This week I was fortunate enough to meet with Marc Leichtung the inventor of the Snap-On Smile. He was giving a lecture for advanced Snap On Smile providers and I was invited along. He is wholly committed to making the product as successful as it can possibly be and was giving us insights into the new manufacturing techniques and materials that make the product even better than before.
One of the new products that was made available was Snap-It! This is a product that only spans 6 teeth or less. It can be used in any area of the mouth to replace even a single tooth. It has been designed so that it does not cover the palate in any way and both protects and enhances the area where the missing/damaged/implanted tooth may be. It is manufactured with an advanced milling technique on computer so that the fit is perfect. The new material is even more flexible than before making it more durable and comfortable to wear.
He showed us many cases where the patients had been using their Snap-On Smile for over 5 years! When they come back to the practice for their periodic hygiene visits, he just gives the appliance a polish and it looks brand new again! He has his own Snap-On Smile appliance that he has worn on a daily basis for over 3 and a half years! Not only does it look great but he looks great with them on too.
While in the past it was only recommended to make the Snap-On Smile to one or two teeth past the last tooth in the arch, with the advent of mini-implants it is very easy to make a Snap On Smile with molars for chewing. And for patients that need something to improve the aesthetics while their standard implants are healing, the Snap-On Smile or Snap-It! covers them until they’re ready to be restored. For those interested in dental implants, please visit one of our Implant Open Days.
The Snap-On Smile is monochromatic ie. the entire appliance is made of the one selected colour, and while that looks great for most people, Marc showed us how to characterise the device. Individual teeth on the appliance can be made to look like a previously extracted tooth or made more yellow near the gum line for a more natural look. Some people have very distinctive teeth, and want to maintain that look as before. That’s all possible now in just a short time.
Other new things are the Lumi Smile which digitally simulates whitening, LUMINEERS and replacing missing teeth with the Snap-On Smile to show what your new smile will look like. I can’t wait for that to be available here!
There really are some exciting changes ahead so stay tuned!!
