What Is Smile Design? How Your Custom Smile Plan Comes Together

Maybe there's one tooth you'd love to change, or maybe it's the whole smile, and you're not sure where you'd even begin. That uncertainty is exactly where smile design starts. Smile design is the process of planning your new smile around your face, your features and what you want to feel when you smile, so every change works together and the result looks natural. In this post we'll explain what goes into a custom smile plan, which treatments can be part of it, and how our New Haven dental team brings your plan to life with you.

Designing a smile around your face

Smile design means we plan your smile as a whole, looking at your teeth, your gums and your face together, so the finished result fits you. We notice how your lips move when you talk and laugh, which teeth show when you smile, and how color, shape and proportion work with your features.

That's how we make teeth that look like teeth. A smile that matches your face reads as the healthiest, happiest version of you, and nobody has to wonder what you had done. Dr. Lerch has spent more than 40 years perfecting natural-looking smiles and is one of the first women to be Accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and that experience shapes every plan we create.

Choosing the pieces of your plan

A custom smile plan combines the treatments your smile needs, and only those. Some plans refine one or two teeth, and others bring together several treatments for a fuller smile makeover. The ADA's patient site shares a helpful overview of common ways to improve your smile, and these are the pieces we most often design with:

• Teeth whitening brightens natural enamel. The ADA notes that whitening works on natural teeth, which is why we settle your shade first if veneers or crowns are also in your plan.
• Cosmetic bonding repairs small chips and closes little gaps with a tooth-colored material shaped right onto your tooth.
• Porcelain veneers change the color, shape and alignment of the front of your teeth.
• Cosmetic contouring gently reshapes uneven tooth edges, and laser gum reshaping evens out a gum line that shows more than you'd like.
• Crowns and implant restorations rebuild teeth that are worn, broken or missing, matched to the rest of your smile.
• Invisalign straightens crowded or spaced teeth before other refinements.

We look at your whole smile and recommend only what will make a real difference for you.

Seeing your plan come to life

Your smile plan comes together through conversation. It starts with a real talk about what's been bothering you and what you want to feel when you smile, and then we map out your options together, a process we call co-discovery, so you understand every step before anything begins.

There's a mirror in every room, so you can see what we're describing as we go, and your new smile is a collaboration between you, our team and our dental lab. You have a say at every stage. When your smile design is complete, we invite you back for a smile styling visit, take photos, and celebrate with you, because a new smile deserves a moment.

When smile design makes sense for you

Smile design is a good fit if you've been hiding your smile, if you have more than one change in mind, or if you've fixed teeth one at a time before and want them to finally feel like one smile. You don't need a clear picture of the result before you call. Helping you find that picture is our job.

Timing depends on your plan. Some smile makeovers finish in just a few visits, while more involved plans take longer, and at your consultation we give you a realistic timeline along with clear pricing. Our treatment coordinator can also walk you through financing, including CareCredit.

Frequently asked questions

Will my new smile look fake after smile design?

Our whole philosophy is teeth that look like teeth. We match color, shape and proportion to your face and let each tooth vary naturally, so your smile looks like the happiest version of your own. People around you see a bright, natural smile that fits your face, with no dental work drawing the eye.

How long does a smile makeover take?

It depends on your plan. Some smile makeovers finish in just a few visits, while more involved plans take longer because each treatment builds on the one before. At your consultation we give you a realistic timeline, so you can plan around the events and photos that matter to you.

Can I be part of designing my own smile?

Yes, and we hope you will be. Through co-discovery we map out your options together, with a mirror in every room so you can see what we mean. You're a partner in every decision, with room to ask every question and shape the smile you want.

Do I have to change every tooth to have a smile design?

No. Smile design can refine a single tooth or plan a whole new smile. We look at your teeth, gums and face together and recommend only the changes that will make a real difference, so a small refinement gets a small plan and a bigger change gets a fuller one.

Your smile should look and feel like you. To start your own smile design, call our New Haven dental office at (203) 624-5256, visit us at 375 Orange St, New Haven, CT 06511, or send us a message on our contact page. We'd love to hear what you have in mind.

Published by Center for Esthetic Dentistry.