There was a time when a dentist described what treatment could do for a patient — with braces, dentures, crowns, bridges, etc. — that patients would have to take their dentist’s word for it and rely on their imagination. Thanks to technology, that’s no longer the case. Well, you’ll still have to trust your dentist and your imagination will still run wild, but the Digital Smile Design process has eliminated the guesswork. Here’s an introduction to Digital Smile Design and how it helps people looking to renovate their smile to achieve success in achieving their goals.
What is Digital Smile Design?
The Digital Smile Design process was invented in 2007 by a Brazilian dentist named Christian Coachman. The goals of Digital Smile Design are: to improve diagnostic imaging and the process of reaching diagnoses; to improve the effectiveness of communication between dentist and patient; and to make the treatment process and outcomes more predictable.
Digital Smile Design in Gilbert starts with the taking of digital scans of your mouth, teeth, gums and jaw, which images will be fed into a software system called DSD Nemo. The DSD Nemo system contains a digital library of images related to cosmetic dentistry in Gilbert — shapes and images like the shape and profile of all kinds of teeth and gums from every angle.
If, for example, you were consulting a dentist near you about changing the shape or alignment of teeth, your dentist will be able to place images of reshaped or re-aligned teeth onto images of your own misshapen and crooked teeth. With those images and shapes in place, your dentist in Gilbert will be able to show you exactly what your re-shaped and re-aligned teeth would look like after your treatment plan is complete. This is the type of process that helps you to understand exactly what will happen during a treatment plan and to eliminate any doubt or uncertainty about the final result.
What happens when you combine Digital Smile Design with 3D printing?
To stick with our example of re-shaped and re-aligned teeth, the staff at your clinic specializing in cosmetic dentistry in Gilbert can then print a model of your teeth as altered by the images of reshaped and realigned teeth selected from the digital aesthetic library. The model will be printed on a 3D printer and will then be used to create a temporary mockup of the finished product made of thin flexible material that can be placed in your mouth to show you exactly what your finished product will look like.
A similar process could be completed by artisans building a simulation of your finished product over several weeks without 3D printing, but the combination of Digital Smile Design and 3D printing will allow — in hours or days — the creation of a precise and lifelike simulation of your new smile. With that mockup in place on your mouth, your specialist in cosmetic dentistry near you will take digital pictures and video from every angle to show you what living with your newly shaped and straightened teeth (in our example) will look like.
If you’re curious about the possibility of renovating and transforming the appearance of your teeth, but anxious about taking an uncertain leap into the unknown, ask a dentist about the availability of Digital Smile Design near you. It’s a process that can help you know exactly what to expect during treatment and to eliminate any doubt about the final result.
