Every smile is unique to its owner and after cosmetic dentistry procedures are completed, it should appear as a natural part of your face. At Law Court Dental Health we do not use the ‘one size fits all’ approach but tailor each smile to each individual patient: this process is known as ‘Smile Design’ and is the cornerstone of successful cosmetic dentistry.

The process of Smile Design proceeds in the following manner:

· Initial consultation
· Diagnostic wax preview
· Provisional restorations
· Final restoration

Initial Consultation

This is a scheduled appointment of thirty minutes duration in the first instance. During this appointment you will be given the opportunity to discuss the final look which you, the patient, wish to achieve. Photographs or cuttings from magazines can be helpful at this stage.

This appointment will include:

· A full screen for cancer of the head and neck
· An assessment of the health of your jaw joints and jaw muscles (since these influence how your teeth bite together)
· An examination of your teeth
· A detailed assessment of your gum health
· An assessment of your occlusion (the way your teeth move over each other when eating)
· An assessment of how your teeth relate to your facial features, (lips/skin tone/hair/eyes), the colour composition and texture of the teeth

Following this, photographs will be taken of your teeth/face from various angles in addition to any necessary x-rays.

This initial ‘information gathering’ consultation is followed by a second ‘discussion’ appointment. At this appointment, the dentist will have brought together all the information from his examination, x-rays and photographs and will be in a position to discuss the possibilities which exist to improve the overall appearance of your smile. At this stage we will be able to give you an outline of the costs involved and the number of treatments required.

This is followed up with a written treatment plan and quotation.

Diagnostic wax preview

This is the blueprint for the smile design.

This is created by taking extremely accurate models of your teeth and mounting them on a machine called an ‘Articulator’. The articulator mimics the way your teeth meet when chewing. On these articulated models we can mock up in wax the anticipated final result of your smile makeover. In this way, we can anticipate and eliminate any potential problems before you commit to treatment. We are also able to show you the wax up and ensure that you are happy with the general shape, length and orientation of the teeth in the final smile. If you are not happy modifications can be made. If you wish the wax preview can be taken home to show family and friends

As an optional extra, we are able to temporarily apply special tooth coloured material to your teeth which will allow you to see how the enhancement of your smile will affect your overall appearance. This can be done without an aneasthetic and does not damage the teeth.

Temporary restorations

After preparation of your teeth for final crowns/bridges/veneers, the dentist will place temporary restorations for you to wear whilst the final porcelain restorations are being custom made by the ceramic technician.

The temporary restorations are made in your mouth using a mould made from your diagnostic wax up: this means that they will give you a basic idea of how the final smile will look. Several days after your preparation appointment, the dentist will see you for a second appointment. At this appointment he will subtly reshape the temporary restorations : this means that we can create the ideal relationship between tooth length and shape and your lips and tongue. We will also assess your speech to ensure that there are no lisps. When you and the dentist are both happy he will take an impression (mould) of the temporary restorations. The ceramic technician then uses the model of them as a template to make the final restorations.

Final restoration

The final restorations are made by a ceramic technician who uses his artistic flair in combination with our diagnostic wax up, model of provisional restorations and photographs to produce truly lifelike restorations.

It is common for an appointment with our technician, (based in St Agnes), to be required in order to use computerized technology to accurately determine the shade (colour) of the teeth. This normally takes around thirty minutes.

The final restorations are then placed by the dentist.

On the final appointment, (normally one week after the restorations are placed), we check and make small adjustments and ensure that you are happy with your new smile.

Case 1
Pre-treatment. Patient was unhappy with worn upper front teeth with gaps.		Wax preview.

Temporary veneers in place after 3 weeks of home whitening.		Final veneers, note the more pleasing proportions of the teeth.

Case 2
Patient was concerned about prominent upper front teeth.		Wax preview of predicted result

Temporary veneers in place after preparing upper six front teeth.		Final smile.