Smile Design

Table of Contents

Smile design is a sub-branch of aesthetic dentistry and aims to create a smile suitable for the person’s face shape, gender, age, and personal preferences. This process is personalized according to the individual’s aesthetic and functional needs. Smile design is a natural three-dimensional design compatible with the occlusion between the upper and lower teeth, the soft tissue surrounding the teeth, and the patient’s facial characteristics.

The aim of an ideal smile design is to achieve aesthetics with the most conservative approach possible, that is, with minimal intervention in the tooth structures. The smile we create should be aesthetically pleasing as well as functionally functional. Our task as dentists is to provide the best aesthetics in our patients with careful diagnosis, analysis, and treatment. An indispensable element of a perfect smile design is the healthy structure of the tissues surrounding the teeth. An ideal smile design cannot be created with atrophied papilla (gum between two teeth), asymmetrical gum levels, excessively hyperplastic edematous gums.

Factors Considered in Smile Design:

Size and proportions of teeth: The harmony of the face shape and teeth is examined.
Gum level: Gummy smile conditions are corrected.
Lip line: The shape of the lips during smiling is evaluated.
Color harmony: The color tones of the teeth are made suitable for a natural appearance.

Smile Design Process:

Teeth and surrounding tissues are evaluated, digital photos and measurements are taken. Smile design is digitally planned with computer-aided programs. Methods such as teeth whitening, laminate, orthodontic treatment are determined. The determined procedures are completed and the final smile design is evaluated.

Why is Smile Design Done?

Crooked or spaced teeth: The proper arrangement of the teeth affects the chewing function as well as the aesthetic appearance.
Stained teeth: Substances consumed such as cigarettes, tea, coffee, or some medications can cause staining on the teeth.
Broken or decayed teeth: Broken or decayed teeth both spoil the aesthetic appearance and threaten oral health.
Gum recessions: Gum recessions can cause the teeth to appear longer and create gaps in the smile.
Asymmetric face: If the teeth are incompatible with the face, this condition can be corrected with smile design.

How is Smile Design Done?

Detailed Examination: Your dentist will thoroughly examine your mouth and take x-rays.
Smile Analysis: Photos of your current smile are taken and the strong and weak aspects of your smile are determined.
Treatment Planning: Your dentist will create a personalized treatment plan for you. This plan may include procedures such as straightening your teeth, removing discoloration, repairing broken or decayed teeth.
Application: According to the planned treatment, procedures such as porcelain laminates, zirconium crowns, or teeth whitening are applied to the teeth.
Control: With regular check-ups after treatment, the longevity of your smile is ensured.

Smile Design Methods:

Aesthetic Composite Fillings: It is an aesthetic-looking filling material made for teeth with shape deformities, gaps between teeth, or crown fractures in teeth resulting from caries and dental trauma in the anterior region teeth. They are short-term, cost-effective treatments for the patient.
Porcelain Laminates: These are thin porcelain veneers attached to the front surface of the teeth. They are longer-term and more costly treatments. However, they will provide long-term patient satisfaction.
Zirconium Crowns: It is a type of crown that offers a more durable and natural look. In particular, they create excellent aesthetic results in anterior region restorations.
Teeth Whitening: It allows you to have a whiter smile by lightening the color of the teeth. Again, by applying it in one session in the clinic, the patient will have a whiter smile.
Teeth Straightening Treatments: It is the straightening of teeth with methods such as brackets or clear aligners. In cases with orthodontic disorders between the jaws, when intervention is made before growth and development are completed, the patient’s face profile is also aesthetically corrected. In a person whose upper jaw is excessively forward and whose lower jaw is small, there is a “bird face” appearance, which we call “birth-face”. In the opposite case, there is again a non-aesthetic facial profile from the profile. Orthodontic treatments performed on both teeth and jaws are an important part of smile design.
Gum Aesthetics: Gum shaping or laser gum treatments. (procedures such as gingivectomy, gingivoplasty.)

Who can smile design be applied to?

Smile design can generally be applied to anyone who has healthy teeth and wants to have a more beautiful smile. However, in some cases, problems such as gum diseases or caries may need to be treated first. Smile design should be done by a dentist. Applications made on your own or by unconscious people can damage your teeth. Smile design, which is very popular today; Since it is a personalized treatment, the aesthetic expectations of each person’s design will be different, so it should be carefully planned. A treatment may not be the ideal treatment option for every patient. As a result, the dentist can easily reach the ideal smile design and ensure patient satisfaction by performing a detailed examination and analysis in each patient.