Page 52 - Amazing Smiles

CHAPTER FIVE

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY - WHAT WILL MY SMILE LOOK LIKE?

Many times the anticipated Before Simulation
change in one’s smile may
create a level of anxiety for Actual Results
the patient. At the same
time, the expectations of the figure 59
patient may be unclearly
defined, creating concern
for the cosmetic dentist.
They both need to know in
a very general way, what the final result will look
like. Unfortunately, many smile makeover proce-
dures with ceramic material, especially porcelain
veneers, cannot be temporarily placed in the
mouth on a trial basis. Once they are made in the
lab, and verified in the mouth, they must be
permanently cemented. There is no way to
temporarily cement the thin ceramic material to
the prepared tooth without it breaking or immedi-
ately falling off.

Sometimes, an approximate preview of the
final result is necessary before the smile makeover
can proceed.

There are three options to preview a smile,
all having certain limitations. The first is called
cosmetic imaging. Your cosmetic dentist can take
a pre-operative digital photograph of your smile
and perform cosmetic imaging on the computer,
to simulate how your new smile might look.
(figure 59)

The nice thing about imaging is that it is
quick and easy for the cosmetic dentist to do. If

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