Smile Design

Smile design is a new approach to dentistry that combines the arts of visual art, architecture, engineering, and psychology to create a new smile. It is a process of designing a smile that is both beautiful and functional, and that reflects the patient’s unique personality.

There are many reasons why people may want to have a smile design. Some people may want to improve their smile’s appearance, while others may want to correct a functional problem, such as a bite that is not aligned properly. Smile design can also be used to improve a person’s self-confidence and overall well-being.

Why Can’t People Smile?

Because sometimes it is an unwanted situation for a person to be unable to smile, to smile with a closed mouth, and it can prevent a person from socializing and make it difficult for them to express themselves. This is the psychological dimension of the event, but today this situation has become a necessity. In another sense, with the development of methods and even with the advent of Digital Dentistry into our lives, the fact that the teeth touch each other smoothly also supports the health of the teeth. And it is the result of a holistic perspective. For the support of teeth health, they must have a straight structure.

Because it is also the condition required for regular brushing of teeth and the absence of decay in the interdental areas. So this is an engineering.

When it comes to smile design, many methods have been developed. In the method used in many smile designs such as Hollywood Smile and Digital Smile, the aim is to enable the person to smile comfortably, to smile healthily, to bite comfortably and to speak.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF SMILE DESIGN?

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

The most important element when making this design is to make our patient feel the effect of what we have done before, both visually and by touching and touching. When a new design is made, just like an architectural project, it is to somehow present a three-dimensional model of this project in your mouth.

This is a very important stage. It is a method of understanding the needs of our patient in smile design and somehow expressing and showing whether the reasons that bring our patient to the clinic will be met after this smile design.

WHAT IS OUR GOAL WHEN MAKING A MOCK UP?

When designing a beautiful smile, it is not to disappoint 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 methods that are no longer used. So Hollywood Smile may not be suitable for every patient. Because this design has a psychological aspect. Some patients want a very natural design, while others do not care about the unnatural appearance. The main purpose is to make a personalized smile design. As a natural consequence of this, the methods used in smile design must be personalized. For this reason, many materials have been developed.  In this sector:

• porcelain laminates,
• composites,
• whitening methods,
• alignment methods,
• surgeries
• gum arrangements,
• whitening methods, that is, many methods have been developed to serve smile design and have entered our lives so that we can design a smile.

LISTENING TO THE STORY IN SMILE DESIGN

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

In other words, where in the smile our patients are not satisfied. Sometimes they are uncomfortable with just one corner of a tooth, sometimes they are uncomfortable with the excessive appearance of their teeth in the whole face integrity or the thinness of the lip. Each item is personalized and is a separate reason for smile design.

IS LIP STRUCTURE IMPORTANT IN SMILE DESIGN?

The thinness of the lip, that is, the frame is of great importance in a person’s happy smile. Sometimes the person complains about the shape of the tooth, sometimes about the harmony of the tooth with the face and sometimes about the position of the tooth in a larger frame, that is, in the integrity of the face. First, anamnesis is taken to evaluate all these.

• Previous restorations of the teeth are evaluated.
• The roots of the teeth are examined (by X-ray)
• The teeth are checked for crowding (if any)
• Gum health is examined. The situation is evaluated both by examination and x-ray.

WHAT IS MACRO DENTAL AESTHETICS? (EVALUATION OF DENTAL AESTHETICS IN FACIAL INTEGRITY)

Facial appearance is examined:

• Shape of the face
• Harmony of teeth with cheek and lip tissue
• Speech is analyzed
• The shape and profile of the head is evaluated.
• X-ray evaluation is performed.

The patient’s story is listened to and after the story, a measurement is made with photographs. In addition to this measurement with photographs, in today’s digital dentistry, three-dimensional measurements of the teeth are now taken with three-dimensional scanners.

After the three-dimensional measurements, an idea is obtained for the new design with the analyzes made after the photo shooting.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN SMILE DESIGN?

Talking on the photograph is also very important in terms of having an idea about it.  If only a few touches are sufficient in terms of smile design and holistic aesthetics, treatment planning can be made even in that session.

