While there are many things to consider when creating an incredible smile design, here are four topics the trio of dentist, technician and patient should have prior to any start of treatment. These will ultimately lead to a successful smile design and everyone smiling.
- Patient Goals- It is important to make sure what is existing in the patients mouth can accommodate what the patients expectations are. A couple examples would be a patient expecting no prep or minimal prep veneers with a final shade 020 with an extremely dark shade preoperatively or a patient with extreme crowding or rotated teeth not wanting any extractions and ideal tooth proportions on the finals.
- Cultural or Societal Influences- Many people have different ideas of what a beautiful smile is and they are based upon anecdotal experiences. It is important to get clarification from the patient as to their perception of a beautiful smile.
- Dentist and Technician Abilities- This comes down to communication between the dentist and technician. The more they work together the more they will learn each others tendencies. A technician may love heavy surface texture, no texture, very translucent incisals, etc. The dentist may tend to over contour temps on the right side based upon where he or she sits in the operatory, or leave temps slightly long because she would rather reduce at cementation than return the veneers. Another consideration is the ability to perform what the patient expects. One technician may do a “Softened” smile perfectly but not be able to design a “mature” look.
- Golden Proportion- Where golden proportion is not the end all be all for tooth proportions it is important to make sure that existing teeth fit within the general parameters of it. If not a discussion will be necessary regarding wider centrals, laterals, etc. or that aggressive prepping may be necessary.
