Digital Smile Design in Del Mar
Choosing a new smile shouldn't feel like a guess. Most people who come to us from Del Mar have spent years looking at photos, wondering whether their teeth look too short, too dark, or slightly off-center — but they've never had a way to see what a change would actually look like on their own face. Digital Smile Design solves that problem. It turns a vague wish into a visual plan you can look at, react to, and adjust before a single tooth is touched.
Digital Smile Design is a planning process, not a single procedure. We start with photographs and video of your face — smiling, speaking, at rest — along with digital scans of your teeth. Those records are combined into a design that maps proposed tooth shape, length, width, and position against the natural lines of your face: your lip line, your midline, the way your smile moves when you talk. Instead of designing teeth in isolation, we design them for the face they belong to.
The result is a preview. You see the proposed smile before treatment begins, and you tell us what you think. Too long? Too uniform? Not bright enough, or brighter than you're comfortable with? Those conversations happen at the design stage, where changes cost nothing but time. For our Del Mar patients, that means arriving at a treatment plan you've already approved visually, rather than hoping the final result matches what you pictured in your head.
What makes this approach different at our studio is that facial aesthetics and dentistry are planned together. Darian Anderson, DDS, handles the cosmetic dentistry side, and Sarah Garces, NP-C, our aesthetic nurse practitioner and facial balancing specialist, brings the facial perspective — with Monica Kieu, D.O., FACS serving as our medical director. That collaboration is exactly why we built Muse the way we did: too many people were getting veneers in one office and neurotoxins or dermal fillers somewhere else, with nobody looking at how the pieces fit together.
In practice, that means a Digital Smile Design plan here can account for more than teeth. If lip position, facial symmetry, or skin texture are part of what you're hoping to change, those can be considered in the same conversation rather than raised as an afterthought months later. Everything stays under one roof, coordinated by one team, which spares Del Mar patients the work of managing multiple providers who never speak to each other.
Who It's a Good Fit For
Digital Smile Design works for a wide range of goals, from subtle refinement to a full smile makeover. We see Del Mar patients who want to correct worn or chipped edges, close small gaps, address teeth that have darkened over time, or even out a smile that's always looked slightly asymmetrical. Others come to us before a wedding or a milestone and simply want to know what's possible.
The design itself guides which treatments make sense for you. Depending on your goals, a plan might involve porcelain veneers, composite veneers, clear aligners, in-office or take-home teeth whitening, or implant-supported options like All-on-4 or All-on-6 when teeth are missing. Bone grafting is available when implant planning calls for it. