I ask the question “Would you ever build your dream house without a plan?” Of course not! In fact today the architects will produce a 3D virtual simulation that will allow you to walk through each and every room filled with your favourite furniture and colours.
Why do we use Digital Smile Design for smile rehabilitations?
Well, the same can be said for Aesthetic Dentistry why would you want to change your smiles without a plan! Digital Smile Design (DSD) is that design protocol that will allow us to live that dream smile before it happens. The founder of DSD – Dr Christian Coachman wrote that ‘DSD seeks to present to the public a new face of dentistry, more human, emotional and artistic, further enhancing our noble profession in society, because after all there are not many things in life that are more important than a healthy, natural, confident and beautiful smile”
What does the perfect smile look like?
A quick Google search reveals that there are a lot of opinions out there about what constitutes a perfect smile. That’s mostly because a smile that’s perfect for one person may be completely out of place on another. In other words, a perfect smile is as unique as the person that it belongs to, so achieving the perfect smile requires personalized attention, an overall understanding of facial and dental aesthetics, and the ability to design or create it. Indeed, through cosmetic dentistry and a complete smile makeover, anyone can achieve a perfect smile.
Understanding the role symmetry and proportion plays in achieving the perfect smile is vital.
Size and Shape
The size and shape of the lips, gums, teeth, and face all come into play. The upper and lower lips should be symmetrical on either side of the midline of the face. The top teeth should be dominant, and a small portion of the bottom teeth should show.
Alignment
All of the visible teeth should, of course, be straight.
Colour
As far as the colour goes, a bright, white smile is great, but one has to careful not to go too white. After all, the perfect smile has to look completely natural! The DSD concepts will allow us to control all these factors in developing your perfect smile.
Digital Smile Design: The journey
The DSD protocol will allow dentists to work in a predictable way where they can address the most important aspects of your dentistry – Aesthetics, Function, and Biology. In biology what we mean is preserving your natural tooth structure, working in a minimally invasive way, in other words being conservative.
Capturing photos and videos and gathering data
So how does DSD work? Firstly we need to take digital photos and videos of your face, this is because DSD is an analysis of your facial and dental proportions, in addition to understanding their relationship between teeth, gums, lips, smile with the facial features in motion and with emotion. This will allow us to make decisions that will be specific for you as an individual, your smile will be bespoke, it will be designed to fit your personality. Traditional cosmetic dentistry is generic; a kind of one size fits all.
Once we have the photo and video documentation the exciting part can begin! In our practice we like to think the patients role as the co-designer, we use sophisticated dental software to design the new smile so the teeth are in the most harmonious place so personalising the smile with the personality of the patient. With the very latest technology this 2D design can be transferred to a 3D design (just like your architect would do with your dream house!) The design is then sent to the 3D printer where a model of the new teeth is produced.
Smile mock-up
The most important phase of the DSD concept comes next, we call this the Mock-up. Here the design is actually transferred into your mouth for us to visualise. This phase is important for both the patient and our team as it will give us the confidence that the changes we proposed will give you the most perfect Aesthetic and Functional result …before we start!!
With a perfect understanding of the science of the smile, you will fall in love with your new teeth, this is where the term Emotional Dentistry arose. With the Mock-up done, we are now ready for the treatment.
Treatment
Using DSD protocols we print 3D guides, to guide all the dental procedures necessary for your case: the precision will ensure all treatment is minimally invasive. In other words, we will always protect the longevity of your teeth.
The biggest change using DSD is the understanding of what your new smile will look like before we start!
What benefits can Digital Smile Design offer you?
The exciting thing about DSD is that it can be used from the simplest to the most complex cases. In our practice, it is the starting point for all treatment planning. It should be used in all aspects of our work, orthodontics, implants, and reconstructive/restorative dentistry, especially where the outcome will influence and enhance the power of your smile.
Digital Smile Design is the universal language for cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry, in all the years Dr Bowes has been practicing dentistry nothing has been more powerful in making sure we get the best results for our patients. With 3D technology we can work in such a precise way to create perfect, natural smiles that not long ago we only dreamed of.
DSD removes the margin of error creating a final result which follows the initial design. It’s a new and exciting era in dentistry, which further enhances the passion of our profession.
Remember, your smile is your best asset! Without DSD this is not possible – book your smile consult today!
