Cosmetic Dentistry - Computer Imaging
by Dr. Michael C. Goldman

Computer Imaging refers to  the use of a digital photo to "simulate" on  a computer screen what  you  might look like if certain Cosmetic Dentistry changes were to be made to your smile.  When you look in a mirror, or at a photo of yourself it's impossible to imagine what you might look like with "whiter" teeth... or "longer" teeth.... or straighter, more square or more rounded, wider, narrower, fuller, or just more "even" teeth.

On a computer, special photo-editing software - similar to  Adobe's Photoshop but geared more specifically for dentistry - is used to "Simulate" various changes  in the shape, color, and position of the teeth visible in your smile.  The result is a credible, realistic "simulation " of what  might be possible  for you, using  today's amazing  Cosmetic Dentistry  techniques! 

You'd be amazed at how much your teeth affect your overall appearance.  If that's important to you personally or professionally, you owe it  to yourself to investigate Cosmetic Computer Imaging.  If you like the results, you can go further; if not, you've  done nothing except inform yourself!

• What is it? Computer imaging is the alteration of a digital  photograph of you in the computer to see what changes to your smile might look better !

• Why would you want it? It's very scary to  have your appearance changed .... and  even  more so  if you really don't know what the changes are going look like !......."Imaging"...  allows you  and the dentist to get on the same page about what  you both agree looks the best for you.  Your dentistry then can be guided by that image so the end result is NOT A BIG SURPRISE !!!  Done properly, it takes the emotional risk out of cosmetic dentistry for you,  the patient.

• Can I see an example ? Yes !

In the top photo you can see the "Before" image of  both people as they are   before anything has been done. Normally, of course, it would only be  an image of one person.

In the bottom image you can see  how the appearance of their smiles has been  "computer enhanced".   It's not "real", just an example of a suggestion of what  might look better.

If it  were an image of you, you might love it...or you might  think... "it's pretty good, ...but ... I think the teeth look too white, or not white enough, or too big, too small, etc..."

Most of those properties (whiteness, size, shape, etc.) can be easily changed in the computer  to get an image more to your liking.  I would  then need to check out your smile in detail to make sure   what you want  is, in fact, possible to do.  Luckily, most often, it is possible.

With today's cosmetic dentistry techniques most people can  get  the  great  smile they always wanted, but thought they could never have. 

A great  smile  can change your life ! The sense of confidence and self-esteem that come from  an attractive smile can turn your life around, or just  make an already  great life  more pleasurable!

The  images to the left were borrowed from a great website http://www.smile-vision.net.

It is a website for a dental laboratory, Smile-Vision, that has done  excellent work for dentists like me. 

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That should give you a pretty good idea of the Computer Imaging part of this .... if you  would like to know how  it fits in  with the rest of Cosmetic Dental treatment, keep reading!

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• So How Does it Work? In my office, I would  start by  asking you   "What  can I do for you?" That simple question puts YOU in charge ! You  tell me what you have been thinking about .... wanting.... regarding  making your smile more handsome, or prettier, or stronger looking.   It's like, if you could  wave a magic wand and have your smile look different, how  would you want it to look?
  
  You would try to describe your  "perfect smile", and I would listen and probably take some notes.  By asking  specific questions I could get a   pretty good idea of what you want, but not exactly.  For example, you might say I want  white teeth.  Well, how white?
  
  That's  where it gets tricky...and scary !  Say you wanted  "whiter teeth". A month later the dentist puts in your new caps or veneers and you look in the mirror. 
  
  "Yikes!!!!.... I didn't want to look like that  guy on TV .... You look at him and all you see is TEETH !" .....or... "Doc, I wanted WHITE teeth! These are not much whiter than what I started with !" ... Well..., you and Doc are not having a good day at the ol' dental office today, are you ?  And all that money!!!!!!!$$$$$$
  
  So THAT'S what I want to avoid as much as  humanly possible by  doing the imaging as a start.

In this case my patient wanted very white teeth -  and what I like to think of as a "power smile".  He does a lot of public speaking and wants to feel in command of his audience.  He's the up and coming CEO type and his new appearance  helps to give him the  self image he wants.  You might want a slightly different "look" and that's fine... and imaging helps to determine what you  like.   Meanwhile, doesn't his smile look  so much better?

 

• As a Start??...
  There's MORE ???
  Yes, but it's a good start and a lot has been determined already at this  point in time.  By this time we both have a pretty good idea of what you WANT.  Now it's  my job to determine if what you want is a  realistic expectation!   The computer imaging is very helpful, but you have to remember it's only a 2-dimensional image.  And  besides, you can do ANYTHING on the computer.  I could put  your upper teeth on the bottom and the bottoms on top!   Not that I would  want to, but you get the point... it's just a picture.  In the example at the top of this page you saw  these "before" and "enhanced" photos. 

