Professional organizer Marie Kondo has inspired a revolution with her life’s work of “tidying up.” Understanding the foundation of her KonMari method will help you figure out what’s right for your teeth and allow for intuitive decision-making when it comes to your smile makeover.
KonMari Your Teeth
Kondo’s belief is that you shouldn’t look for the things you want to throw out but instead look for the things you want to keep. The rest is extraneous and can be discarded, given away, eliminated.
Let’s look at how this tidying up method can be tweaked to apply to your teeth:
- If you can’t find anything in your smile that sparks joy, then it may just be time to “throw out” the entire thing.
- Tidying up your smile doesn’t mean you can’t acquire a new smile – the goal is to carefully choose what brings you joy, has value for you personally, and has a place to fill.
- Cosmetic dentistry is an investment in what is good, long-lasting, has value, and brings you happiness.
- A smile makeover fills many spaces but not to the point that further tidying up will be necessary.
- Upgrading your smile gives you joy about your appearance, confidence, and self-worth.
Your smile is one category of your appearance. For a makeover to be truly effective, you must approach it in segments. By addressing the elements you want to change about yourself one at a time, you can ultimately reach a space of pure joy. Your smile is a great place to start.
Take Action to Tidy Up Your Smile
There are many ways to tidy up your smile. Here are just some of the things that may not be bringing you joy and the ways you can remedy the problem:
- Silver fillings: Amalgam fillings are a thing of the past. If you have unsightly silver fillings, they’re not only marring the look of your smile, they’re unhealthy as they’re partially composed of toxic mercury. Have the fillings carefully removed and replaced with safe, composite, tooth-colored fillings.
- Stained teeth: Discolored tooth enamel could be caused by genetics or years of use and exposure to staining agents (like coffee or cigarettes). Professional teeth whitening can eliminate surface stains with powerful bleaching agents. Deep-set stains can be covered by porcelain veneers.
- Old dental work: Quality dental work should last for decades. If you’ve gone a few decades and have reached the point where certain teeth are giving you problems, crowns are coming out, fillings are cracking, it’s time to have these issues addressed for a joyful, new smile.
- Chips: In the case of chipped teeth, it’s time to replace what’s missing – tooth enamel. Cosmetic tooth bonding can work in some situations, while porcelain veneers or a porcelain crown may be the best way to tidy up an element of your smile that mars your ability to find joy.
Allow your teeth to spark joy in your life. Enlist the help of Dr. Michael J. Wei at his Midtown Manhattan dental office on Madison Avenue. Schedule your appointment to discuss what’s right for your smile makeover and your efforts to spruce up your appearance and find true happiness.
