Beautiful Smiles…

Always Improving

Improving the standards and results in my dentistry has been something I have always worked at. Currently a full member of the BACD, I regularly train to learn more about creating tooth restorations that look as natural and beautiful as possible. Not every patient is looking for the Hollywood smile. Improved understanding of what makes a beautiful smile however really helps in every type of tooth we restore as dentists.

That is why for the last few years I have been working towards my Accreditation with the BACD (British Academy of Cosmetic Dentists). This involves submitting 5 cases I have worked on. Each has to demonstrate a different type of work, to show a wide range of skills. There are only 15 dentists who have completed this process successfully. The standards are incredibly high. Creating beautiful smiles is not easy.

Finding the right range of cases has in itself been a challenge. The marking is very tight and done at a level of macro photography which allows small faults and imperfections to be seen. These cannot always be noted by the naked eye. I can have an incredibly happy patient at the end of a treatment, but know that the photographs will not be good enough to submit for accreditation.

However the process of reviewing cases with these photographs and having these assessed by fellow professionals has been an amazing driving factor to improve the level of my work over recent years. Having just passed my fourth case in this process I only have one more left to submit.

Nearly There…

I would be lying if I said I am not looking forward to completing the process! It has been incredibly challenging. However I am determined that, even when I do finish, I will continue to review and photograph my work. I think in this case the process and the resulting improvement in my work has been much more beneficial than the Accreditation at the end- although I am looking forward to knowing I have achieved this goal.

Benefits to Patients

changing the shapes and removing the gaps between teeth to create a beautiful smile

But by far the greatest part of this process is being able to improve people’s smiles. The patient pictured above was so happy, she could not stop smiling! If you would like to understand how your smile could be improved please ask. Improving my level of skill has been great, but seeing people at the end of treatment looking and feeling so much better is ultimately the goal. Beautiful smiles make people happy.