Digital smile designing

What do you mean by Smile Designing?

The process of providing a smile makeover to a patient's smile by using Cosmetic Dentistry procedures is called smile designing. The common procedures that dentists and dental surgeons perform for this process are :

• Dental Veneers
• Composite Bonding
• Tooth Implants
• Teeth Whitening
• Laser gum contouring

The factors that a smile design team of dentists would look before deciding on the smile makeover are :

• Facial Appearance
• Skin Tone
• Gum Tissue
• Lips
• Teeth colour, width, length, shape & tooth display

What is Included in Smile Designing?

• Silver or amalgam-based dental fillings are replaced with natural tooth colour composite restorations.
• Whitening of the teeth to improve the stained or dull teeth's colour.

Alignment & Spacing :

• These are issues that crop up with alignment and spacing is crooked teeth, overlapping and gaps between teeth. They can be rectified straightening or aligning the teeth through Orthodontics, Invisalign and veneers.

Missing Teeth:

• The absence of teeth can cause a negative feeling about the smile and can also actually affect the bite of the patient. There can be a collapse or change of bite due to movement if teeth into the space of the Missing Teeth. It can also be a risk for tooth decay. Missing teeth are usually replaced using dental implants, bridges and partial dentures.

Uneven, Chipped and Cracked Teeth:

• Conditions like uneven chipped and cracked teeth can get a better aesthetic outcome by bonding cosmetically. Re-countering can also help in improving a 'gummy smile'.

Rejuvenation:

• An unshapely or an ageing face can be improved by performing procedures like orthodontics and oral-maxillofacial surgeries.

The right procedure for the treatment will be decided depending on the condition affecting the patient and also the requirement, as per the dentist.

Smile Design's Aesthetic Factors

The Smile Design depends on the following factors:

Length of the Tooth

• The longer the length of the teeth, more youthful the smile of the person. However, the regular wear and tear make the teeth grow shorter as you age. The gummy smile also provides the same effect.
• Shorter teeth are usually treated by reshaping and lengthening the two front and central teeth either using porcelain veneers or composite bonding. The facial appearance will change as the teeth are lengthened.
• The dentist will try to treat shorter teeth by reshaping and lengthening

Line Of Smile

• The Line of smile is used to determine the length of the new teeth. It is a standard point of reference, which is an imaginary line that follows the edge of the upper teeth from side to side. It is ideally similar to the curve of the upper lip as in a smile.

Tooth Proportions

• The patient's teeth will be examined by the dentist to check for their proportionality. The width to length ratio of 4:5 with respect to the two dominant central and front teeth is the right proportion for a pleasing smile. The smile will look balanced with this proportion.

Tooth's Texture And Characterization

• The dentist can actually give an artistic touch to the patient's teeth. They use the characterization of the crowns or veneers. This depends on the patient's requirement, including the right feel and look of the natural teeth of the patient.

Many other latest technologically advanced diagnostic tools like digital smile designing are used today to assess the existing smile and arrive at a solution. This can be shown to the patient and approval can be sought and corrections can be Incorporated before starting.