Tips for having the perfect 'white' smile on your big day

Everybody wants to look their best on their wedding day, and that also includes a perfect 'white' smile.

While your photographer may be able to edit your wedding pictures, and digitally brighten your smile, it may become a bit tedious to do that for all the 100 pictures or so that he/she will be taking.

So what can you do to give yourself that special sparkle on your big day?

Gemma Astill, head of marketing at Oasis Dental Care, told HELLO! Online: "We get a lot of brides in our practices looking for that perfect smile for their big day but most of them are concerned about the time frames they leave themselves.

"We thought it would be useful to make them aware of what treatments they can proceed with, depending on the time frames before their weddings."

Below are the guides on how to get that pearly white smile on your wedding day:

One month – Teeth whitening: There are two ways you can whiten your teeth, either at home or at your dental surgery. If you decide to do this at home, it can take a few weeks to achieve the desired results, as you'll need to wear a tray using a special gel either overnight or for a couple of hours each day. If you have the treatment at the dentist, it can usually be done within one or two appointments. Your dentist will only provide whitening treatment if your teeth are healthy, and will need to fix any existing issues with your teeth or gums before starting the whitening treatment.

Six months – Implants: If you have any teeth missing, dental implants will help fill the gap with a replacement tooth. These work very well and can last for a long time too. With implants, you usually have the artificial root installed first, then the tooth on top around six months later once it's healed. This however, usually depends on the patient, and some dentists do offer to install the root and tooth on the same day, but of course this isn't suitable for everyone.

Six months to one year – C-Fast: Cosmetic teeth straightening is ideal if you want to just align the teeth at the very front of your mouth. It can take as little as six months to do this, because it focuses on just the front six teeth to eight teeth in your smile line, on both the top and bottom of your mouth. It's the perfect solution if you're looking for a quick result in time for the big day, but in some cases it may be more suitable to have full orthodontic treatment, which will take longer to achieve results but will align all of your teeth and bite. Cosmetic teeth straightening can be done with a number of techniques, usually including tooth-coloured wires or clear brackets.

One to two years – Invisalign: If you're looking to straighten your teeth and prepare well in advance, but don't want to have to wear metal braces, Invisalign is a great way to do this without it being noticeable. You simply have a series of aligners designed by the dentist that will gradually move your teeth into place. They're clear, and you can take them out whenever you like. You'll need to have check-ups along the way, and depending how far your teeth need to move to give you a straight smile, this treatment usually takes between one and two years.

All this services are available at dental clinics and hospitals across Nigeria.