Smile Makeover in Los Angeles
The short answer
Several changes, one plan, in the right order.
A smile makeover in Los Angeles combines several dental treatments in one coordinated plan to change how your whole smile looks. It can include whitening, aligners, bonding, porcelain veneers, crowns or implants. Dr. Faraz Farahnik plans each makeover around your face, bite and timeline, and orders the steps so every result supports the next.
- Dentist
- Faraz Farahnik, DDS
- Training
- DDS, USC Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry
- License
- California-licensed dentist
- Patients
- Patients travel from across the country and around the world.
Smile Makeover
What is a smile makeover?
A smile makeover is not one procedure but a plan. It looks at everything that shapes your smile at once. That includes tooth color, shape and length, how the teeth line up, gaps or missing teeth, and how much gum shows. Then it chooses the combination of treatments that gets you there with the least compromise.
Why people consider one
Common reasons include teeth that have darkened or worn with age and a patchwork of old fillings and crowns. Others are gaps or crowding nobody corrected, a missing tooth, or a smile that no longer feels like the person. Some people come in with a single complaint and realize it is connected to several others.
Smile Makeover
What can a smile makeover include?
At our Encino practice, a smile makeover can include whitening, clear aligners, bonding, porcelain veneers, crowns, implants, gum treatment and replacing old dental work. It draws on the full range of cosmetic and restorative dentistry.
- Whitening to brighten natural teeth before Dr. Farahnik color-matches any restorations, since restorations don't change color with bleaching. Teeth whitening
- Clear aligners to move teeth into better positions. Straightening first can reduce how much tooth needs reshaping later. Invisalign and clear aligners
- Composite bonding for small chips, edges and gaps. Composite veneers
- Porcelain veneers to reshape and recolor the teeth on display in a long-lasting way. Porcelain veneers
- Crowns for teeth that are broken, weak or heavily filled.
- Implants to replace missing teeth. Dr. Farahnik places implants himself, with a periodontist and oral surgeons on our in-house team. Dental implants
- Gum treatment when inflamed or uneven gums would undermine the result.
- Replacing old dental work that is dark or worn and won't whiten with your natural teeth.
For background on two common parts of a makeover, see the ADA's MouthHealthy pages on teeth whitening and veneers.
Smile Makeover
How is a smile makeover planned?
Smile makeover planning in Encino moves from your goals to your health to the design, and only then to the choice of treatments. You'll see the plan, the order of steps and the fee in writing before anything begins.
Step one: what you want, and what you don't
You describe what bothers you and which features you love and want preserved. Photos of smiles you admire help, as do old photos of your own. It is just as useful to hear what you don't want, for example teeth that look too white or too uniform.
Step two: a full health and bite assessment
Dr. Farahnik checks for decay, gum disease, cracked teeth, worn surfaces and how your teeth meet. Decay and gum disease need treatment before veneers, because placing veneers over unhealthy teeth may worsen existing problems. Grinding or clenching can also make veneers a poor choice. Those problems are part of the plan from the start.
Step three: designing the result
Using photographs and models or scans, Dr. Farahnik plans the new tooth proportions against your face. He looks at your lip line, the midline, and how much tooth shows at rest and in a full smile. Where it helps, he can place a trial version over your teeth so you can see the design and ask for changes.
Step four: choosing and sequencing treatments
With the design agreed, Dr. Farahnik chooses the treatments and puts them in order. That order is often the difference between a plan that flows and one that has to backtrack.
Smile Makeover
Why does the order of treatment matter?
The order of a smile makeover matters because many steps depend on earlier ones. Restorations don't whiten, so shade matching comes after whitening. Implant crowns come after the implant has fused with the bone. In Dr. Farahnik's plans, veneers come after any tooth movement.
Getting the order right avoids redoing work.
- Health first. Dr. Farahnik treats decay and gum disease before cosmetic work, since veneers placed over unhealthy teeth may worsen existing problems.
- Position next. If teeth need to move, Dr. Farahnik does that before reshaping or covering them.
- Foundations and healing. Implants can take up to several months to fuse with the bone before their final crowns. So they often go in early in the plan.
- Color before matching. Whitening comes before choosing the shade of any bonding, veneers or crowns. Restorations don't change color, and bleaching can briefly weaken how well materials bond to enamel.
- Final restorations last. Dr. Farahnik designs veneers and crowns to fit the finished positions, colors and gum levels.
- Protection. At the end, Dr. Farahnik may make a night guard, which protects teeth and restorations from biting forces, or a retainer.
Smile Makeover
How long does a smile makeover take?
A smile makeover takes anywhere from a few appointments to many months, depending on what the plan includes. In-office whitening usually takes one visit, and bonding needs fewer visits than porcelain. Aligners and implant healing take longer.
Each phase and its expected length appear in your written plan.
Smile Makeover
Who is a good candidate for a smile makeover?
