Smile Solutions

Minor but Major 🚀

At first glance, it’s just the repair of a previously fractured composite restoration.

But look more closely.

The restoration itself was only part of what needed correcting. We also refined the corners, angles and contours of the front teeth to bring greater harmony and character to the smile.

These details may be measured in fractions of a millimetre, but visually they can make an enormous difference.

Corners and angles influence how we perceive a smile. They can make teeth appear softer or stronger, more rounded or more angular, more youthful or more mature. They can subtly influence whether a smile feels more traditionally feminine or masculine, while still respecting the individual features and personality of the patient.

And this is where experience becomes important.

If we simply repair the fracture and ignore everything surrounding it, technically the tooth may be “fixed” — but aesthetically, the job can still look unfinished.

For me, anterior dentistry is never simply about filling the missing piece.

It is about understanding line angles, proportions, symmetry, surface anatomy and how one tooth relates to every tooth around it.

The difference between dentistry and advanced aesthetic dentistry can sometimes be almost invisible in measurement. But indeed very visible in the smile.

🦷🧠 Problem-Solving

Dentistry has protocols. We have textbooks. We have ideal treatment pathways. But patients don’t always arrive with textbook problems.

A fixed lingual retainer would conventionally be bonded across the anterior teeth, often canine to canine. But what happens when the anatomy, occlusion or available space simply doesn’t allow you to place the “ideal” retainer?

You problem-solve.

In this case, rather than deciding that a fixed retainer simply wasn’t possible, we looked at what we actually needed to retain, where we had sufficient space, and what could realistically be achieved for this particular patient.

The solution was a more selective fixed retention design, stabilising the lateral incisors to the canines rather than trying to force a conventional canine-to-canine retainer into an unsuitable space.

And importantly, this wasn’t being asked to do everything. A removable Essix retainer worn at night provides additional retention across the arch.

This is live clinical dentistry. Protocols give us a framework. They should however never ever replace judgement.

The question isn’t always:
“What is the standard protocol?”

It is:
“What is the right protocol for this patient, today, and how can I adapt it safely to give them the maximum benefit within the limitations I have?”

Dentistry is one enormous problem-solving exercise. Knowing the textbook is essential. Knowing when and how to adapt it is always experience.

Inward challenges 🔝💭

Wide, prominent teeth with a large overjet that sit too far forward, can be surprisingly challenging to treat.

Simply expanding the dental arch may create space, but it can also make the patient’s smile appear unnecessarily too wide. In this case, expansion was kept very minimal because the aim was not to add width where it was not needed.

Instead, carefully planned minimal interproximal reduction was carried out to create the space required to reposition and rotate the teeth into a more ideal location within the lips.

The final result was then completed with very conservative teeth reshaping, teeth whitening and minimal carefully planned composite addition.

When carrying out interproximal reduction, every position must be carefully considered. We have to respect tooth proportions, facial harmony, the smile arc and the individual character of the patient.

Each area selected for IPR was specifically planned to ensure that the smile was not only aesthetically pleasing, but also retained the personality and individuality of the person sitting in the dental chair.

Cosmetic dentistry should never produce the same smile on every face.

The aim is to create the best version of that person’s smile not to erase what made it theirs in the first place.

The Patient👩🏽‍💼Dentist👩🏻‍⚕️Ceramic Technician👩🏻‍🎨 Relationship

I have personally found that one of the most important relationships in dentistry, when aiming for the best aesthetic outcome, is the relationship between the dentist and the ceramic technician.

Every technician has their own style of working, strengths and areas of expertise. No one technician can be an expert in every single style of ceramic or aesthetic design.

As dentists, we need to understand who is best suited to each case. That means meeting technicians, seeing their work, understanding how they communicate and building professional relationships with the people who can help us deliver the standard our patients require.

The patient’s preferences are also an important part of that decision.

Some patients want to visit the laboratory, meet the technician and become involved in the design process. For them, a more local technician may be the right choice.

Others are happy for the dentist to coordinate everything and prefer to communicate through digital photographs, scans and online consultations. For those patients, an international technician may be entirely appropriate.

There is no single correct approach. The right choice depends on the patient’s wishes, the complexity of the case, the style of ceramic required and the technician best suited to deliver it.

The best aesthetic outcomes occur when the patient’s expectations, the dentist’s clinical judgement and the ceramic technician’s style and expertise merge into one clear treatment vision.

This particular ceramic work was created by Richard from Rich Art, London.

🎁🍫 Gifts

Gifts are never “just gifts.”

This box of chocolates was brought in for our newer dentist, Dr Nina Kelman, by one of her patients.

To me, as a practice owner, that says a lot. Not because of the chocolates themselves, but because of what they represent: trust, gratitude, reassurance, and a patient feeling genuinely valued in a short space of time.

For a patient to accept a treatment plan, complete their course of treatment, and then return with a gift for the dentist who cared for them is incredibly meaningful.

Especially when that dentist is new to the practice. It tells me that my judgement was spot on, right.
That Dr Nina is not only clinically capable, but also connecting with patients in the way that matters most and his representative of us.

With care.
With communication.
With kindness.
With standards.

At Smile Solutions London, dentistry is never only about the treatment in the chair. It is about how patients feel before, during and after their care.

So yes, it may look like a box of chocolates. But to me, each bite represents something far greater: the giving and receiving of trust, care and appreciation.

And that goes far beyond dentistry. It’s business longevity well understood.



Threads

It is never “just a box of chocolates.”

When a patient returns with a gift, it usually means they felt seen, cared for and safe.

That is the dentistry that matters.

LinkedIn: Smile Solutions London

The Meaning Behind A Patient Gift

At Smile Solutions London, patient gifts are never taken lightly.

This box of chocolates was brought in for our newer dentist, Dr Nina Kelman, by one of her patients. On the surface, it is a thoughtful gesture. But as a practice owner, I see something much deeper.

It represents trust built in a short period of time. It represents a patient who felt listened to, cared for, guided and valued throughout their treatment journey.

When a patient accepts a treatment plan, completes their care, and then chooses to return with a gift for the clinician who looked after them, it says something important about the experience they received.

For us, this is what dentistry should be about.

Clinical skill matters. Diagnosis matters. Treatment planning matters. But so does communication, reassurance, consistency and the feeling that a patient is being properly cared for as an individual.

Dr Nina has already shown that she brings not only excellent clinical judgement, but also the human qualities that patients remember.

A box of chocolates may seem small.

But in practice life, these moments tell us a great deal.

Personal LinkedIn Repost

A patient gift is never just a gift.

As a practice owner, seeing a patient return with chocolates for Dr Nina Kelman means a great deal. It tells me the care, communication and trust were felt exactly where they matter most: by the patient.