Active Smile Design for Injection Moulding.

Dr Janika Laubscher BChD

Advancements in technology have revolutionised the way we think about and approach aesthetic dentistry. In the last few months, I have come across and started using the technique of injection moulding in combination with digital smile design and it has completely changed the way I think about aesthetics. It has opened a whole new spectrum of treatment options that are affordable, predictable and efficient and the best part is – my patients love it too!

After starting my Active Aligner journey with Smile Club a few years ago, I soon realised that although aligning teeth and improving patients’ bite has brought about a lot of satisfactory outcomes, there was often still a need to improve the harmony and symmetry of the smile. The dilemma I had was that usually prosthetic work like crowns and veneers were going to be too invasive whereas building the teeth up by hand was time consuming and had its limitations. I had heard the term injection moulding before but never really considered it. Only after attending a seminar by Dr Marc Sher for Active Aligners, did I decide to try it out for myself, and I have not looked back since.

The incredible and innovative technology of an intraoral scanner in combination with Active Smile Design by Smile Club, has given me the opportunity to predictably and precisely plan an ideal smile for my patients with the benefit of it being cost-effective and minimally invasive. What I love most about it is the ease of use and the fact that I can customise my patient’s smile – each of us are after all unique in our own way and should embrace and enhance what we already have! The added benefit of being able to manufacture an occlusal guard for bruxers that can be incorporated at the same time as the injection moulding also ensures durability and longevity of the restorations. Patients can also keep their moulds for future use should any adjustments be necessary again.

It has been such an easy adoption into my workflow as it is not very time consuming and patient acceptance has been very satisfying. The fact that they can engage and be part of the planning process and are provided a mock-up reassures them about their new bite. It also provides the emotional excitement about the final smile which has really aided me in getting patients to be invested in the treatment plan. Smile Club has developed an amazing platform where everything from upload to delivery has been well thought through and is very user friendly. The submission of new cases is simple, the detail of the customisation and specifications of each individual case makes it so efficient and ensures that the outcome is exactly what was envisioned.

I am truly amazed at what options are available for customising the Active Smile Design – from lingual anatomy, embrasure closures, tooth shape, occlusion selection to line angles and necking – which all ensure that each patient’s unique and precise requirements are met and that clinicians can truly create art! With the use of the right materials that have ideal consistencies and mechanical properties, I believe that we have come to a point where patients can be provided with an incredible aesthetic outcome, a comfortable and affordable procedure and the luxury of being non-invasive while achieving all of this. I can only get excited thinking of what promising advancements we will get to experience in the future as this technology continues to develop. This has opened the door for occlusal wear correction, smile makeovers and restoration of function without having to take away a lot of tooth structure to achieve it.

It has been a pleasure working with Smile Club when doing these Active Smile Design cases, just like with Active Aligners. Their expertise, ease of case uploads, treatment plan modifications, neat and modern packaging and their support throughout the cases make it so comfortable for us as clinicians. It has given me the confidence to explore the different avenues that injection moulding has to offer, knowing that preciseness and quality will be delivered every time.

Dr Janika Laubscher

Janika graduated from the University of Pretoria in 2015. She has a passion for paediatric & aesthetic dentistry, with a focus on Botox TM and Active Aligners. She loves people and her empathic nature focuses on her patient’s wellbeing in every appointment. In her free time she enjoys spending time with everyone she loves, especially her cuddly frenchies and adores travelling and new adventures. She also loves learning new skills where she can let her right-brain work and is a sucker for a good cup of coffee and Paul’s Homemade Ice-cream!