Smile Design... Are You Being Conned?

Smile Design is a fantastic tool in cosmetic dentistry and it would appear that almost all dental clinics now claim to offer it but... do they really!?

Dentistry has certainly come a long way in recent years and many patients are now searching the internet for qualified dentists who specialise in Smile Design. Consequently, it seems almost all dental clinics are now offering some form of Smile Design or Digital Smile Design but don't be deceived by the terminology, you may be surprised, and disappointed, by what this actually means.

It is important to remember: Most Smile Design Software only shows the patient an image of what could be possible and not the actuality of what will be produced or made.

So called 'Smile Design' is now available to any dental clinic in the form of a computer program for just a few hundred pounds and is therefore accessible to all dental clinics. This is the main reason everyone now claims to offer it!

There are even Smile Design products in the form of mobile applications that graduate you as a Smile Design Technician after 10 minutes of online training, except you know you are not a qualified dental technician at all don't you!?

Nowadays, Smile Design is something you can do in bed whilst on your phone. Add a filter too if you want larger eyebrows or a new set of false lashes! Seeing an image on a computer screen is just not enough and is certainly not official Dental Smile Design.

The cheap Smile Design software is available to all and actually means very little. The end result bears no actual relation to what is on the screen unless the Smile Design technology is connected to an in-clinic CAD/ CAM milling machine. If the clinic has the Smile Design but they do not have a CAD/ CAD milling machine, the image is simply reviewed by an external laboratory and a Dental Technician will attempt to make a similar tooth shape by hand. Essentially, the end result of what will be produced will never be the same as you have approved in the Smile Design program.

Basically, what we are saying is: If there is no technology to make the Crowns or Veneers in the clinic itself, there is no actual Smile Design!

Smile Design or Digital Smile Design is now being used on almost all dental websites as a marketing tool to attract more patients. Do not be conned into paying a premium price for Crowns or Veneers with 'Smile Design' if you will be getting a standard Crown or Veneer created in an outside laboratory.

Ask the right questions: Before you commit to an appointment what you need to know is, does the clinic have an in-house laboratory and a CAD/ CAM milling machine? Official Smile Design technology ensures the Dental Technicians create the appropriate tooth shape as per your gum line and dental arch to ensure that not only the design is as per your preference but also the bite is correct and appropriate for your personal jaw shape. Following the design phase, you should be able to watch your teeth being cut in the milling machine in the clinic itself. A single restoration once designed is milled in the clinic in under 10 minutes. Official and accurate Smile Design where it does what it says on the tin costs hundreds of thousands of Euros for the full technology suite and the clinic needs a specialist team of Dental Technicians who are educated to use them. There really is only one global leader in real Smile Design - Dentsply by Sirona

Our VIP Antalya clinic is equipped with the following Sirona technology:

1. Sirona digital 3D Smile Design inLab CAD Whether Veneers, Crowns, Inlays, Onlays or Bridges, you have the choice of which indications you want to design.
2. The Sirona Eos X5 scanner, to ensure dental scans are provided with an accuracy level of 0.0021 mm... You cannot get more accurate than that!
3. 2 Sircona inLab MC XL CAD/ CAM milling machines which enables us to cut/ mill CEREC and e.max restorations in the clinic itself according to the computer design.
4. Sirona inLab MC X5 CAD/ CAM milling machine which enables us to cut/ mill Zirconium restorations in the clinic itself according to the computer design.
5. Sirona inFire HTC speed furnace to bake the cut restorations...

The Sirona Smile Design and CERE CAD/ CAM technology in our VIP Antalya clinic is the world's leading Smile Design system and we have made a huge investment to ensure we provide our patients with the very best and we are able to deliver on what we promise.

Essentially: Dental Centre Turkey provides actual Smile Design

Almost all dental clinics are now offering CERE and e.max Veneers & Crowns however the tooth preparation for such is different compared to standard materials (Metal Porcelain or Zirconium) therefore the Cosmetic Dentist must be experienced in preparing teeth for CEREC or e.max restorations. These restorations were designed to be produced with official Smile Design software which is linked to an in-clinic CAD/ CAM milling machine in order to sirona achieve optimum results. You should not be paying more for CEREC or e.max if they are made in an external Laboratory. In our VIP Antalya clinic, the process of Smile Design is available in the case that you opt for CEREC and e.max restorations and in some cases Zirconium. The new restorations can be designed according to vour preference of tooth shape and dental requirements, with the final design sent wirelessly to the Sirona CAD/ CAM machine for each tooth to be milled to precision as per the design.

In Turkey, for a dental clinic to have an on-site laboratory they need to be a Centre and not a standard dental clinic or polyclinic. The licensing for such is not easy and many inspections need to take place before the appropriate certificates are issued. You should ask if you are visiting a standard Polyclinic or a Centre. If the clinic is not a Centre, please note that they do not have the licence to house an on-site laboratory.

What are the benefits of Smile Design by Sirona?

1.  Accuracy of design
2.  Accuracy of measurement
3.  Accurate translation of design to end result
4.  Accuracy of function
5.  Quality control and quality assurance
6.  Backed by the leading manufacturers of dental restorations

So what questions should you ask a dental clinic that claims to offer Smile Design

• Do you have an on-site Laborator? If so how many Dental Technicians does your clinic employ and what experience and training do they have?
• Do you have Sirona CERE CAD/ CAM milling machines where I can watch my teeth bein  manufactured in the clinic itself?
• Do you have an inLab MC XL for cutting our Zirconium restorations in vour clinic?

If the answer is no, you are not really getting Smile Design at all... Just a computer image that will never be a reality.