The Latest In Dentistry: What Is Smile Design?

If there was a competition for the most overused word or phrase in dentistry, then "smile design" would definitely be near the top. It is frequently used to denote any sort of procedure that improves the aesthetics of the patient. While a simple crown, veneer or even orthodontic treatment may, in fact, improve the appearance of the smile, it is not smile designing per say.

What Is Smile Designing Treatment?

This is a relatively new philosophy that has become increasingly popular all over the world. The goal here is to provide a functional replacement with an emphasis on aesthetics, harmony, facial analysis, smile and the gingival architecture.

The difference in results may appear to be small to the untrained eye, however, it makes a big impact on the overall success of the treatment. Software is available from different companies allows for a digital mock-up to give the patient an idea of what to expect from the final outcome.

This is a wonderful tool for both practitioners and patients alike. The patient has a realistic expectation of the final outcome while the practitioner has the luxury to tweak a few things according to the patient’s preference before any actual work is done.

Smile designing requires an intimate knowledge of proportions and balance, however, it does not necessary require the dentist to learn a new skill. This is why most smile design courses focus on skill enhancement rather than skill creation.                                  

What Steps Are Involved In Smile Designing?

The first and the most important step of the entire process is taking photographs, having them analyzed and talking to the patient about their needs. This will help the doctor get an idea of what the patient wants and what kind of personality traits are on display as well as help communicate these findings more accurately to the lab.

Different sets of teeth are designed for people with different smile characteristics, facial contours, chewing patterns and even different physical builds. Once the initial analysis has been done and shown to the patient, the doctor will then walk them through the various choices made to improve their smile.

It may sometimes be necessary to treat more teeth than is initially apparent. For example, a patient may have come in with a complaint of a broken front tooth, however on analysis, it was revealed that treating all six of the front upper teeth would result in a much more aesthetic result and harmonious smile.

Once the treatment plan has been finalized, the doctor will then begin the process of making physical mock-ups for the patient. This is again, a very effective method of the patient having a close physical feel of what the final result will be.

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The doctor will take a few impressions and then communicate the characteristics of the desired mock-up required to the lab. This process usually takes a few days. The patient is advised to bring with them some family or friends who can give them an outside perspective of the changes that have been made.

Quite often, patients themselves might not find anything wrong with the prosthesis, however, it is a big change for everyone else. They constantly point it out and make the patient nervous about their choices. Including more people in the decision making will help ease those fears.

Patient Experience During Smile Designing

Clinical Work Involved In Smile Design

As a patient, you do not have to worry about getting anything "different" done for the purpose of smile designing. The least invasive approach will always be chosen first under every situation. The quality and strength of veneers have progressed to such an extent that they will suffice for a large proportion of the cases, however, some may require previous orthodontic movement. If orthodontic movement or strategic extractions are advised as a part of treatment, then it will be performed in the first phase of the treatment.

The preparation for veneers does not involve any anesthesia. Since the tooth preparation is kept to a minimum, there is no need for a root canal, like it may be required in the case of a crown. The entire preparation is completed in one appointment itself. As a patient, all that is required to be done is to lie back and relax! The only thing a patient will hear is the noise of the drill and some water splashing around in the mouth.

Impressions will then be taken to transfer the work accurately to the lab technicians.

Once the technician has fabricated the work and given it back to the doctor, the patient will be asked to come in and get the veneers fitted. These veneers are fitted on with temporary cement to confirm the final shade match, size and shade of the prosthesis.Once both the doctor and patient are satisfied with the final result, the veneers will be fitted with permanent cement.

Precautions

Once the treatment has been completed, the patient will be given a set of instructions that should be followed as closely as possible. Biting into anything that is too hard should be avoided since there is a small risk of the veneer getting dislodged.

The maintenance of oral hygiene becomes even more critical as artificial surfaces are more prone to the collection of plaque (especially at the junctions). It is likely that the doctor will advise a scaling appointment every six months to one year.

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Conclusion

Smile designing as it has been defined and come to mean refers to more of the planning rather than any specific treatment. This is a new and more cohesive way of approaching aesthetics rather than any one revolutionary procedure.

The dentists who are trained in smile design and have the software to make advanced structural analysis will be able to better provide an aesthetically pleasing, natural solution to their patients.

Such results can also be obtained through simple prosthesis without having done any analysis, however, that is the result of pure chance. The technology now exists to give highly aesthetic results each and every time.