Before anyone shapes a veneer or adds a layer of bonding, it helps to agree on what the finished teeth should look like. Digital smile design does that on a computer first, using photographs, video and a 3D scan of your mouth, and then turns the agreed design into a temporary preview you can try on. No tooth is changed during any of this. The preview is a planning tool that shows the intended shape and length, not a promise of the final result.
Your first visit is about records, not treatment
The design can only be as good as the information behind it, so the opening appointment is spent collecting it. Expect a set of photographs of your face and teeth, taken from fixed angles and distances so they can be measured and compared later. A short video is usually recorded too, with you talking, smiling and laughing, because a smile is a moving thing and a single still image can hide how much tooth shows in normal conversation. A 3D intraoral scan records your teeth and bite without the trays of putty used in the past.
A full examination and any X-rays needed come alongside the records. Cosmetic work rests on the health of the teeth and gums underneath it, and decay or gum problems are treated before anything else is planned.
Photos of smiles you like are useful to bring along, even if they belong to someone with a very different face. Our article on putting the smile you want into words has tips on what to collect. The scanner and imaging used for these records are described on our technology page.
The design is drawn around your face, not a template
Two people can have almost identical teeth and still end up with different plans, because the reference points come from the face rather than from a standard set of tooth shapes.
Where the centre should sit
The line down the middle of the face guides where the two upper front teeth should meet. A slight offset is very common and most people never notice it. A tilt, where the line between the front teeth slants, is far more visible. Our piece on smiles that look off centre covers which midline problems can be changed and which are better left alone.
How much tooth your lips reveal
With your lips relaxed and slightly apart, a certain amount of the upper front teeth normally shows. That amount helps set the length of the new teeth: too little tends to make a smile look older, too much can look false. In a full smile, the curve of the lower lip guides the line formed by the biting edges. The article on tooth display with the lips at rest goes into more detail.
Proportions from the front teeth to the corners
Each tooth has a width compared with its length, and teeth appear to get narrower as they curve back towards the corners of the mouth. If the arch looks too narrow, dark spaces can appear at the sides of the smile, which our article on buccal corridors explains. You may have read about a single ideal ratio for front teeth; our look at the golden proportion explains why one number rarely fits every face.
The shape and character of each tooth
Softly rounded corners and edges tend to read as gentle, while squarer outlines look more defined. Shape also affects how young or mature a smile appears, as discussed in our article on tooth shape and perceived age. This is where your own taste carries the most weight, and where the conversation with your dentist matters more than any measurement.
Video has become a standard part of this analysis. Coachman, Calamita and Sesma described a protocol in the International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry (2017) that uses short smartphone videos to study the lips in motion, because a posed smile alone does not capture everything needed to design teeth that suit the face.
Trying the design on before you commit
A design on a screen is hard to judge, so it is converted into something you can wear for an appointment. The steps run in this order:
- The flat design is built into a 3D model of the proposed teeth on top of your scan. This is still called a wax-up, because technicians once carved it by hand in wax.
- The model is printed, and a clear plastic guide is made to fit over your existing teeth.
- Tooth-coloured resin is placed in the guide and set over your teeth. This mock-up needs no drilling and no anaesthetic, and it is removed at the end of the visit.
- You talk, smile and look at it in the mirror and in photos. Length, outline and fullness can be adjusted, and the design is updated to match.
- The version you approve becomes the brief for the treatment and for the lab.
Our separate guide to trial smiles and mock-ups explains what a preview shows well, and the things it cannot show, such as the final colour and the way light passes through porcelain.
The mock-up is close, but it is not the finished result
Shape and length usually carry over well from the preview to the final teeth, because the approved mock-up is the brief. Other qualities do not. Temporary resin looks different from porcelain or polished composite, the gums respond to treatment in their own way, and small refinements are often made at the fitting appointment. Careful planning reduces surprises, but no preview can guarantee how the final teeth will look.
Cases where the extra planning pays off
The process adds most value when several front teeth are being changed and appearance is the main reason for treatment. Typical examples are a set of porcelain veneers across the upper front teeth, or composite bonding that alters the length or outline of several teeth (our comparison of bonding and veneers explains when each tends to suit). It is also useful when treatment combines aligners, gum reshaping and veneers, since the end point needs to be agreed before the first step, and when closing gaps or changing proportions by fractions of a millimetre.
A single filling, a crown on a back tooth or whitening on its own rarely needs a full design.
Planning adds time at the start
For most cases, design work adds a little time before treatment begins: a records visit, time to build the design and wax-up, then a second visit to try the mock-up and give feedback. If aligners or gum treatment come first, the overall timeline is longer. Our article on how long a smile makeover takes gives typical ranges.
Ask how planning is billed
Some practices include digital planning in the overall fee for veneers or bonding, while others charge for it separately and may or may not credit it if you go ahead. It is worth asking before the records visit. Lumi's smile makeover fees are set out in our smile makeover fee guide, and any current offers are on the current deals page.
Common questions
Is digital smile design a treatment in itself?
No. It is the planning and preview stage only. The change in your smile comes from the treatment that follows, which might be veneers, bonding, crowns or aligners.
Is it a brand name or a general term?
It is both. Digital Smile Design is the name of a planning concept and education company founded by Brazilian dentist Dr Christian Coachman, and the phrase is also used loosely for digital smile planning in general. Lumi Dental is not an official DSD clinic. Dr James Tran has trained with Dr Coachman through the Digital Smile Design course, and Lumi uses digital smile planning for cosmetic cases.
Can I wear the mock-up home?
Usually it is taken off before you leave. In some cases a longer trial is possible, and temporary veneers made from the approved design can also let you live with the new shape for a while before the final veneers are made.
What if I need other dental work first?
That is common. Gum treatment, fillings or straightening are built into the sequence, and the design is used to settle the end point before those earlier steps begin.
If you would like to talk through whether a full design suits what you have in mind, book a free cosmetic consult, or read more about cosmetic dentistry at Lumi Dental in Melrose Park.
