Digital Workflow
Digital Smile Design in Berkane
Designing the smile digitally — seeing the proposed result before a single tooth is touched.
Digital Smile Design designs the smile before building it. From photographs and a video of the face in movement, the project is drawn on screen, then tried in the mouth as a removable mock-up. You see it and approve it before a single tooth is prepared.
Design first, then prepare
In cosmetic dentistry the hard part is not technical: it is that the result often gets decided after the fact. Once the enamel has been prepared the step is irreversible, and any conversation about the shape or length of the teeth comes too late.
Digital Smile Design reverses that order. The project is drawn first, discussed second, and carried out last. It is not one more piece of software — it is a way of deciding.
A smile is not judged one tooth at a time
A perfectly drawn tooth can still produce a smile that looks wrong. What creates harmony is not the isolated tooth but its relationship to the face: the lip line, the midline, the line of the eyes, the curve of the smile, how much gum shows.
That is why the analysis starts from framed photographs and a short video: a smile is a movement, and a still photograph shows only one instant of it.
The stages
- Photographs of the face and smile, to standard framing, plus video while speaking and laughing
- 3D digital impression of both arches
- Design of the project on screen, superimposed on the photographs of the face
- Presentation to you: what is proposed, what is possible, and what is not
- Aesthetic try-in — a removable mock-up, placed without preparing anything
- Adjustments after that try-in, then the restorations are made to the approved project
The try-in: the moment that counts
The mock-up is the design translated into the mouth. It sits on the teeth without preparation, can be looked at in a mirror, photographed, and taken off.
You can then ask for shorter teeth, a softer edge, a different shade. Raised at this point, those remarks cost nothing but a change to the file. Raised after the ceramics are bonded, they no longer have a simple answer.
What the method does not do
A digital project is not a guarantee of outcome. The final shape depends on the state of the teeth, the gums, the bite and how the tissues respond — clinical factors no simulation replaces.
And a smile designed over diseased gums cannot be built: treatment always comes before aesthetics. The initial assessment checks that point before any design begins.
Frequently asked questions
Is Digital Smile Design a treatment?
No. It is a method of design and decision, ahead of treatment. It produces an approved project; veneers, crowns, orthodontics or a combination of them are what actually build it.
Does the try-in damage the teeth?
No. The mock-up sits on the teeth as they are, with no preparation and no permanent bonding, and comes off completely. That is precisely its value: seeing before deciding, without committing to anything.
Will the result look exactly like the simulation?
The simulation sets a direction, not a guarantee. Final shape and shade depend on the teeth, the gums and the bite. The try-in exists precisely to test the project against clinical reality before committing.
Do all the visible teeth have to be treated?
Not necessarily. The project often shows that a harmonious result can be reached by treating fewer teeth than expected — sometimes by correcting position with orthodontics first, which preserves healthy tooth structure.
This page is for information only. It is not a diagnosis, personalised medical advice or a prescription. Only a clinical examination can establish a diagnosis and lead to a treatment plan.
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