What is Aesthetic Dentistry?
Aesthetic dentistry is a field where art and medicine merge, aiming to create a personalized, natural, and healthy smile by ensuring the harmony of the mouth, teeth, gums, and lips. To achieve a flawless smile design (Hollywood Smile), the following current treatment methods are applied, individually or in combination, depending on the need:
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Light-cured composite fillings (bonding): These are restorations that are applied in a single session using bonding agents to match the tooth color. They are both aesthetically pleasing in front teeth and resistant to chewing pressure in back teeth.
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Porcelain Fillings (Inlays/Onlays): In cases where more than half of a tooth is damaged, these are highly durable porcelain restorations prepared in a laboratory, as an alternative to classic fillings or crowns.
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Laminate veneers (porcelain veneers): These are thin porcelain plates with high light transmittance that are applied by minimally (or no) removing any material from the tooth surface. They do not change color due to factors such as tea, coffee, and smoking, and tartar does not form on them.
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Zirconium Crowns: These crowns, thanks to their white zirconium substructure, do not reflect metal into the gums and are 2-3 times more durable than all-ceramic restorations.
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Emax / Empress Crowns: These are special porcelain crowns that contain no metal, have even higher light transmittance than zirconium, and offer the closest aesthetic resemblance to natural teeth in the front teeth.
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Pink Aesthetics (Gum Aesthetics): This is a procedure to restore the gums to a healthy, light pink color and to make their levels symmetrical.
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Gummy Smile Treatment: This involves correcting the condition where more than 2 mm of the upper gums are visible when smiling or speaking, using orthodontic, surgical, periodontological methods, or Botox.
Who is it suitable for?
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Those who want to have the ideal smile design (Hollywood Smile) that best suits their facial features and lip structure,
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Those with permanent discoloration of their teeth due to hereditary reasons or antibiotic use,
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Patients with broken, worn, or gaps (diastema) teeth,
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Those who have high aesthetic expectations for their front teeth and are looking for a natural look,
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Those who experience gum discoloration/gray reflection problems due to metal-supported porcelain crowns (Zirconium and Emax are preferred),
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This product is suitable for patients whose gums are more visible than normal when smiling (Gummy Smile) or who have asymmetry, swelling, or redness in their gums.
How does the treatment process progress?
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Digital Scanning and Design (CAD-CAM): The patient’s oral cavity is digitally transferred in three dimensions using special scanners. The facial and intraoral photographs are superimposed on a computer system to select the teeth that best suit the patient’s facial features.
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Mock-Up (Preliminary Viewing): Before treatment begins, a design prepared using 3D printed models is applied to the patient’s mouth with temporary prosthetic material. This allows the patient to see the expected aesthetic result in the mirror before the procedure.
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Tooth and Gum Preparation: After deciding on the smile design, (if necessary) pink aesthetic procedures are used to make the gums symmetrical and healthy. Then, minimal preparations are made on the tooth surfaces according to the chosen treatment (Laminate, Zirconium, Emax, etc.).
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Production and Application: Restorations are precisely manufactured in the laboratory using computer-aided systems and permanently fixed to the teeth with special adhesive agents. (Composite bonding procedures, however, are usually completed in a single session in the clinic without requiring a laboratory.)
Things to Consider Before Treatment
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For an aesthetic restoration to be possible, the underlying tissue (gums) must first be healthy. Therefore, gum health should be ensured before treatment through procedures such as tartar removal, curettage, or gingivectomy.
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In smile design, “naturalness” should be prioritized. Patients should clearly express their expectations, desired tooth color and shape to the dentist during the “mock-up” (preliminary presentation) stage.
Things to Consider After Treatment
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Although restorations such as laminate veneers, zirconium, or Emax offer high durability, they should be avoided with vigorous movements like cracking nuts or walnuts, or biting on pens, just as with natural teeth.
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To prolong the life of aesthetic restorations and protect gum health, proper brushing twice a day, flossing, and interdental brush use should not be neglected.
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With regular and proper oral care, aesthetic veneers and laminates will retain their original shape and color for many years. Routine 6-month dental check-ups should not be neglected.
1. Can I see the results of Hollywood Smile (Smile Design) treatment beforehand?
Yes. Thanks to the advanced intraoral scanners, CAD-CAM systems, and 3D printing technologies used in our clinic, the design is prepared in a computer environment. You can test your new smile in your mouth with temporary materials without any cutting of your teeth.
2. What is the difference between zirconium and Emax (Empress) crowns?
Both are metal-free aesthetic veneers. Zirconium crowns are much stronger in terms of durability and are safely used in posterior teeth or implant-supported restorations. Emax crowns, on the other hand, have higher light transmittance than zirconium; therefore, they are preferred in anterior teeth where maximum aesthetics and naturalness are desired, and their use in posterior teeth is not recommended.
3. Will my teeth be significantly reduced in size during the veneer (laminate) procedure?
No. The biggest advantage of laminate veneer treatment is that it involves minimal intervention on the tooth. Depending on the case, only a thin layer of 0.3-0.7 mm is roughened on the front surface of the tooth, and in some suitable cases, it can even be applied directly without any cutting or grinding of the tooth.
4. How is the problem of Gummy Smile (Gum Smile) solved?
In our clinic, the condition where more than 2 mm of gums are visible when smiling is analyzed in detail. Depending on the source of the problem, this issue is successfully treated with methods such as shortening the gum line with laser or cautery, orthodontic wire/aligner treatments, relaxing the upper lip muscle with Botox application, or jaw surgery procedures.