Thank you for your loving compassion as you use those dedicated hands of yours to provide the dental care each of us needs. My husband and I are so grateful that we have such a gracious and caring dentist!! Your kindness, your care and warmth have been wonderful. Your staff is terrific too! You lead by example.
  -- Fran

Smile Design is the result of a synergy of talents by the dentist bringing together the understanding of the engineering required for a healthy and durable smile, those currently accepted parameters of aesthetics and most importantly the desires of what the patient wants. It all begins with excellent communication between the dentist, the dental team and the patient. In our practice it starts with an initial consultation and complete exam. Listening to what the patient’s desires are determines what treatment may or may not be rendered. Does the patient want a dazzling Hollywood white smile or a more natural appearance? Do they want a youthful appearance or a more age appropriate look?  Do they want their teeth longer, shorter or straighter? There may be goals that the patient dreams of that may not be possible, and it is critical to understand the limitations of treatment before treatment is started.  It is very helpful for patients to view actual before and after cases completed by Dr. Smith and his team.

A complete exam for smile design will involve digital radiographs and photographs, a dental exam, a periodontal exam and an occlusal exam. From this information, Dr. Smith and his team can begin to discover what the possibilities will be for your new smile.  Beginning with the photographs, the positions of the teeth can be evaluated. How much do the teeth show when the lips are at rest? How much do they show at a full smile? What is the position of the teeth relative to the lips? Do they stick out too far or are they tucked in too much? Is the periodontal architecture balanced?  Are there black triangles of space between the teeth where the gums have receeded? Are the proportions of the teeth appropriate? These questions and evaluations begin to create a list of changes that aid in the design process. 

The next step is to begin to make changes on a duplicate set of your teeth on mounted models in wax (called the wax-up). These three-dimensional prototypes will allow Dr. Smith and his team to see how these changes will actually function in the mouth. This becomes our architectural template to outline how treatment will proceed and your temporaries will be fabricated from these waxed teeth. Now a predictable plan is designed, and both Dr. Smith's team and the patient can have a vision of what the intended results will be before any treatment is started.  Although additional modifications will be necessary as treatment begins, durable, predictable care must start with a well-designed plan.

Home   | About The Practice  | Treatment Focus  | Procedures  | Testimonials   | Smile Gallery  | Get Directions  | Contact Us

  843.815.6500

Palmetto Dental Arts, P.A.

347 Red Cedar Street
Building 400
Bluffton, SC 29910