Smile design principles
Aesthetic Dentistry Basics · Dental (BDS)
Study notes
A patient wants veneers but has a canted occlusal plane. Why plan the bite first? Aesthetics on a crooked foundation looks wrong - smile design starts with facial analysis (midlines, lip line, gingival symmetry), then function, then restorations. Students learn the design order: face, function, then teeth - the mock-up (trial smile) lets the patient approve the plan before any tooth is touched, because the best veneer can't fix a plan the face rejects.