Digital smile design before veneers: how you see the result before you start

What digital smile design is

It is a way of working that starts with photos of the face and the smile and a short video, and a digital scan of the teeth instead of a conventional impression. On this material the shape of the new teeth is drawn to suit the face, then the drawing is turned into a 3D model from which the template for the trial in the mouth is made.

The idea is that the smile is designed for the whole face, not for a single tooth, and that the design is seen, discussed and adjusted before it becomes something that cannot be undone.

What is measured

• The midline of the face and the line of the eyes, so the centre of the teeth sits in the right place and the smile does not look tilted.
• The line of the upper lip when smiling, and how much tooth and gum shows.
• The curve of the lower lip, which the edges of the front teeth follow in a natural smile.
• The proportions of the teeth to each other: the width of the central incisors to the laterals to the canines.
• The tooth shape that suits the features of the face: rounder or straighter.

The trial in the mouth before any grinding

From the 3D model a clear template is made, filled with a temporary material and placed over your teeth as they are, with no grinding. Within minutes you see the new shape in your mouth, speak with it, smile, photograph yourself, and ask someone you trust.

Every remark at this stage is easily changed in the design: a slightly longer tooth, a softer edge, a calmer colour. Adjustment after bonding is not this easy.

How the design reduces grinding and surprises

When the final shape is known before the start, the tooth is prepared only as much as that shape needs, and no more. And the veneers are made in the laboratory to a design the patient has seen and agreed, so the chance of redoing the work is lower.

The limits of what you see on screen

The picture on screen and the temporary trial exist to agree on the shape; they are not a promise of an exactly matching result. The gum, the bone and the bite govern what can be carried out, and the colour of real porcelain differs slightly from the temporary material. The dentist explains these differences before the start rather than after.

Nor does digital design replace the examination: a tooth with decay or an inflamed gum is treated first, however good the design looks.

What happens at your visit

At the first visit, the examination, the photos and the digital scan. Then the design is shown to you on screen, and the temporary version is tried in your mouth. After agreement, preparation and the final veneers follow. The number of visits and the length of each stage are set for each case and stated in the written plan.