A: In this day and age where patients are very information-savvy, it is critical that along the pathway of every dental procedure you have a GPS map or blueprint to guide you and the patient towards a predictable result. Digital Smile Design is a term coined by Brazilian dentist and ceramist Dr. Christian Coachman, and involves the digital analysis of facial and close-up dental shots, analyzing everything from the straightness of the existing dental midline to the facial midline to the golden proportion of teeth and drawing out how we would change proportions and positions of teeth and gums to effect the perfect individual result. It is the map that is the first opportunity for the patient to give feedback and say, “Wow, that looks amazing”, or “Hmm… do my front teeth still have to be that short?” Digital Smile Design is the modern tool melding cosmetic dentistry with technology and its measured dimensions can easily be transferred to a diagnostic wax mock-up (physical model of teeth waxed up to the proposed design). This is the second point where the patient can communicate his/her desires and critique. I love communication. Gone are those days where the patient crosses all her fingers and toes hoping to God that the final result looks like how she envisions it to look.
Less miss. More hit.
