Crooked, Crowded Teeth Corrected in a Single Visit - No Braces Required
What a Pleasing Smile Should Show
- A balanced, symmetrical smile line
- Even gum display during a full smile
- Good lip support with no dark corridors at the sides of the smile
- Correct alignment between skeletal and dental midlines
What We Saw Instead
- Upper arch crowding, with a cross bite between teeth 12 and 42
- A narrow upper arch with large, dark corridors at the sides of the smile
- Asymmetrical gum display and a slight cant in the upper lip during a full smile
- A reverse smile line, where the lower lip covered the upper front teeth
Chief Complaint
Crooked, crowded upper teeth and an uneven smile line, with a strong preference for a fast, non-surgical solution due to the patient’s television and modelling career.
Initial Presentation
This patient wanted to improve the appearance of her upper teeth, which showed noticeable crowding. A full examination – including x-rays, photographs, study models and a composite mock-up – confirmed several contributing factors:
- An anterior cross bite between teeth 12 and 42
- A moderate smile line with naturally thick lips
- A narrow upper arch with large dark corridors
- Asymmetrical gum exposure during a full smile, with a slight cant in the upper lip
- A reverse smile line, with the lower lip hiding the upper front teeth during a full smile
- Optimal periodontal health, with all teeth vital and normal jaw function
Due to her career commitments, the patient was clear from the outset: she wanted a quick, effective solution and declined all forms of orthodontic treatment, including Invisalign, lingual and labial braces.
Diagnostic Mock-Up
Before any treatment began, a composite mock-up was completed to preview the proposed result. This confirmed exactly how much gum and tooth exposure would be needed to improve the smile’s aesthetics and lip support – and the patient was pleased with the simulated outcome, which closely matched the eventual result.
While orthodontic levelling and alignment remained the ideal long-term treatment, this wasn’t a viable option given the patient’s career at the time. This decision wasn’t taken lightly, and every alternative was discussed openly with the patient.
Treatment Options Considered
We discussed all available options, including no treatment at all:
- Orthodontics with restorative correction – the ideal treatment for long-term alignment, but not compatible with the patient’s immediate career needs
- Composite veneers – a minimally invasive, immediate solution with future flexibility
- Traditional porcelain veneers combined with lower orthodontic treatment – a longer-term restorative option, but more invasive upfront
Following considerable discussion, the patient chose to proceed with composite veneers on the upper ten teeth, with the option to pursue orthodontic treatment in the future if she chose to.
Treatment: One Visit Smile Lift™
Immediate composite veneers were placed on the upper ten teeth (15-25), with minor adjustments made to teeth 11, 12 and 21, along with gum recontouring around 12 and 21 to help balance the smile. This approach, guided closely by the composite mock-up, delivered:
- Immediate cosmetic improvement
- No intervention to existing natural tooth structure
- Minimal post-op discomfort
- Easy future modifications
- The option to pursue orthodontic treatment later, if desired
As with any cosmetic dental procedure, a short habituation period followed treatment, allowing the colour and overall smile to settle and harmonise naturally. A night guard was also provided, given the role that teeth grinding can play in the long-term durability of any restoration.
This conservative approach preserves the underlying tooth structure entirely, meaning future upgrades such as porcelain veneers remain straightforward, since the natural teeth beneath the composite veneers stay sound and untouched.
Final Presentation
Viewed from an oblique angle, often the most revealing perspective, since it’s how we’re seen when off guard, the results speak for themselves. The same smile was fully restored using the One Visit Smile Lift™ procedure, with composite veneers placed on the upper ten teeth.
Before and after: the smile now shows balanced symmetry, improved lip support, and a naturally pleasing tooth display all achieved without touching the patient’s underlying tooth structure.
Final Outcome: One smile says it all!
A Second Example: Crowding With Combined Whitening
A second patient presented with similar upper front tooth crowding. As with the first case, orthodontic treatment followed by whitening or veneers would typically be the ideal long-term solution, but due to this patient’s professional career, non-invasive composite veneers were placed on the upper ten teeth, combined with tooth whitening on the lower arch to balance the overall smile.
This approach delivered an immediate, natural-looking result while keeping the door open for future orthodontic treatment such as lingual braces further down the line, without compromising the patient’s current aesthetics.
Before and after: the frontal view shows a balanced, brighter smile across both arches, achieved through minimally invasive composite veneers and whitening rather than surgery or braces.
Final Treatment Outcome
Both cases reflect the same underlying principle: the One Visit Smile Lift™ achieves meaningful, natural-looking results with almost zero intervention to the natural tooth structure. In every case, the smile must complement the lips and the face as a whole. This is what Dr Nalbandian describes as dentofacial rejuvenation. Most importantly, in both cases, the result was a happy, confident patient.
Registered Specialist
Prosthodontist & Implant Surgeon
B.D.S. (Hons), Dip. Clin. Dent. (Oral Implants) Uni Syd, M. Clin. Dent (Prosth) King’s College, Uni London D. Clin. Dent (Prosth) Uni Syd, FRACDS, MRACD (Prosth)
What Our Patients Say
Here are just a few reflections from patients featured in our case studies. Every story is different, but each one speaks to the power of feeling proud of your smile again.
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