How a smile design plan is built around your face, your goal and your calendar
A good plan starts with looking, not drilling. The dentist studies how your teeth sit within your smile: how much tooth and gum show, the line of the edges, the midline, the colour, and how the upper and lower teeth meet. Photographs and impressions or scans are usually taken to work from.
You then agree on the target together. Some people want a brighter, more even version of their own teeth. Others want gaps closed or worn edges rebuilt. Where it helps, the proposed shape can be previewed, for example with a trial mock-up placed over your teeth, so you can react to it before anything is changed.
Health comes before appearance. Decay, gum inflammation and bite problems are treated first, because cosmetic work placed on an unhealthy foundation tends not to last.
After that the steps are put in order. Tooth movement and whitening come before veneers, crowns or bonding, since ceramic and composite do not change colour with bleach and have to be matched to the final shade.
The dentist will also be frank about trade-offs. Veneers and crowns often involve removing some enamel, which cannot be put back. Where a more conservative option would give a similar result, you will hear about it.
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