to plan, invitations to send out, shopping to do and so on, but taking care of your teeth is still a priority. The best thing any bride-to-be can do is to maintain a high level of dental health at home at all times.
Even if you decide not to go for whitening procedure to enhance the whiteness of your smile, it is still important to maintain proper oral health habits. You should never be too busy or frazzled to brush your teeth properly, at least twice a day and of course, flossing.
The months prior to the wedding can get really hectic but that doesn’t give you an excuse to skip on your regular dental checkups and dental works. Unless you don’t plan on smiling all through the wedding.
Don’t forget the groom
Guys will be guys. They don’t really care if there is a bit of green stuck in their teeth when hanging out with the boys. But this is your wedding we are talking about here. It makes a lot of sense for the bride to want to have the brightest smile in the room but it is also a good idea to carry the groom along. You wouldn’t want to have to hide some of your wedding photographs, would you? The groom might need to whiten his teeth also before the big day so that both of you can flash your matching pearly white 32s at the camera on the big day.
Finally, remember that the wedding is your big day; long awaited and tireless planned. You are the star of the day and it is vital you are ready to take the center stage as the beautiful bride with the perfect and dashing white smile.
