What is Digital Smile Design?

Developing technologies offer different solutions for all kinds of needs today. The perception of beauty has varied from person to person for centuries, as well as periodically and will continue to do so. When it comes to objectivity, we are swimming in a sea full of surprises. Success follows predictability and standardization.

In dentistry, there is a similar situation in aesthetic studies. Is the white perception of the dentist the same as the white perception of the patient? What about naturalness, size, length, roundness? Do the same words make everyone visualize the same thing or think the same thing?

Fortunately, everyone’s imagination is not the same, the perception of beauty is not the same, and there is so much diversity and color in the world! In the past, this situation created difficulties in treatment, but today, technology has come to our rescue in this regard and Digital Smile Design programs have entered our lives.

So what is Digital Smile Design?

In fact, we can basically call these programs Dental Photoshop programs. We use these programs to experiment with certain tooth shapes and surface structures on the photographs taken from the patient and to decide what we want in the end before proceeding to the prosthesis stage. In this way, the physician sees what the patient wants when they say “small teeth” and transmits the photograph to the technician so that the technician understands the “small teeth” that the patient wants.

Sometimes we can try tooth models that the patient has never thought of on the program for seconds, which allows us to examine them from a different perspective. Who knows, maybe thanks to digital smile design programs, you will realize that the teeth you thought would suit your face are not suitable for you, while a model you never thought of complements your style perfectly!

This predictability, the communication established from the beginning, prevents us from encountering surprises as a result of the treatment, prevents our patients from getting tired and despairing with additional sessions, and prevents the physician and technician from getting tired in vain in line with the wrong goal. Because the extra sessions experienced in order to provide the desired aesthetics as a result of not making this clear plan together with the patient and the physician in advance can cause both despair and fatigue in patients and fatigue and boredom from the smile design process, which is the favorite job of aesthetic dentists.

Thanks to digital smile design programs, the patient can easily explain his/her expectations from the treatment to the physician and experience the comfort of being understood. Experiencing the excitement of the treatment at once satisfies both the patient by achieving the aesthetics he wants and the physician and technician by experiencing professional satisfaction.

What are the Stages of Digital Smile Design?

1. Aesthetic examination is to determine the needs of the mouth. Its suitability in terms of smile design is decided.
2. Technical photographs are taken. Both the intraoral photo with the lip retractor and the maximum smile photo are taken without distorting the photo angle.
3. Technical photographs are uploaded to the smile design program.
4. The smile line is marked on the program and introduced to artificial intelligence.
5. The positions and sizes of the teeth are determined.
6. Tooth shapes such as square, triangle, oval are given.
7. The structure and color of the tooth surface is selected.
8. Before and after photos are placed side by side.
9. The digital design made with the patient is evaluated, their wishes are listened to and a new planning is made over the draft.
10. The design that the patient and the physician like and approve jointly is sent to the technician.

What is the Process After Digital Smile Design?

After deciding on the shape, structure and color of the teeth, the requirements are evaluated while adapting this smile to the mouth. “Is the ideal method to achieve this smile porcelain laminate, emax crowns or a zirconia-supported prosthesis?” Answers are sought. If the patient is financially and morally ready and has trust in the team, the remaining physician and technician discuss the technical details, intraoral preparations, measurements and rehearsals. So can we say that it’s a sock and a ripped sock?