How to Have a Winning Pageant Smile

The Importance of a Winning Pageant Smile

An attractive smile is another important quality in creating a winning image. “I think a smile is absolutely one of the strongest statements a contestant makes,” says Dr. Jeffrey Garner, an expert in cosmetic dentistry. He cites a Psychology Today survey that found that the feature people most wanted to improve was their smile.

Will a bad smile harm a girl’s chances? “Absolutely,” he says. “I know it’s a good way to kill your chances of winning pageants. Their smile needs to be the best it can be, especially with close-up head shots, one-on-one interview situations, or if they make it to national pageants where cameras are right up on their face.”

How to Create a Winning Pageant Smile

Dental Whitening | Tooth Bleaching

Yellowed teeth can be whitened with dental bleaching techniques. “Everyone wants a nice, white smile,” he says. “Basically there are two ways you can lighten teeth.” One bleaching process is done in-office during repeated visits. “It’s a good system to use if they need their teeth whitened very quickly.” Another tooth-whitening system can be used at home with a custom mouthpiece that holds a bleaching agent. “They put it in and wear it every night while they sleep for about two weeks. That works very well and is one of the simplest ways to get a dazzling white smile.” Other contestants simply rely upon the whitening strips available in drug stores.

Correcting Yellow, Poorly Shaped, Crooked, Chipped, or Spaced Teeth

The most common dental problems are yellowed, poorly shaped, crooked, chipped or spaced teeth. “The simplest procedure we do is contouring of their natural teeth,” explains Garner. “We can shape the enamel and contour the teeth so they have a nice, soft, feminine smile.”

Today’s pageant contestants don’t have to rely upon braces to correct dental problems. “Most contestants who could benefit from orthodontics don’t have the time,” says Garner. “They can’t wait years. They have to have it done now.” Crooked teeth and spaces can be diminished with cosmetic dental procedures. “Usually gaps are corrected with a bonding procedure or with porcelain laminate veneers. If you had a person with a tiny space between her teeth, if it could be sculpted easily, then bonding might be the choice.” A big plus, he says, is that “bonding can be done in one office visit.”

A contestant with more complicated dental problems requires a different treatment. “If you had a patient who had multiple spaces, crooked teeth, a protruding tooth, or multiple problems, then porcelain laminate veneers might be the best option. Porcelain veneers require a laboratory procedure so it is a two-visit procedure.”

Many technologies are available for correcting problem smiles. Although prices differ according to the area of the country, cosmetic dental procedures are a considerable investment, ranging from $450 to $1,500 to correct a single tooth.

A Great Smile is More Important Than Ever in Pageants

Since the late 1980s, when high-tech cosmetic dental procedures became widely available, an attractive smile has become increasingly important in competition. Although I know of half-a-dozen women who won national and world titles despite less-than-perfect teeth, it is becoming rare to see top contestants with flawed smiles in today’s competitions. Make a pretty smile a priority.

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