Trans Zen Dental

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

A Smile Is a Curve That Sets Things Straight

Conventional wisdom dictates that once you have found your look, you ought to stick with it. If you buy into that philosophy, though, you might be short-changing yourself. Let’s take a look at these statistics and it will really surprise you!

94 % of Americans polled said they notice a person's smile during the first encounter
99.7 % of Americans believe that a smile is an important asset
96 % of adults believe an attractive smile makes a person more appealing to a member of the opposite sex
75 % of adults polled feel an unattractive smile can hurt a person's chances for career success

And now for the killer:

Only 50% of adults polled are satisfied with their own smile

As an LVI-certified dentist I can help you keep your smile looking its best. I can design a smile that can change your face to appear more youthful, healthy and attractive. Features such as the size, length and position of your tooth can be chosen to provide facial symmetry and proportion. Feature such as shade of the tooth can be chosen based on skin color, gender and the patients’ desires.

The process starts by asking the patient questions in the initial consultation. The cosmetic consultation, which includes x-rays and photos, can help the doctor identify patients’ goals for a predictable result. The doctor and the team will help the patient select a smile from the LVI Smile Catalog based on facial characteristics.

LVI Smile Catalog

The doctor will then take study models and an occlusal bite registration for a diagnostic wax-up. The wax-up is a 3D rendition of the patients’ smile and a blueprint of what the final result will be. During the second consultation the doctor will present to the patient, the wax-up of the patients’ smile and before and after computer imaging photos which can be evaluated by the patient in detail rather than other patients’ photos or something abstract. This also allows the doctor to build the case in the patient’s mouth to the specified dimensions and allows the doctor to be as conservative as possible. Nothing is easier to attain than a goal that is stated clearly and is easily visualized by the patient. This is the highest form of doctor to patient communication.