What is Digital Smile Design?
Digital Smile Design or ‘DSD’ is a ground breaking development in undertaking cosmetic dental treatment – developed by Dr Christian Coachman, a dual qualified dentist and ceramist hailing from Brazil.
Dr Coachman developed this technique as a means of improving three critical areas of communication between:
- Dentist and Patient
- Dentist and other treating clinicians
- Dentist and Ceramist/Laboratory
DSD is a process of record taking and analysis including digital photography, dynamic video recording and computer software analysis that enables the restorative result to be pre-planned and confirmed prior to any interceptive/invasive dental treatment.
This plan of the proposed restorative result is then tested with the patient using a direct ‘mock up’ in the mouth – that is simply placed over their natural teeth for the patient to see and trial – without any tooth preparation whatsoever.
What is the process?
The Digital Smile Design process begins with a thorough examination of your:
- Facial Aesthetics
- Facial Symmetry
- Dental and Facial Midline Positions
- The relation of the dental aesthetics to the facial aesthetics
- The soft tissue (gum) harmony and symmetry
- Phonetic considerations
A series of photographic images are taken, both intra-oral and extra-oral as well as impressions of the upper and lower teeth. Further, we take a dynamic video recording, so that we can see the lips in motion during various emotional expressions – as well as in a natural smile – which is generally a lot ‘broader’ than a posed smile.
