Diastema is an opening between your teeth. This issue can happen between any of your teeth. However, it's most noticeable because of its position when there's a gap in your upper teeth. If you want to have more detailed information about teeth gaps, please visit my blog "Teeth Gaps: Can they be closed without the use of braces?"
Miss L. is a healthcare worker who has a high dental IQ. But, regardless of how hard she tried, she couldn't find any solutions to improve her smile in the way she desired. She had an unnecessary extraction on the left side of her upper jaw. This extraction caused a drastic shift in her front teeth. Although I tried so hard to convince her to do an Orthodontic Treatment, she didn't accept it.
Usually, patients tend to come to me with an idea about their possible treatment. For example, some think they need porcelain veneers, while others believe they need crowns. Initial consult, for me, is one of the most critical moments in a patient's smile design journey. Every single smile design patient is like my first one, and the responsibility of the trust my patients have been showing me is enormous. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of making mistakes. That's why I'm not particularly eager to give ideas to my patients in the initial consultation. Instead, during this appointment, I like to listen to my patients' concerns, complete the new patient exam, and take the necessary digital documentation to construct the perfect treatment plan for my patient.
After my patient leaves, the clock starts ticking. Before they come back, I need to design their new smile. Although there are different techniques to design a smile, I like to do it digitally. I want to spare enough time in front of the computer screen. Because if I were the patient, I would want my dentist's undivided attention on my treatment. Looking at my patient's mouth with my naked eyes has never been enough for me. In my view, eyes can deceive us, but computers are great tools for constructing flawless smile designs and planning ideal treatments.
After designing the cosmetic dentistry treatment in Toronto, I get in touch with every team member who will be involved with my patients' treatment. This team member can be a specialist such as an Orthodontist, a periodontal surgeon or my dental technician team. For example, a smile design can look good on the computer, but it isn't significant from a smile designer's perspective if it is not implementable. That's why I need the approval of every team member who is involved with the treatment.
After constructing the perfect Smile Design and Treatment Plan, I decided that it would be beneficial to splint two central incisors with a dental bridge. The rest of the restorations were planned as dental crowns and porcelain veneers. First, however, I always want to start with a test-drive experience before committing to any treatment. I want my patient to see the final outcome before touching their teeth. This way, the patient can understand what they can expect from the smile design.
In conventional dentistry, the patient comes to the clinic and starts the treatment without experiencing the final result. This unpredictability might create countless issues. For example, beauty is subjective, and what is attractive for a dentist doesn't necessarily look beautiful for the patient. Therefore, we use detailed assessment techniques and digital dentistry tools to align our expectations with patients.
In Toronto Smile Design - Yorkville Dental, every patient undergoes a detailed new patient exam, static and dynamic documentation process. In addition, we provide a smile assessment and a mockup experience (test-drive experience) if the patient wants. To give the mockup, I sent all the documentation to my dental technician team for the digital rendering and 3D printing. They transferred my measurements to the 3D rendering of the patient and 3D Printed the models.
After receiving the 3D printed models, I was ready for the second appointment. I transferred the 3D design to the patient's mouth using temporary resin materials during that appointment. Then, we got into the studio and repeated the same static and dynamic documentation. I love to show the outcome before patients commit to my treatment. We discussed everything on the screen while assessing my plan on her face. She fully confidently accepted the smile reconstruction treatment after the mockup session.
In conclusion, patients have the right to receive top-notch results, and in this day and age, it is incredibly convenient to plan and show a facially-driven smile design before starting the treatment. Wouldn't you want to see everything before starting your smile reconstruction treatment? Or do you like surprises?
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