The visual appeal of a photograph is the link to the emotional side of the brain where we make our decisions of choice.  It is here that needs become wants.  A picture is worth a thousand words can be restated to say a picture is worth a thousand veneers.  Nothing speaks more profoundly to your prospective patient than a beautiful photograph that projects happiness, youth, vitality, sexiness and success.  Especially, if that photograph can connect to their inner psyche and create a desire that drives them to act.

A great photograph is transparent, meaning that when you look at it all you see is the result and it touches your soul.  The type of camera, media, lens, lighting, and processing are but a means to that end.  The same is true for artistic cosmetic dentistry; the techniques and materials are transparent to the result.  Put beautiful photography with beautiful dentistry and you have a key to successful case acceptance, plus it can make you and your patients just feel good.

So how do you create the perfect picture?

1. Have fun.
2. Learn to see like an artist.
3. Control camera movement.
4. Choose equipment that works for you.
5. Learn to use your equipment to the fullest advantage.
6. Manipulate the light and shadows the way you want.
7. Create the right mood for your model.
8. Take a lot of shots, very few are exceptional.
9. When it all works remember how you did it.
10. Display your work in a way in which your audience can relate.
11. Did I say to have fun?

The teeth and the human mouth are more than just the masticatory apparatus for chewing food that can get decayed and needs to be filled or replaced when lost. The oral part of the body is integrally linked to emotional well-being, self-esteem, pleasure and sensations of food, and communication on both a verbal and non-verbal level.

The art of aesthetic dentistry can be defined as the creation of beauty in form and function of the oral-facial complex.  It is the creative manipulation and enhancement of one of the most human of characteristics, the smile.  Aesthetics in dentistry is much more than just how it looks and is the most comprehensive and complex part of dentistry.  It is the fusion of art and science within the framework of form following function.  It is as much about the visible three-dimensional restorations that we create and how they fit within the physiologic system as it is about the invisible influence we leave on the psyche. The success and longevity of the results of our endeavors are greatly determined by the occlusal forces generated by the muscles of mastication during function and parafunction.

This is an art form like no other in that we are dealing with the visible and the invisible.  Through our creations we change how people look but more importantly change how they feel.  For those that want to look better, we take obtuse and sometimes vaguely defined desires and create beauty.  For those that want to feel better we can reduce or eliminate real pain and enhance the quality of a life.  Ours is an art form that is dictated not as much by the artist as it is by the ultimate owner, the client. Translating the desires and expectations of our clients into successful results by precisely listening and communicating the same to the laboratory is an exercise in artistry unto itself.

The human face is the living canvas in which we work.  No two are the same and each possess it’s own set of challenges and limitations.  How we decide what is beautiful or handsome is a very complex process but yet we all recognize it immediately.  The idea that beauty is in the eye of the beholder rings true and our past experiences, culture, social conditioning, sex, ethnicity, and age all play a factor in setting our own paradigms.  The results we can attain as artists of living tissue and the psyche will be as unique as the individual we are treating but have the common theme of attractiveness that can be hard to quantify.

Know where your client is going, know where you are going, know where you are starting and know how to finish.  To do that starts at learning to listen to what your client is asking for and is what Dr. James Klim refers to as the other side of talking.  It is critical that you are able to capture the essence of what the desires are and be able to transfer those to the ceramist to achieve success.  Computer imaging, intra-oral composite mock-ups, diagnostic wax-ups, smile catalogs and galleries of other smiles, and photographs of other clients can all be useful in clarifying the target.   No one technique works with every client but should be customized to his or her particular situation.  Once a client has said yes, I have found it to be counter productive to keep showing them options of the result that may be achieved.

Aesthetic success is only attained when the client is satisfied.  To achieve that success requires carefully listening to the patient’s desires and expectations.  Precise diagnosis and treatment planning combined with excellent communication with the patient and the ceramist are essential. Careful attention to the artistic and functional demands of the case will assure predictable and beautiful results.  It is the artistic component of this type of dentistry that makes it so challenging and at the same time enjoyable.

Dr. Rhys Spoor is a 1983 graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle and has an active practice in aesthetic and restorative dentistry.

This article was previously published and reprinted for the Artistry and Dentistry blog.