Digital Smile Design
Digital Smile Design in Basel
In brief: Digital Smile Design
Digital Smile Design (DSD) can help visualise proposed changes to a smile before treatment. Using photographs, three-dimensional scans and facial analysis, tooth proportions and aesthetics can be planned in relation to the face, lips and expression. The digital design is a communication and planning tool that must still respect biological and functional limits.
In our Basel practice, we combine digital analysis, CAD/CAM workflows and mock-up previews when planning treatments such as veneers, crowns or more extensive reconstructive care. This allows proposed changes to be discussed and tested before definitive treatment.
Potential Benefits and Treatment Goals
Visualise before treatment: a digital simulation can show the proposed direction of your smile in advance.
Individual aesthetics: tooth shape, lips, facial proportions and expression are considered together.
a digital workflow connects analysis, design and the definitive restoration.
patient, dental technician and dentist work towards the same visual treatment goal.
Minimally invasive planning: digital design can help define the amount of treatment required and support tooth-preserving preparation where appropriate.
Communication and planning: studies suggest that digital smile-design workflows can support communication and patient involvement, but they do not guarantee a particular clinical outcome.
When is Digital Smile Design useful?
Optimising tooth shape, length, axes and symmetry
Anterior restorations such as veneers, crowns or composite bonding
Closing spaces, planning tooth movement with aligners or evaluating the gum line
Before larger reconstructions involving both function
How Digital Smile Design works
Photography and 3D scanning – facial and smile photographs, intraoral photographs and a precise digital scan of the teeth.
Analysis and virtual design – assessment of dental and facial reference lines, proportions and the smile line; digital design of tooth form and length using wax-up/CAD software.
In-mouth mock-up, optional but often useful – the proposed design is transferred temporarily to the teeth with a template. You can assess form, length, speech and the appearance of your smile directly in the mirror.
Treatment plan and transparent costs – options may include minimally invasive veneers or composite, aligners, gum contouring, whitening, crowns or bridges. The sequence, timing and relevant alternatives are discussed before treatment.
Materials and digital tools
DSLR-Fotografie, 3D-Intraoralscan, Gesichts-Analyse.
Digital wax-up using CAD and silicone or 3D-printed transfer keys for the mock-up.
If indicated, whitening or minor gingival correction can be carried out before definitive restorations.
Scientific Context
Patient communication: digital aesthetic planning and mock-ups can make proposed changes easier to understand and allow patients and clinicians to discuss expectations before irreversible treatment.
Coachman C. et al. (2022). J Esthet Restor Dent 34(5): 703–710. PMID: 36047633
Precision and function: digital workflows can provide reproducible design and transfer and can be integrated with CAD/CAM and 3D-printing techniques. The clinical result still depends on diagnosis, materials and execution.
Zitzmann NU. et al. (2021). Clin Oral Investig 25(7): 4223–4232. PMID: 33661418
Tooth-preserving preparation: three-dimensional planning can help avoid unnecessary reduction and preserve enamel where the indication and anatomy allow, which is advantageous for adhesive bonding.
Gürel G. et al. (2019). J Prosthet Dent 122(4): 365–372. PMID: 30745165
DSD can help assess proportions and reference lines – for example smile arc and tooth proportions – and communicate them consistently within an interdisciplinary team.
Lombardi RE. et al. (2020). Int J Esthet Dent 15(4): 376–390. PMID: 33448049
Costs and Individual Treatment Planning
(individual costs depend on the scope of planning and whether veneers or crowns are included; a transparent estimate is provided in Basel in advance)
Treatment | Indicative Range |
Digital analysis and smile design | 400 – 900 |
Mock-up (digital / directly in the mouth) | 300 – 600 |
Comprehensive smile-design concept (analysis + mock-up + planning) | 800 – 2'000 |
Definitive treatment, for example veneers or crowns | depending on treatment |
If definitive treatment is subsequently carried out, part of the planning fee may be credited depending on the agreed treatment plan; this is shown transparently in the cost estimate.
Frequently asked questions
Will I really see what my future smile could look like?
on the teeth. Small differences between a preview and the definitive result are possible, but the planned proportions and overall direction can be assessed very well.
Do I always need a mock-up?
Not necessarily, but a mock-up can be a particularly useful decision-making aid for visible anterior changes before definitive treatment.
How long does it take?
Ersttermin (Fotos/Scan/Besprechung) ca. 45–60 Min. Mock-up-Einprobe ca. 30–45 Min.
Does treatment always require tooth preparation afterwards?
Not always. Depending on the starting situation, minimally invasive options may include minimal- or no-prep veneers, composite bonding or aligners. We explain the alternatives before treatment.
Is function considered as well as appearance?
Yes. Functional aspects such as the bite, guidance and phonetics can be incorporated into the planning. Where appropriate, treatment is coordinated with orthodontic or periodontal care.
Visual. Precise. Individual.
Digital Smile Design makes proposed aesthetic changes visible before definitive treatment. If you would like to explore how changes to tooth shape, position or proportions might look, we can demonstrate and discuss them digitally and, where useful, with an in-mouth mock-up.
Diagnostics and Planning
Diagnostics should answer a specific clinical question. Clinical findings, photographs, scans and radiographs are therefore combined according to the indication rather than used routinely. The result supports an understandable diagnosis, comparison of alternatives and transparent treatment planning.
Limitations, Risks and Alternatives
Every diagnostic method has limitations. Imaging does not replace the clinical examination, and additional images are useful only when they can improve a specific clinical decision. Findings are therefore interpreted together with symptoms, the clinical examination and previous imaging.
Digital Smile Design in Basel: experience and clinical context
At Fachzahnarztpraxis Dr. Gasser in Basel, diagnostics are used to support structured clinical decision-making. Dr Thomas Gasser is a specialist in reconstructive dentistry (SSRD), holds an MAS in Oral Implantology (UZH) and is a member of the SGDMFR. Digital methods are used where they meaningfully complement clinical assessment and planning.More about Dr Thomas Gasser’s training and qualifications.
Related Topics on Our Website
Depending on the individual situation, mock-up, Intraoralscanner or Examination may also be relevant.You can find further dental services in Basel in our treatment overview.
Literature and Scientific Context
PubMed PMID 39022468 – The Recent Use, Patient Satisfaction, and Advancement in Digital Smile Designing: A Systematic Review
PubMed PMID 41473620 – Digital Smile Design and Patient-Centered Outcomes in Esthetic Restorative Dentistry: A Systematic Review
The selected literature provides scientific context. Which findings are relevant to a specific treatment depends on the diagnosis, the starting situation, individual risks and the treatment goals agreed together.
Other treatments
