Cosmetic dentistry is much different than it was even a decade ago. Dental technologies and dental materials have changed not only the way we diagnose the problems and define a patient's esthetic goals, but these newest technologies make the process of fulfilling those objectives more predictable and beautiful.
At Elmwood Dental, we have developed a process to evaluate a patient’s smile before determining the ideal solution. We refer to this process as The Smile Analysis. We ask the patient specifically “What is it about your smile that you feel is less than ideal?” We call this the chief complaint. By defining the chief complaint from the patient’s perspective, we can properly evaluate the various components of their smile and determine the right path forward. Any cosmetic treatment should address the patient’s complaints and solve for them. Our doctors at Elmwood Dental can then focus on how to fulfill the promise of a confident, beautiful smile.
Sarah’s chief complaint was related to her discolored right front tooth, which was an old crown that she had been told needed to be removed due to infection. She was also self-conscious of the increasingly dark color of her front teeth, and their worn, uneven look when she smiled.
Based on her various chief complaints, a treatment plan was developed that would satisfy her following objectives:
Using a combination of photography and computer enhancement,specific design modifications were identified that would create the contours, color and position that would be appropriate for her smile.
Those specifications were used to communicate to the team of cosmetic dental technicians at Elmwood Dental’s laboratory. It is important to note the desired changes prior to beginning the fabrication of the ceramic restorations that will be placed on her upper front six teeth.
Ceramic restorations like these are made from very strong materials known as Zirconia and E-Max and are designed using computer design software. Once permanently bonded to the underlying tooth surface, these teeth should last decades,assuming continued dental care. Can you tell which front tooth was replaced with a dental implant? Answer: her right central incisor.
Upon completion of Sarah’s cosmetic treatment at Elmwood Dental, all four of her objectives were met…
When designing a new smile, there are many factors that help determine the final esthetic result. Beautiful teeth always have one thing in common – symmetry. This means that the right side looks exactly like the left side, so that each of the teeth has a mirror image on the opposite side. Central incisors are the same width and length. Lateral incisors are the same, as are the canine teeth. We also follow a long-standing rule of Golden Proportions.
The Aesthetics Golden Rule of Proportions refers to a general rule of thumb – the central incisors are 1.6 times larger in width than the lateral incisors, and the canines are 60% the width of the lateral when viewed from the front.
Lip Line: The upper lip of a patient can vary at its highest position.The higher the lip when a patient smiles fully, the more the teeth and gum line show. Therefore, it is even more important that the teeth are symmetrical and esthetic. In addition, because the gumline is more visible, the symmetry of the gum line and its position should be considered when designing the smile. A smile is determined to have either a favorable lip line (doesn’t show the gums when smiling) or an unfavorable lip line (shows the entire gum line when smiling). Dan has an unfavorable lip line, so it became very important that the treatment resulted in an even gum line when he smiled wide.
