Smile Design in İzmir: Digital Planning, Mock-up and ProcessSmile Design in İzmir: Digital Planning, Mock-up and Process 

Smile design is not simply whitening or covering teeth. It is a planning process that aims to bring the length, width, colour and alignment of the teeth, and the level of the gums, into harmony with your face, lips and speech. In digital smile design (DSD), facial and smile photographs, short videos and intraoral scan data are analysed together on screen.

From a prosthodontic point of view, smile design is as much a restorative planning task as an aesthetic one. New tooth shapes have to work with your bite (occlusion), your jaw movements and your gum health. That is why planning looks beyond how the front teeth appear to how they function when you chew and speak.

Depending on your needs, a smile design plan may include one or more of the following:

• Tooth whitening
• Orthodontic treatment or clear aligners to improve alignment
• Reshaping the gum line (gingivoplasty, planned with a periodontist)
• Composite bonding (tooth-coloured resin shaped directly on the tooth)
• Porcelain or E.max veneers
• Zirconia or all-ceramic crowns and bridges
• Implant-supported prostheses for missing teeth

“Hollywood smile” versus a natural smile design

A “Hollywood smile” usually refers to very white, completely uniform teeth, often with every visible tooth covered. A considered smile design instead sets the shade, shape and number of teeth to suit your age, skin tone and facial features; some people need fewer teeth treated, or a more conservative approach altogether. If you have seen the “Turkey teeth” headlines, our guide to Turkey teeth: veneers, crowns and the real risks explains what tends to go wrong and how careful planning avoids it.

Smile design can be considered for adults who are unhappy with how their teeth look when they smile and whose oral health allows treatment. Common reasons include:

• Discoloured teeth that have not responded well to whitening
• Chipped, worn or short-looking front teeth
• Gaps between teeth (diastema)
• Mild crowding or irregular tooth shapes
• Old fillings or crowns that no longer match
• An uneven gum line, or a lot of gum showing when you smile

Some problems need to be addressed first. Active decay, untreated gum disease (periodontitis), uncontrolled grinding or jaw joint symptoms should be managed before permanent cosmetic restorations are placed. Where teeth are noticeably crowded, orthodontic treatment first can mean far less tooth structure needs to be removed later.

Planning begins with standardised photographs of your face and smile and short videos of you talking and smiling. Your teeth and bite are recorded with an intraoral scanner or, where needed, conventional impressions. These records are combined to analyse the smile; the technology is explained on the digital dentistry page.

The analysis typically looks at:

• How the dental midline relates to the facial midline
• The smile line: whether the edges of the upper teeth follow the curve of the lower lip
• Lip movement and how much gum shows when you smile (“pink aesthetics”)
• Tooth width-to-length proportions and how neighbouring teeth relate
• How the teeth meet the lip during speech, particularly on “f” and “v” sounds
• How the teeth contact when you bite and move your jaw

Geometric guides such as the golden proportion can be a useful starting point, but applying the same ratio to every face does not always look natural. The digital design is therefore adapted to your features and preferences.

The mock-up: a trial run before anything permanent

The digital design, or a wax-up made in the laboratory, is transferred onto your teeth with a temporary composite material. This is the mock-up, and in most cases it is placed without any drilling. You can see the new shape in the mirror, in photographs and while talking, and comment on length, width or edge shape. Changes are made to the plan before the final restorations are produced.

The mock-up also acts as a guide: if preparation is needed, working through it helps ensure only the tooth structure that is genuinely in the way is removed.

Clenching or grinding (bruxism) can place considerably higher and longer-lasting loads on porcelain and ceramic restorations than normal chewing. If it goes unnoticed, a new smile can be affected by chipped veneers, cracked crowns, restorations coming unstuck or a flare-up of jaw joint symptoms. A functional assessment before aesthetic planning is therefore an important step.

