A smile design before and after using the DSD App.
If you’re reading this article, you might be new to DSD – or perhaps you use the DSD App to create 2D smile simulations for your patients. And from here, it might be hard to see why you should take the leap and implement more of Digital Smile Design. After all, if you’re already designing smiles, why do you need a DSD course?
This is the question we want to answer in this article. Or in other words: what do you get from a DSD course (and further knowledge of DSD) that the DSD App can’t give you?
To do this, we will compare the DSD App to the DSD Provider course, which is a common starting point for dentists who are new to Digital Smile Design.
DSD App vs the DSD Provider course: a quick view comparison
In the table below, we compare the main features of the DSD App and the DSD Provider course, which gives participants a thorough grounding in the DSD workflows and protocols.
| DSD App | DSD Provider | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free on the iPad App Store | $900 On Demand / $2,900.00 in person |
| Additional costs | None | DSD Provider Membership: From $550/month or $5,990/year |
| Is this a tool for smile design? | Yes | No |
| Does it teach smile design? | No | No - but it lets you work with our team of smile designers |
| Does it give you access to the DSD Planning Center? | No | Yes |
| Can you learn DSD workflows? | No | Yes |
| Does it help you treatment plan? | Yes - but at a basic level. It gives an idea of how to execute a treatment plan. It can't be compared to 3D treatment planning, as 2D has limitations in terms of precision and depth | Yes |
| Can it improve patient communication? | Yes - with smile simulations | Yes - with proven strategies |
| Subscription to DSD Online included? | No | Yes |
| Do you get CE credits? | No | Yes |
The DSD App and its role in your workflow
If you already use the DSD App, you’ll know that it’s a handy digital tool to create quick and simple smile simulations. What you produce using the DSD App can be incredibly useful as a starting point for your treatment plan and communicating realistic expectations to your patient with a before and after of a potential future smile.
It is also valuable when it comes to aligning with your team and your lab in order to move your project into the 3D world.
In addition, the DSD App can be of use during the restorative phase of treatment to help you evaluate your provisionals, make suggestions to your patient and test drive the smile design in 2D.
Finally - there’s a lot to be said for having a tool to practice smile design: and this is another use for the DSD App. Christian Coachman is a big advocate for drawing and believes that 2D drawings help us better understand how to develop smiles in 3D. By using the guidelines, positioning the smile frame and testing smile simulations, you will start activating the artistic side of your brain and improve your smile design skills.
Creating a smile design using the DSD App.
The limitations of the DSD App
The app is a DIY tool for producing 2D smile simulations. If this is what you are looking for, great! But there are limitations to the app’s functionalities that can only be addressed with a DSD course.
Here are two big reasons why you should invest in a course despite being able to design smiles yourself using the DSD App.
1. The DSD App doesn’t let you benefit from DSD workflows
The DSD App is a small piece of the DSD workflow, but there is much more to DSD than this.
And by limiting yourself to designing smiles on the app without attending a course, you’re not taking full advantage of the DSD workflows and protocols. The app doesn’t teach smile design – or how to implement Digital Smile Design in your practice.
In contrast, this is what the DSD Provider course does. The course gives dentists practical, ready-to-implement strategies which solve common issues experienced by professionals worldwide. These include how to:
Deliver exceptional smile transformations in a predictable way
Treatment-plan complex cases more simply
Consistently achieve good results from your dental lab
Build more authentic connections with patients
Improve the patient experience through emotional dentistry
Develop a comprehensive treatment planning philosophy
Integrate good dentistry with a successful business model
Refine communication and presentation skills
The DSD Provider course aims to help you to become a more comprehensive dentist, which means leveraging technology to become more comprehensive and more interdisciplinary, improve diagnosis and treatment planning, and improve team and patient communication.
This comprehensive mindset is the foundation of DSD. By differentiating yourself as a comprehensive dentist you'll deliver better care, generate more word of mouth referrals and ultimately convert more patients.
2. The DSD App doesn’t give you access to our specialist team
On the DSD App you design smiles by yourself but when you attend the DSD Provider course, you get access to the DSD Planning Center.
This means that you can work with our specialist team to produce smile designs and interdisciplinary treatment plans for your patients.
The DSD Planning Center is the only completely interdisciplinary treatment planning hub in the world. It brings together multiple teams of dentists and engineers who are experts in treatment planning in a range of dental specialties.
But why do you need a team? Because working with the DSD Planning Center offers you the support of the interdisciplinary team to discuss ideas and back up your decisions.
In addition, at the DSD Planning Center, every case starts with the Diagnostic Design. This is the initial, facially and airway-driven esthetic project which becomes the ‘end’ the team have in mind to visualize the possible ideal outcome – and then reverse engineer the best possible treatment plan or achieve it.
In this way, designing a smile with the DSD Planning Center means that the smile is connected with the treatment plan to ensure it is clinically feasible and considering all specialties.
The DSD Planning Center designs patient smiles for dental clients around the world.
In addition, working with the DSD Planning Center team means that you can also present your patient’s potential new smile with impact through the motivational mock up and not just a simulation.
However ‘perfect’ a simulation may be, it is infinitely more powerful for them to experience their new smile through a mock up.
Other ways to get started with DSD
In this article we have compared the DSD App to the DSD Provider course because the DSD Provider course is a typical starting point for dentists to learn the DSD workflows and protocols.
However, it’s certainly not the only option when it comes to DSD courses. You might choose to complete courses on our online platform, DSD Online, or find out if you are eligible to join the DSD Clinics program.
Remember: the DSD Provider course is not a dedicated smile design course. Though it demonstrates the importance and basics of smile design, the session on smile design is dedicated to the concept of facially driven smile design.
If you want a course that will help you to improve your smile design skills, take a look at Designing Smiles with Christian Coachman.
DSD App or DSD course?
If all you are looking for is a tool to create 2D smile simulations, the DSD App may be the right choice for you. However, if you would like to leverage DSD to become a more comprehensive dentist, as well as count on the support of the DSD Planning Center to develop interdisciplinary treatment plans and smile designs for your patients, a DSD course is the way to go.
Find out more about both by choosing an option below:
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