Smile Design

What is Smile Design?

It is the design of a new structure in dentistry, combining visual art, architecture, engineering and psychology. In fact, smile design; we have to think like an architect, design like an engineer (because our patients will eat with these teeth) and think about adaptation like a psychologist and a physiotherapist.

The reason why our patients ask us for smile design, that is, the reason why a person wants to create a new image in their smile, is to renew their image or to reflect the existing inner image to the outside.

Why Can't People Laugh?

Because not being able to laugh, not being able to smile and closing the mouth while smiling is sometimes an undesirable situation for the person and a situation that prevents the person from socializing and makes it difficult to express themselves. This is the psychological aspect of the event, but today this situation has become a necessity. In another sense, with the developing methods and even the introduction of Digital Dentistry into our lives, the proper contact of the teeth with each other is a situation that supports the health of the teeth. And it is the result of a holistic perspective. In order to support the health of the teeth, they need to have a straight structure.

Because it is a necessary condition for regular brushing of teeth and for preventing decay in the areas between teeth. In other words, this is engineering.

Many methods have been developed when it comes to smile design. The purpose of many smile design methods such as Hollywood Smile and Digital Smile is to ensure that the person can actually smile comfortably, have a healthy smile, bite comfortably and speak comfortably.

What is the Purpose of Smile Design?

The aim here is sometimes to restore the person to their former ideal appearance, that is, to rearrange worn, broken and damaged teeth. Sometimes, it is to create a new design from A to Z.

The most important element in making this design is to ensure that the patient feels the effect of what we have done before on their face, both visually and by touching and touching. When a new design is made, it is to present a three-dimensional model of how this project will look in your mouth, just like an architectural project.

This is a very important stage. It is a method of understanding the needs of our patient in smile design and expressing and showing in some way to what extent the reasons that brought our patient to the clinic will be met after this smile design.

What is our purpose when making a mockup?

While designing a beautiful smile, it is disappointing our patient. Neither the dentist nor the patients want to experience this situation.

When a smile design is to be made, standard molds and standard procedures have become obsolete methods. In other words, Hollywood Smile may not be suitable for every patient. Because this design has a psychological aspect. While some patients want a very natural design, some do not care about the unnatural appearance. The main purpose is to be able to make a personalized smile design. As a natural result of this, the methods used in smile design must be personalized. For this reason, many materials have developed.

In this regard, in the sector:

• porcelain laminates,
• composites,
• whitening methods,
• alignment methods,
• les chirurgies,
• gum adjustments,
• Whitening methods, that is, many methods have been developed to serve smile design and have entered our lives so that we can design smiles.

Listening to the Story in Smile Design

Listening to the story before taking the anamnesis, that is, determining the patient's needs, is an important part of determining the needs in smile design.

In other words, which part of the smile are our patients unhappy with? Sometimes they are only bothered by a corner of a tooth, sometimes by the excessive visibility of their teeth or thin lips throughout their entire face. Each item is unique to the individual and is a separate reason for smile design.

Is Lip Structure Important in Smile Design?

The thinness of the lips, in other words, the frame is of great importance in a person's happy smile. Sometimes the person complains about the shape of the teeth, sometimes about the harmony of the teeth with the face, and sometimes about the position of the teeth in a larger frame, in other words, in the integrity of the face. In order to evaluate all of these, the anamnesis is first taken.

• Previous restorations of the teeth are evaluated.
• The roots of the teeth are examined (with x-ray)
• Check for crookedness in the teeth (if any)

Gum health is examined. The situation is evaluated with both examination and x-ray.

What is Macro Dental Aesthetics? (Evaluation of Dental Aesthetics in Facial Integrity)

The facial appearance is examined:

• Face shape
• Compatibility of teeth with cheek and lip tissue
• The speech is analyzed
• The shape and profile of the head are evaluated.

X-ray evaluation is performed.

The patient's story is listened to and then a measurement is made with photographs. In addition to these measurements with photographs, in today's digital dentistry, three-dimensional measurements of the teeth are also taken with three-dimensional scanners.

Ideas for the new design are obtained through analyses made after three-dimensional measurements and analyses made after photography.

What is the Importance of Photographs in Smile Design?

Talking about the photo is also very important in terms of having an idea about this issue. If only a few touches are enough in terms of smile design and holistic aesthetics, a treatment plan can be created even in that session.

But sometimes when looking at the relationship between the jaws, it is felt that the position of the jaws needs to be corrected. In that case, a second or even a third session is required for the examination.

What is the Importance of Our Patient's Temperament in Smile Design?

The personality traits and temperament of our patient who applies to our clinic to change his/her smile are very important. For example, when we make a design, we perform a procedure on our organ, which works three-dimensionally and is the first organ we perceive the world with. While some people adapt to this process easily, for some people the treatment can be a complete nightmare.

What Should We Do to Prevent Smile Design from Becoming a Complete Nightmare?

