More Than Cosmetic — It's Reconstructive
A full mouth makeover, also called full mouth reconstruction or rehabilitation, is exactly what it sounds like: a comprehensive treatment plan that addresses every tooth in your mouth to restore function, health, and appearance. It's not one procedure — it's a carefully sequenced combination of restorative and cosmetic treatments designed by a dentist who understands how your teeth, gums, jaw joints, and facial muscles all work together.
At Stanton Smiles in Fort Lauderdale, Dr. Robert Stanton approaches full mouth makeovers the way an architect approaches a building: you don't start with the paint color. You start with the foundation.
Who Needs a Full Mouth Makeover?
Full mouth reconstruction isn't for everyone — and an ethical dentist will tell you when it's not necessary. The patients who genuinely benefit tend to fall into several categories:
- Severely worn dentition. Years of grinding or acid erosion (from GERD, diet, or eating disorders) have worn teeth down to stumps. The bite collapses, the face shortens, and function deteriorates.
- Multiple missing teeth with bite collapse. When several teeth are missing and the bite has shifted, replacing individual teeth isn't enough — the entire occlusal scheme needs rebuilding.
- Chronic TMJ pain with occlusal involvement. When jaw joint problems are driven by how the teeth fit together, changing that relationship can relieve symptoms.
- Generalized severe decay or periodontal damage requiring crowns, implants, or extractions throughout the mouth.
- Cosmetic transformation. Some patients have generally healthy but unaesthetic teeth — stained, misshapen, worn, or crooked — and choose to comprehensively redesign their smile with veneers, crowns, and whitening.
What all these cases share: you can't fix them one tooth at a time. The mouth is an interdependent system. Change one tooth and you affect the bite. Change the bite and you affect the joints and muscles. A full mouth makeover addresses the whole system.
The Process: Not a Single Appointment
A proper full mouth makeover moves through distinct phases. Planning and any foundation work take as long as your case needs — rushing them leads to failure — but the restorations themselves are completed in just 2–3 single CEREC visits on consecutive days. Here's how Dr. Stanton approaches it:
Phase 1: Discovery and Planning (2–4 Weeks)
This is the most important phase, and it's where many makeovers fail when corners are cut. Dr. Stanton performs:
- A comprehensive exam including periodontal probing, oral cancer screening, and TMJ assessment
- Full-mouth digital X-rays and a cone-beam CT scan for 3D visualization of bone, roots, and joint spaces
- Digital photographs from multiple angles — clinical and portrait-style — so you can see what the dentist sees
- Digital impressions of both arches
- Bite registration to document how your teeth currently meet
From this data, Dr. Stanton develops a treatment plan. But before any irreversible work begins, you get to see the destination.
Phase 2: Digital Smile Design
Dr. Stanton creates a digital design of your teeth as they'll look after treatment. This isn't a rough sketch — it's a three-dimensional blueprint of your future smile, with every tooth shaped, positioned, and proportioned. You can preview the design before any treatment begins, and adjustments are made until you're thrilled with the result.
This step is critical. Once you've approved the design, it becomes the surgical and restorative guide. Every procedure that follows — tooth preparation, implant placement, and each CEREC restoration — references this blueprint.
Phase 3: Foundation Work (Varies)
Before the pretty stuff, the foundation must be solid. This may include:
- Periodontal treatment to eliminate gum disease
- Extractions of non-restorable teeth
- Bone grafting if implants are planned
- Root canal treatment on teeth with deep decay or infection
- Caries removal and core build-ups on teeth that will receive crowns
Skipping this phase — crowning teeth over active decay or inflamed gums — guarantees failure. Dr. Stanton doesn't skip it.
Phase 4: Your CEREC Restoration Visits (2–3 Consecutive Days)
Your new veneers, crowns, bridges, and implant crowns are placed over 2–3 single CEREC visits on consecutive days. At each visit, Dr. Stanton prepares a group of teeth, scans them, and designs, mills, and bonds the final restorations in our office the same day — there are no temporaries to wear in between. From one day to the next, he checks how you chew, how you speak, and whether your jaw is comfortable, and fine-tunes the design for the next visit.
Phase 5: Final Bite Check
On the final visit, Dr. Stanton checks every margin, every contact, every shade, and most importantly, the occlusion across your whole mouth, and makes any last refinements. You leave with a functionally sound, beautiful smile.
What Procedures Are Typically Involved?
Every makeover is different, but common components include:
- Porcelain veneers for anterior esthetics
- Full-coverage crowns for posterior teeth
- Dental implants to replace missing teeth
- Implant-supported bridges for full-arch rehabilitation
- Orthodontics (often Invisalign) to correct alignment before restorations
- Gum contouring to address a gummy smile or uneven gum line
- Professional whitening as a finishing touch
Bite Reclamation: Rebuilding a Worn-Down Bite
Some full mouth makeovers center on bite reclamation, which means restoring the height your teeth have lost to wear. As teeth get shorter, the jaws close closer together than they should. The bite can feel off, chewing gets harder, and the lower face may look shorter or older.
Common causes include:
- Grinding or clenching (bruxism)
- Acid erosion from reflux, frequent vomiting, or acidic drinks
- Missing back teeth, which leave the remaining teeth to carry extra load
- Chips, cracks, and old restorations that have worn down
Potential benefits:
- More comfortable, efficient chewing
- Protection for the tooth structure you still have
- A more balanced bite, which may ease strain on the jaw muscles and joints for some patients
- Restored tooth length and more natural facial proportions
How it's done: Treatment starts with a careful look at your bite, jaw joints, and wear pattern, and the new bite height is often tested first with a removable bite appliance to make sure it's comfortable. The teeth are then rebuilt over 2–3 single CEREC visits on consecutive days: at each visit, Dr. Stanton designs, mills, and bonds the final crowns, veneers, and bridges in our office, so there are no temporaries to wear in between. A night guard usually protects the finished work, and the underlying cause, such as grinding or reflux, needs attention too, so the wear doesn't return.
What Does It Cost?
Full mouth makeovers in Fort Lauderdale typically range from $15,000 to $60,000+. The spread is enormous because no two cases are alike. A case involving 20 veneers costs differently than one involving implants, bone grafts, and full-arch bridges. At your consultation, Dr. Stanton will provide a line-item treatment plan with exact costs — not a ballpark figure you have to squint at.
Insurance typically covers the restorative components (crowns, implants, periodontal treatment) but not the purely cosmetic ones (veneers, whitening). Stanton Smiles offers financing through CareCredit and Compassionate Finance to make treatment accessible through structured monthly payments.
Is It Worth It?
Patients who complete full mouth makeovers consistently describe it as one of the best investments they've ever made — not just in their appearance, but in their health, comfort, and confidence. They eat better. They smile freely. They stop hiding their teeth in photos. They report less jaw pain, fewer headaches, and better sleep. These are functional outcomes, not vanity.
If you've been living with compromised teeth — whether from wear, decay, trauma, or genetics — and you're ready to explore what's possible, schedule a consultation with Dr. Robert Stanton at Stanton Smiles in Fort Lauderdale. We'll show you what your smile can become and give you a clear roadmap to get there. Serving patients throughout Broward County.
Need a full mouth makeover in Fort Lauderdale? Call Stanton Smiles at (954) 568-9788 or schedule your smile transformation consultation today.