Tip: How to exceed the esthetic expectations of your patients

You insert the new lithium disilicate (shade A2) anterior restorations in the patient’s mouth and wait with anticipation for their reaction. The patient is overjoyed: The colour, shape, translucency and all the details are perfect.
Alternatively, the patient could be disappointed and complain that the tooth colour is too dark or the tooth shape does not suit them. This is a tricky situation. We have a few tips for you on how you can avoid such pitfalls and satisfy or perhaps even exceed the expectations of your patients.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Beauty is a subjective quality. The perception of what is esthetic differs from one person to another. There is no right or wrong in this situation.

A number of factors influence the esthetic appearance of dental restorations, which should all be carefully considered. They include, for example, the tooth shade, the tooth shape and the dental material selected for the restoration.

Good communication is indispensable

To prevent any misunderstandings with regard to the esthetic expectations of your patients, the members of the expert dental team, the dentist and the dental technician, must collaborate very closely. Good communication is needed to convey the esthetic needs of the patient properly and satisfy the requirements of all the parties involved. The best planning strategy is useless, if information is poorly disseminated and the individual team members do not work together effectively. In short: An intensive exchange of information must take place between the dentist and the dental technician. This a fundamental prerequisite for a satisfying outcome.

Overall harmonious appearance

For a dental restoration to look naturally beautiful, the shape and colour of the tooth should blend in harmoniously with the overall appearance of the patient.

As a dental practitioner you will be familiar with a variety of helpful techniques, for example, shade selection on the basis of digital photos and shade samples. They will allow you to supply your dental technician with important information about the patient. This information includes:

• Clear photos of the overall appearance of the patient
• Detailed information about the original colour of the teeth
• Individual characteristics of the teeth
• Preparation colour

These specifications are of utmost importance to your dental laboratory. They will allow the laboratory to select the most suitable restorative material for a given case.

Materials specialist

Dental technician are your materials specialists. They have extensive knowledge and expertise in the esthetic properties and applications of dental materials. Their experience in producing restorations using the press technique and in milling monolithic ceramics using CAD/CAM techniques and their command of various layering methods and the corresponding materials plays a decisive role in the fabrication of highly esthetic restorations.

Clever use of intelligent technologies

Intelligente Technologien können helfen, den Kommunikationsfluss zwischen Zahnarztpraxis und Dentallabor zu verbessern. Ein Beispiel ist die kostenlose IPS e.max Shade Navigation App (SNA).  Sie berücksichtigt alle wichtigen Einflussfaktoren bei der Materialwahl. Über die einfache Eingabe und Auswahl von Zahnfarbe, Indikation, Stumpffarbe, Schichtstärke und Material generiert die App die auf diese Einflussfaktoren geprüften passenden Blöcke und Scheiben aus dem Materialportfolio des IPS e.max-Systems.

Patient involvement

Augmented reality planning tools, for example IvoSmile, allow dental professionals to involve the patients in the treatment process while they are seated in the dental chair – and therefore prevent any unpleasant surprises. The patient is given the opportunity to clearly visualize the new teeth in their mouth at the beginning of the treatment. As a result, they can express their opinions regarding the tooth shape and shade and contribute to the planning process. All the parties involved obtain the same impression of the situation. The risk of false expectations and misinterpretations is considerably reduced.

Conclusion: success due to excellent teamwork, modern technologies and top-quality materials

By closely collaborating with your dental partners and involving the patient in the planning of the treatment process you can improve the understanding of the case at hand within your team of experts and therefore fulfil or even exceed the expectations of your patients. A broad knowledge base combined with intelligent technologies and modern, highly esthetic all-ceramic materials will help  you to achieve amazing results.

Discover unprecedented possibilities with the proven IPS e.max system.