How do I talk to a patient about what their smile used to look like?
Pull out an old photo. I like to ask about a wedding photo, the first marriage one, because people genuinely smile more in that picture than in any later one. That single prompt opens up the whole conversation about anterior esthetics without me forcing it. Sometimes they want back what they had. Sometimes they want something they never had at all. Either way it surfaces fast. Once that desire is on the table, you have real tools to work with, like running a digital smile preview in a couple of versions, one matching the old smile and one a little better. Do not skip this. The patient cannot see what is possible until you help them picture it, and that picture is where the case starts to live.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.