Dr. Farahnik usually suggests a smile makeover for adults with several cosmetic concerns and reasonably healthy gums, or a willingness to treat them first. Candidates also need patience for a phased plan. It suits people who want a coordinated result rather than a series of unrelated fixes.
It may not be the right approach if:
- Your concern is a single tooth or a single issue, such as color alone. Dr. Farahnik may suggest a focused treatment instead.
- You have active gum disease that hasn't been treated yet.
- You need a result by a date that the plan can't safely meet.
- Your main problems are pain, wear or a failing bite. Full mouth reconstruction may be the better frame. Full mouth reconstruction
Smile Makeover
What are the trade-offs of a smile makeover?
A smile makeover asks for time, several visits and often some irreversible steps, such as preparing teeth for veneers or crowns. Restorations need care and eventual replacement.
In return, Dr. Farahnik designs every part of the smile to work together.
Dr. Farahnik will explain the specific risks of each treatment in your plan, from whitening sensitivity to enamel removal. Then you can decide which parts are worth it to you.
Smile Makeover
What is life like during and after a smile makeover?
During a smile makeover, expect stretches where your smile is a work in progress. You may wear aligners as Dr. Farahnik directs, or a temporary veneer or crown while the lab makes your final one. After implant placement, soft or cold foods are usual while you heal. Dr. Farahnik will tell you at each phase what you can eat, how things should feel, and what is worth a call.
Once the final work is in place, most of the effort shifts to protecting it.
- Keep your mouth healthy. Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, clean between your teeth and keep up regular cleanings. Cavities can still form under or around a veneer, and implants need regular cleaning too.
- Wear what's prescribed. Dr. Farahnik may give you a retainer to hold teeth that were moved, or a night guard to protect teeth and restorations from grinding.
- Touch up selectively. Whitening doesn't work on veneers, crowns or fillings, so Dr. Farahnik plans any refresh of your natural teeth to keep them matched.
- Plan for repair or replacement. Veneers can chip, crack, wear or loosen over time, and bonding can stain or roughen. Keeping your planning records makes future replacements easier to match.
Cost & insurance
How much does a smile makeover cost?
There's no standard fee for a smile makeover in Encino, because no two plans contain the same treatments. Dr. Farahnik works with all budgets and price ranges.
Insurance
We accept all PPO insurance plans.
Dr. Farahnik works with all budgets and price ranges.
What affects the cost?
The fee reflects how many teeth the plan covers, which treatments it combines and the materials. Implant components, laboratory work and any gum or tooth problems to treat before the cosmetic phase also count. A phased plan spreads treatment over time. You'll receive a written treatment plan and fee after your exam.
Financing
Financing is subject to each lender's terms and approval.
Questions
Frequently asked questions about smile makeovers in Los Angeles
Is a smile makeover the same thing as getting veneers?
Not necessarily. Veneers are often part of a makeover, but a makeover is the overall plan. Yours might combine straightening, whitening and a few veneers, or replace a missing tooth with an implant, or involve no porcelain at all.
Can a smile makeover be done in stages?
Yes. Dr. Farahnik often phases plans, for example health care and straightening first, then whitening, then veneers or crowns. Phasing can make a large plan more manageable, and he chooses the order so earlier steps don't have to be redone.
Can I have a smile makeover before my wedding or another big event?
Often, if you plan early. Tell us your date at the first visit. Some steps take time; an implant, for example, can take up to several months to fuse with the bone. A realistic plan may finish the visible work before the event and leave the rest for afterward.
Do I have to replace all my old fillings and crowns?
Not always. Existing restorations that show when you smile won't change color with whitening, so Dr. Farahnik often redoes visible ones in the new shade. Those that don't show, and are still sound, can usually stay.
Can a smile makeover replace missing teeth?
Yes. Implants, a bridge or a removable appliance can fill gaps from lost teeth as part of the overall design. Dr. Farahnik places implants himself, with a periodontist and oral surgeons on our in-house team.
How will I know what my new smile will look like?
Planning starts with photographs and models or scans of your teeth. Where it suits your case, Dr. Farahnik can place a trial version of the new shape over your teeth. You can see and adjust it before anything changes.
Is a smile makeover the same as full mouth reconstruction?
They overlap but start from different places. At our practice, appearance mainly drives a smile makeover. Function and health mainly drive full mouth reconstruction, such as heavy wear, many damaged teeth or bite problems, though it usually improves appearance too.
The dentist
Who will plan your makeover?
Dr. Faraz Farahnik plans and leads every smile makeover at our Encino practice. He coordinates with the periodontist and oral surgeons on our in-house team when a plan includes gum or implant surgery. Meet Dr. Farahnik
- Education
- UCLA, with honors · DDS, USC, 2018
- Practicing
- Practicing dentist since 2018
- Languages
- English · Farsi
Your first step is a conversation.
Faraz Farahnik, DDS · USC Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry
Begin
How do I start planning a smile makeover?
A first conversation costs you nothing in commitment. Share what you'd like to change, and leave with a clear idea of what a plan could include and how long it might take.