But sometimes, when looking at the relationship of the jaws, it is also necessary to correct the position of the jaws with each other. In that case, a second and sometimes a third session is necessary 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 their smile are very important. Namely, when we make a design, we are performing a process on our organ that works in three dimensions and where we first perceive the world. While some people adapt to this process easily, for some people the treatment can be a nightmare.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO SO THAT SMILE DESIGN IS NOT A NIGHTMARE?

Of course, a procedure performed to smile more beautifully has the possibility of making the person unhappy. For this reason, the most miraculous method of transferring the physician’s mind to the patient and the patient’s mind to the physician is the temporary Mock-Up application on the teeth.

When what the physician will do about smile design is shaped in his/her mind, some ideas are formed about the methods and methods to be used in smile design.

WHAT IS MOCK UP APPLICATION?

It is the three-dimensional transfer of the targeted result after the analysis on the photographs and images obtained with a three-dimensional scanner. In other words, Mock-Up is the three-dimensional demonstration of the new smile design to our patient. In terms of perceiving the smile design in three dimensions by the person and consulting with others, Mock- Up is a really helpful method in decision-making. It is necessary to ensure that the person has a time when he can take a photo of his image with this smile and share it with his relatives.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MOCK-UP IN THE DECISION PHASE OF SMILE DESIGN

At this point, it is necessary to allow the behavior of the person regarding decision-making. Because some people can decide quickly in design, but some people can decide later. For this reason, it is necessary to allow the decision-making process of the person when dental design is to be done. Sometimes the person can even walk around with this Mock-Up application.

DRAWING UP AND DECIDING ON A TREATMENT PLAN

In the decision-making process of the new design, that is, after the idea of how the new image will look is obtained, the methods are discussed.

What should be the methods of the new application to the tooth? Will it be porcelain-laminated or composite-laminated? All these methods are discussed. What is the duration of use? 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 analyzes obtained before the treatment, x-rays and the condition of the teeth are always evaluated. After the evaluation, treatment planning is started.  Treatment planning; It is made in the form of how the treatment will be and how the procedures will be sequenced. Afterwards, plans are made regarding the appointment.

WHAT IS THE COST OF SMILE DESIGN?

Treatment planning is done one by one and pricing is made according to this individual planning. Sometimes there is bonding application in a single session, sometimes it may be necessary to switch to aesthetic applications after an alignment treatment. All this eliminates a fixed cost.

HOW IS THE BEGINNING OF TREATMENT IN SMILE DESIGN?

After the treatment method suitable for you is determined, your treatment will take place in stages at your regularly scheduled 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 vary according to the pre-calculated planning. Because in aesthetic applications, the body’s reaction and wound healing is one of the most important reasons affecting the treatment process.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO ADAPT TO 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 begin to adapt to the new smile. In rare cases, this takes 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 come and settle between the teeth and form a natural appearance.

IS SMILE DESIGN A PAINFUL PROCEDURE?

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

WHAT IF I CAN’T GET USED TO MY NEW SMILE?

If you do not get used to your new look, revisions can be made in the procedures performed with minor adjustments. Because the smile design to be made for you is never a bad surprise for you because the planning is removed from the front.

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

There is no chance to encounter an image you do not want. For this reason, explaining your wishes correctly at the beginning, especially at the Mock-Up stage, ensures easy adaptation of the new smile. Because you have seen a pre-rehearsal of your teeth. For our patients who are sometimes hesitant, planning is already done in stages. For this reason, planning is very important. During the planning process, sometimes it is 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, our patients may be given breaks from time to time during the treatment stages. All these are part of the smile design. After the smile design is finished and completed, there is no situation such as the person not adapting.

CONTROLS OF SMILE DESIGN

How often should the check-ups be done?

Smile design should be checked every six months as in other dentistry applications.

WHAT ARE THE RULES TO BE CONSIDERED AFTER SMILE DESIGN?

After smile design, oral care is very important for this application, just like all dentistry applications. It is important to brush the teeth regularly, to take care of the interfaces with thread or mouthwash, and also to visit the dentist every six months.

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

IT IS ABSOLUTELY 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 prolonged when the night plaque is used regularly.

Tea, coffee and cola consumption is one of the things to be considered after treatment. Excessive use of tea and coffee damages the teeth and gums.