The examination looks for:

• Wear facets, enamel cracks and broken fillings
• Tenderness or enlargement of the chewing muscles
• Clicking or grating in the jaw joint, pain, or limited mouth opening
• Morning jaw fatigue or headaches around the temples
• How the teeth meet in your bite and during side-to-side movements

These findings can change the plan. The choice of material (for example a stronger ceramic or monolithic zirconia), restoration thickness, the design of the bite and the use of a night guard (protective splint) afterwards are all decided with them in mind. If you have active jaw pain, it is often sensible to settle it first with TMJ and teeth-grinding treatment before moving on to the cosmetic stage.

For a veneer or crown plan that needs no preliminary treatment, the process generally follows the stages below. How long each takes depends on the number of teeth and the laboratory work involved.

1. Examination and records: a full oral examination, any necessary X-rays, and assessment of the gums and jaw joints; photographs, video and a digital scan are taken, and your expectations are discussed in detail.
2. Digital design and treatment plan: the records are analysed and a digital design (and, if needed, a wax-up) is prepared. Any preliminary treatment, such as fillings, gum treatment or whitening, is identified.
3. Mock-up trial: the design is transferred temporarily to your teeth; you review it and any changes are noted.
4. Preparation and impressions: under local anaesthetic, the minimum necessary preparation is carried out through the mock-up; a digital or conventional impression is taken and temporaries are fitted.
5. Try-in and bonding: the fit, shade and bite of the laboratory-made restorations are checked and, once approved, they are bonded permanently.
6. Review: a follow-up visit checks the bite and gum response; an impression for a night guard is taken if needed.

How many appointments does it take? Where no preliminary treatment is needed, the clinical stages are often completed in 2–4 appointments, with the overall timeframe usually ranging from several days to a few weeks including laboratory time. Gum reshaping, orthodontics or implants extend this. If you are travelling from abroad, our trip planning guide explains how visits are usually scheduled, and you can get in touch through the contact page.

The material is chosen according to the condition of each tooth, the shade change required, your bite and any history of grinding. In brief:

• Porcelain veneers: thin ceramic shells bonded to the front surface of the tooth. In suitable cases they can be placed with limited preparation that stays largely within the enamel.
• E.max (lithium disilicate) veneers and crowns: a translucent glass-ceramic often chosen for the front teeth where a natural appearance is the priority.
• Zirconia crowns: a strong, metal-free ceramic, useful for heavily restored or root-filled teeth, back teeth and bridges.
• Composite bonding: shaped directly in the mouth with little or no preparation; it generally needs more frequent maintenance than porcelain.

A side-by-side comparison, typical preparation depths and guidance on which option suits which situation are on the veneers and zirconia crowns page. If you are weighing up options, veneers vs zirconia crowns may also help.

Smile design sits where restorative dentistry, gum care, orthodontics and sometimes surgery meet. A prosthodontist (a dentist with specialist training in restoring and replacing teeth) plans the shape and material of the restorations and how they work with your bite. Gum levels and gum health are assessed jointly with a periodontist, and alignment with an orthodontist where needed, so that the aesthetic result also suits the gums and the bite.

Dr. Maryam Fazeli completed her specialist training in prosthodontics at İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University and approaches smile design as restorative planning in which function and appearance are considered together. You can read more about her training on the about page.

Porcelain and ceramic restorations are designed for long-term use, but no restoration lasts indefinitely. Clinical studies report that a large proportion of well-planned porcelain veneers and all-ceramic crowns are still functioning after 10 years or more. How long yours last depends on oral hygiene, gum health, grinding habits, diet and regular check-ups, and varies from person to person.

To help your restorations last:

• Brush twice a day and clean between the teeth with floss or interdental brushes
• Attend check-ups and professional cleaning, usually every six months
• Wear your night guard as advised if you grind or clench
• Avoid biting pens, nails or packaging
• Do not bite very hard foods (bones, nutshells, ice) with your front teeth

A brief note on risks

As with any treatment, smile design carries risks, including temporary sensitivity, gum irritation, chipping or debonding of a restoration and the need for replacement in the future. Tooth preparation cannot be reversed, so the decision should be made after the mock-up and a full discussion of alternatives. The Turkey teeth guide covers the most common concerns and how they can be reduced at the planning stage.