Your wedding day is about celebrating your love surrounded by friends and family, but let’s be real, as one of the most photographed days of your life, it’s also about the pictures. Naturally, you want your smile to look its best.
Well, Fresh Orthodontics is here to help. From the fastest way to straighten your teeth to when to start whitening treatment, we’re sharing the details. Whether you’re the bride, groom, or a member of the wedding party, here’s your ultimate wedding prep timeline to help you get your smile ready for the big day.
2 Years Before the Wedding
Book an Orthodontic Consultation for Comprehensive Braces Treatment
If you have moderate to severe crowding, spacing, or a bite issue, such as an overbite, underbite, open bite, or crossbite, and you’re interested in traditional braces, schedule a consultation with an orthodontist. At Fresh Orthodontics, we offer both metal braces and clear braces for adults with a range of smile concerns.
While braces treatment time varies depending on your unique case, starting the process at least two years ahead of time is generally enough to receive braces treatment, have your braces removed, and then do any final touchups like teeth whitening before you say, “I do.”
Can I remove my braces for my wedding?
If you’re already in braces and want them off for the big day, talk to your orthodontist. There could be additional fees because the braces will have to be re-bonded to your teeth after your nuptials.
18 Months Before the Wedding
See an Orthodontist About Comprehensive Spark™ Aligner Treatment
Spark Clear Aligners are discreet, comfortable, and highly effective for correcting gaps, crowding, and bite problems. If you have a more complex case or you’re looking for a full smile makeover, book an orthodontic consultation 18 months or so before your wedding.
At our Brooklyn orthodontic practice, Dr. Ankush Khanna can use Spark Aligners to give you a custom smile that brings out the best in your facial features.
Like braces, clear aligner treatment time varies, but the difference is, since the aligners aren’t bonded to your teeth, if your treatment runs longer than 18 months, no problem. At that point, not only will you see significant improvements in your smile, but you can also simply take your aligners out for your wedding day.
1 Year Before the Wedding
Explore Limited Spark Aligner Treatment to Touch Up Your Smile and Refine Your Bite
Only have slightly crooked teeth? Need a touchup after forgetting to wear your retainer? Trying to find the fastest way to straighten teeth before your wedding? Limited Spark Aligner treatment is an excellent choice!
Unlike comprehensive treatment, limited treatment is for minor misalignment and involves fabricating a limited number of clear aligners to achieve very specific cosmetic goals (i.e., closing a small gap, addressing shifting teeth).
While treatment generally lasts about six months, scheduling a consultation a year in advance ensures that if you need more than limited treatment, there’s still time to achieve results you’ll be happy with. At the consultation, let the orthodontist know your goals and deadline so they can map out your treatment plan accordingly.
6 Months Before the Wedding
Address Cosmetic Concerns
If your wedding is just six months away, you may not have time for major orthodontic changes, but you can still make cosmetic improvements to enhance your smile, such as:
- Cosmetic dental bonding: Bonding is an affordable, fast, non-invasive way to fix stains, chips, cracks, and worn enamel.
- Porcelain veneers: These wafer-thin restorations are bonded to the front of the teeth. While veneers are expensive and involve removing natural enamel, they can cover multiple cosmetic flaws at once, including chips, cracks, discoloration, worn teeth, and small gaps.
3 Months Before the Wedding
Have a Professional Dental Cleaning
A professional dental cleaning removes plaque and tartar buildup that you can’t get rid of with a toothbrush and floss. This reduces your risk of tooth decay and gum disease while also leaving your teeth looking naturally whiter.
1 Month Before the Wedding
Whiten Your Teeth
Wondering when to whiten teeth before your wedding? While it can be tempting to whiten your teeth as close to your wedding day as possible, we don’t recommend it because it causes temporary sensitivity. Plus, if you end up not loving the results, there won’t be time to make adjustments. Instead, consider whitening your teeth a month before your wedding.
Depending on the method you choose, results can be seen in as little as one session or over a few weeks. Options include:
- In-office whitening: Offers the most dramatic teeth whitening and provides instant results in one session.
- At-home whitening trays: A more gradual approach that allows for touch-ups as needed. Custom trays and a professional-grade solution from your dentist will deliver more whitening power than OTC options.
Avoid staining foods and drinks, like coffee, red wine, and dark sauces, to maintain your results. If you do drink coffee, add a splash of milk to temper the acidity and drink it through a straw until after the wedding.
2 Weeks Before the Wedding
Practice Your Wedding-Day Smile – or Not
Have you ever watched the “Practicing my soft smile for my wedding” TikTok videos? You know the ones where users rehearse their soft wedding smile and then juxtapose it with photos from their actual wedding day that showcase their wildly happy grins?
We’ll take the reality over expectation any day. Your authentic smile is enough! But if you’re feeling anxious about it and want to get your angles down, grab a mirror and practice in advance.
Hydrate and Moisturize Your Lips
Use a gentle lip scrub and hydrating balm for a smooth, picture-perfect pout. If you’re planning on wearing lipstick or a lip stain, starting your lip regime at least two weeks before the big day will help your lip color last longer and wear more evenly.
Wedding Week
Finish Up Your Smile Prep
As your big day approaches, keep up with your routine and make sure your wedding-day emergency kit is ready! Here are a few pointers:
- Pack a touch-up kit: Include a travel toothbrush and toothpaste, a whitening touch-up pen, floss, and sugar-free mints or gum.
- Skip last-minute whitening treatments: Whitening too close to your wedding can cause temporary sensitivity.
- Stay hydrated: Drinking water helps keep your breath fresh and your teeth stain-free.
Wedding Day
Congratulations! Brush, floss, and enjoy a day filled with smiles and happiness!
Get Your Smile Wedding-Ready with Fresh Orthodontics
No matter your timeline, there’s a wedding smile prep plan for you. At Fresh Orthodontics in Brooklyn, we offer customized treatment plans to help you achieve results that strike the perfect balance of health, function, and aesthetics.
Schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Khanna today to explore your options and get started on your wedding smile makeover.
