The effects can be startling.

One CEO at a major bank was perceived as unfriendly and intimidating because he never smiled.

He had poorly spaced teeth.

After a dental makeover "he came in with this big smile, saying he'd closed a big deal. Because he was smiling all the time, people saw him as being more friendly and approachable." Says Billie Jo Sabo, clinical director for Dr. Edward Philips, a dental surgeon who's give hundreds of people something to smile about.

Cosmetic dentistry, says Philips, "is absolutely incredible. When the patients come back (after treatment) they just seem to have pulled themselves together. They look better, fashionably, because they're wearing better colours, hair and make-up."

Philips, who trained at the Hospital for Sick Children's craniofacial department, says new techniques have changed the face of cosmetic dentistry: "Now, many simple defects or problems can be corrected without braces, extraction or surgery that couldn't be done 15 years ago."

Procedures vary in cost, complexity and recuperative time.

For example, a woman who complained about crooked teeth and anticipated major surgery, needed only excess gum tissue trimmed away. A one-hour appointment and about $600 later, she was all smiles.

To find out more, call Dr. Philips' office, 700 University Ave., Hydro Place, 593-5111.