Of course, a procedure performed to have a better smile may make the person unhappy. Therefore, the most miraculous method of transferring what the doctor has in mind to the patient and what the patient has in mind to the doctor is the temporary Mock-Up application that we will do on the teeth.

When the doctor's mind takes shape about what she will do regarding smile design, some ideas about the methods and techniques to be used regarding smile design also form.

What is Mockup Application?

It is the three-dimensional transfer of the targeted result after the analysis on photographs and images obtained with a three-dimensional scanner. In other words, Mock-Up is the three-dimensional display of the new smile design to our patient. Mock-Up is a really helpful method in decision-making in terms of the person perceiving the smile design in three dimensions and consulting with those around them. It is necessary to ensure that the person spends time taking a photo of their image with this smile and sharing it with their relatives.

The Importance of Mockup in the Decision Making Stage of Smile Design

At this point, it is necessary to allow the person's decision-making behaviors. Because in design, some people can make quick decisions, but some people can make later decisions. Therefore, when a tooth design is to be made, it is necessary to allow the person's decision-making process. Sometimes, the person can even walk around with this Mock-Up application.

Deciding on a Treatment Plan

During the decision-making process of the new design, that is, after getting an idea about what the new image will be like, methods are discussed.

What should be the methods of the new application we will make to the tooth? Will it be porcelain-laminate or composite-laminate? The methods of all these are discussed. How long is their usage period? All these are explained one by one.

The features to be considered during use and the problems that may arise if these are not taken into consideration should be explained to our patients one by one. In all these explanations and narrations, the analyses obtained before the treatment, the x-rays and the condition of the teeth are always evaluated. After the evaluation, the treatment planning is passed. The treatment planning is made in terms of how the treatment will be and the order of the procedures. Then, the appointment-related plans are made.

How Much Does Smile Design Cost?

Treatment planning is done individually and pricing is determined according to this individual planning. Sometimes bonding can be done in a single session, and sometimes it may be necessary to switch to aesthetic applications after an alignment treatment. All of these eliminate a fixed cost.

How Does Treatment Begin in Smile Design?

After the appropriate treatment method is determined for you, your treatment will be carried out step by step at your regular appointments. In the meantime, you need to take care of your mouth and brush your teeth regularly.

Is the Treatment Process Variable?

The treatment process may change according to the pre-calculated plan. Because in aesthetic applications, the body's reaction and wound healing are among the most important factors affecting the treatment process.

How Long Does Adaptation Take in Smile Design?

After postponing the final result of the smile, the adaptation of our patients varies between 24 hours and 2 weeks unless there are major changes.

Within 24 hours, the lips and tongue actually start to adapt to the new smile. In rare cases, this period can be up to two weeks. In smile designs where the face is changed, the soft tissue also needs to adapt to the change in the hard tissue, that is, it takes time for the soft tissue to somehow adapt to the new skeletal system. This can take approximately two months.

In applications such as Porcelain-Laminate and crowns, it takes about two weeks for the gums to settle between the teeth and for a natural appearance to occur.

Is Smile Design a Painful Procedure?

In all dentistry methods, local anesthesia applied to our patients provides a sufficient painless environment. Therefore, there is no pain in the dentist's chair in smile design and other dentistry branches.

What If I Can't Get Used to My New Smile?

If you do not get used to your new vision, minor adjustments can definitely be made to the procedures. Because the planning is done in advance, the smile design that will be made for you will never be a bad surprise.

IT MAY TAKE TIME FOR THE LIPS AND TONGUE TO ADAPT.

There is no chance of encountering an image you do not want. Therefore, at the beginning, especially in the Mock-Up stage, correctly explaining the requests will ensure easy adaptation of the new smile. Because you have seen a preliminary trial of your teeth. Sometimes, planning is done step by step for our hesitant patients. For this reason, planning is very important. During the planning, it is sometimes decided that only whitening will be sufficient for the person and the other stages are done later.

In order to be able to do this, we can give our patients breaks from time to time during the treatment phase. All of these are part of smile design. There is no such thing as the person not being able to adapt after the smile design is finished and completed.

Checks on Smile Design

How often should check-ups be done in a month?

Smile design, like other dentistry practices, should be checked every six months.

What are the rules to be followed after smile design?

After smile design, like all dentistry applications, oral care is very important for this application. It is important to brush your teeth regularly, to care for your interdental spaces using floss or mouthwash, and to visit your dentist for check-ups every six months.

In many smile design applications, in today's stressful world, it is determined whether people grind their teeth at night and a night plate is applied. In other words, plates are applied to protect porcelain laminates or composite laminates against grinding teeth at night.

IT IS NECESSARY TO WEAR A NIGHT PLATE AFTER PORCELAIN LAMINATE APPLICATIONS AND COMPOSITE LAMINATE APPLICATIONS.

This smile design can be used very easily for many years. This period is extended when the night plate is used regularly.

Tea, coffee and cola consumption should be taken into consideration after treatment.