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  So the next step is to check it out in 3-dimensions.  I would make   a model of your teeth and working with my dental lab technician I would  have the model altered to match the imaging we both liked best. Sometimes it just can't be done... or not without  getting more involved and complicated than you   want to deal with.  Most of the time it is possible.... and what's even better, possible "tricky" problem areas  are usually discovered in the process of trying to alter the model that better prepare me and the lab technician for making the corresponding alterations  to your teeth that  might have been missed without  this degree of preparation ahead of time !  And there's more... the  "temporaries". In the case, again,  of the patient  at the top of the  page, here's how   we went from a  2-dimensional computer image to a 3-dimensional model:

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• Another case Before and After Porcelain Veneers

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• The TEMPORARIES ? Yes, once the model is altered and we agree on your new  smile design, a mold or form is made of it that  will be used to make temporary caps or veneers for your teeth that  pretty much exactly duplicate the altered model.  Can you see why that is important?
  
  It's important because when your teeth are altered, you will most often need some sort of  temporary caps or veneers to wear  during the couple of weeks the lab is making your "real" caps or veneers.  Well, firstly, this  gives you  really great looking temporaries so you look  better right away!
  
  Secondly, it is a real life PREVIEW of what the  real caps or veneers are going to  look like, based on the imaging and the altered model work we  did.  It gives you a   chance to see if  the color and shape and size, etc.  look right  to you. The temporaries, while not EXACTLY like the real ones to come, are actually  pretty close in shape, size and color. Again , for my patient at the top of this page the results show the benefit of all the preparation work done in planning  for the specific esthetic desires of my patient.  The end result was NO SURPRISE  to me or to my patient!
  
  When you see how you look  with the temporaries, you might tell me  you want the  front teeth longer or shorter, or more square, or  more round, whatever.... I  can alter the temporaries to check it out  and then   I communicate this to my lab technician and those changes can usually be incorporated into the final design.  So when you get the final restorations, there should be no BIG SURPRISES !  You have already checked it out in several ways and the only  real change  should be that the real ones look even better  than the temporaries ! 

• The result for my patient at the top of this page:  Notice the natural appearance of the veneers.

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• View of patient's new smile. 

• The next photo is probably a bit too "clinical" but I want you to see a  real close "Close-up" of the veneers...

• to see just how real and natural they look !!!

• By comparison most caps look opaque and have dark lines or shadows around the gum lines.

 

So that's   pretty much "it"... a lot of work to:

1. -Find out what you would like, and

2. -What  can realistically be done

3. -Create good looking temporaries right away, that will

4. -Give you a real-life preview  or rehearsal so we can

5. -Make final "fine-tuning"  adjustments to the  real restorations as they are being made... all to closely control the process from beginning to end so you

6. -Get  what you want  without waiting  to the end and wondering "what will I look like....?"

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I sincerely hope this article has been helpful in explaining both what Cosmetic Computer Imaging is and why it might be very important and valuable to you or a loved one thinking about Cosmetic Dentistry.

Please visit other articles on my website dealing with many  issues related to  Cosmetic Dentistry and Holistic Dentistry.

To find other articles,  the Click here or the "Topics/Info" button .  Thanks.  If you have  comments or questions I'd love to hear from you.... and I will personally answer you.

To contact me Click here or on the "to e-mail me" button .

     

Michael Goldman DDS

3815 East-West Highway

Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815

301-656-6171

More info about the following is available  if you select  "topics".

Holistic dentistry is an approach to dental treatment, primarily  caring for  patients' health and safety from both a conventional as well as  "alternative healthcare" point of view.   It is sometimes called "biological" dentistry or "biocompatible" dentistry.  In it's fullest sense, I believe it   acknowledges and deals with  the mind, body and spirit of the patient, not just his or her "teeth".  See Topics / Info.....

Cosmetic dentistry is about doing   quality , esthetic dentistry in a way that looks natural to begin with, and furthermore,   can even  improve  one's  attractiveness through techniques such as bonding, bleaching, veneers, caps, implants and more.  It can   be like "instant orthodontics" in correcting  crooked, twisted or misplaced teeth in many instances.  Dark or misshapen teeth can be restored.   Smiles that lack youthful vigor or beauty can be revitalized! See Topics / Info..

In holistic dentistry there is an effort  to find  biocompatible materials to use to reduce toxicity for  everyone, especially the chemically sensitive.  Amalgam use is avoided   in holistic dentistry (" amalgam free" or "mercury free") due to concern about possible toxicity problems.  Amalgam removal  and replacement with natural-looking bonded materials is a common holistic dentistry treatment as well as a common cosmetic dentistry  treatment.   Detoxification, especially of residual mercury deposits in body tissues from amalgams is often done.  Root canals are controversial  in holistic dentistry and are discussed under topics.  And much more....

Bleaching, veneers, bonding, caps, bridges, and implants  are cosmetic dentistry treatments that are also  discussed in  Cosmetic Dentistry, and more...located in the Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815 area near Washington DC.