All brides want to look perfect on their big day, none more so than Megan Markle who’ll have the world’s eyes on her as she weds Prince Harry in a few weeks.

But one thing she won’t need to worry about is how her smile will look in the pictures. Megan has a stunning Hollywood smile, with gleaming white, straight teeth, that enhances her good looks while making her look warm, friendly and approachable for her new Royal duties.

Pictures of Megan as a teen would suggest that while she’s always been beautiful her teeth weren’t always quite as perfect as they are now proving that everyone can benefit from a dentist’s helping hands.

If, like Megan, you’re getting married one of mydentist’s cosmetic dentists Dr Affan Saghir has some advice on treatments for brides, grooms, mums and dads to make sure everyone is beaming on the big day.

How do I get Megan’s smile?

I genuinely feel Miss Markle has a beautiful smile. The one thing I like the most is the proportions and symmetery of her smile. When I am assessing a smile, I routinely look at the straightness, whiteness and shapes of individual teeth and how they come together to compliment the face. In dentistry we look to see if the shapes of the individual teeth fit the golden proportion parameters to a smile. There should be a gentle curve where the front two upper teeth are most dominant. This is seen in Miss Markle’s smile.

It’s hard to say what treatment she might have had but early images show some small gaps that might have been closed up with some orthodontic work. Her teeth are obviously very white which she might achieve through whitening and regular appointments with a hygienist.

What treatments are available?

Depending on how much time you have until your big day there are many dental treatments available. It’s worth making a visit to the dentist a priority soon after setting the date so you can plan ahead.

If you have a year or more…

The good news is that almost all the options are open to you. If you have misaligned teeth you want to straighten now is the time to see a specialist orthodontist who can advise of long-term options to bring your teeth into line. It is very common now that we see adults wanting braces to correct their teeth.

Similarly, if you have any gaps due to missing teeth now is the time to consult a dental implant surgeon to see if implants might be right for you. Having an implant involves single or multiple titanium screws in your jawbone to mimic natural tooth roots with dental crowns on top. They look and function very much like your own teeth and are the best option for replacing missing teeth.

If you have six months…

At six months there are still options for correcting teeth that aren’t quite straight. Using systems like Invisalign, we can gently straighten out teeth and correct any minor gaps.

I am privileged to be an Expert Invisalign Speaker for Invisalign and have seen the amazing results we can achieve in as little time as three months. There is a new concept in dentistry where we align teeth first using Invisalign, we then whiten teeth and following this we use a technique called composite bonding to improve the shapes of teeth as required. This process often doesn’t require any drilling or injections and takes just a couple of hours.

Where major reshaping is required or significant damage has occurred we also offer veneers. In this technique, slim layers of porcelain or reinforced resin are bonded to the teeth to perfect them.

If you have one month…

Don’t panic if you’ve left it late, there’s still plenty you can do. Whitening is usually what everyone in the bridal party wants for a nice, bright smile for the pictures. We offer take home whitening kits at mydentist. You’ll just need an appointment with the dentist to take impressions of your teeth to create bespoke whitening trays. Then you just wear them at home for a few hours a day with the whitening gel. Results are visible within just a few wears.

Finally, if there’s only a few weeks until the big day you could also book to have any dark fillings that are visible when you smile replaced with white versions plus don’t forget a hygiene appointment to remove stains and make sure your breath is perfectly fresh for the first kiss!

How do I choose a dentist?

First, think about what you want to achieve. Whitening is a private treatment at many dental practices but if you want to correct the shape of your teeth it’s definitely worth finding out a bit about your dentist. Research the practice online, read about their clinicians, look at their social media and go for a consultation so they can suggest the right treatment plan for you. mydentist practices often hold free assessment events where you can get advice on your smile – find out about them here.

Dr Affan works at mydentist Bradford Road, Shipley. He is the Chairman for the BDA West Yorkshire, FGDP Board Member in Yorkshire, Dentinal Tubules Director and Expert Invisalign Speaker. He is genuinely passionate about providing ethical smile makeovers using simple teeth straightening, whitening and composite bonding. You can follow his work on Instagram @dr.affan.saghir