SureSmile is a revolutionary new way to create customised archwires for highly predictable results from your orthodontic treatment.  Here, Dr. Anthony Lam explains why we are using them for an increasing number of treatments.

SureSmile is a new way of crafting braces.  It uses advanced 3D imaging, virtual simulations and robots to bend customised archwires, instead of them being bent by hand.  This new technology enables your orthodontist to deliver your treatment with unprecedented precision.

“As a practice, we are trying to move away from using physical models of teeth,” explains Dr. Lam.  “Especially for orthodontics, we are very keen on using 3D digital technology.  There are many benefits for the patient.”

These benefits include:

  • It’s a great diagnostic tool
  • It’s a great tool for consent
  • It’s a great tool for planning the treatment
  • It’s great for giving the patient more control over the customisation of their own treatment

The process of taking the 3D images is much more pleasant for the patient compared to taking impressions.  It’s also quick.  As a practice, we’ve been using the SureSmile technology with the Invisalign brace system for more than five years.  In that time, the expertise of our team has enabled us to reduce the time it takes to complete an accurate scan for patients from 25 minutes to under 5 minutes for a full mouth scan.

This makes it highly convenient for patients, as well as giving them more control.  SureSmile gives patients greater control over their treatment because from the scan we are able to produce simulations of what their teeth will look like at the end of their treatment.

“The great thing about it is all our patients can see their end results,” enthuses Dr. Lam.  “That is very important, not only from a consent perspective – so the patient can see what they are signing up for – but also it enables them to actually have a look at it and customise to a certain extent what their smile will look like in the end.”

While the treatment started off as a natural partner to the Invisalign removable aligners, we are now one of the first to adopt SureSmile for use with fixed braces.  Dr. Lam says, “there are also a lot of instances in cosmetic dentistry, for example, veneers, where we can show the patient what the end result will look like and that can then have some bearing on how we undertake the treatment.”

With the wider application of the SureSmile system we are gradually moving away from the inconvenience of moulds and impressions and moving to a system which, ultimately, gives both us and the patient more control over their treatment and its outcome.

For more information about the SureSmile system visit here.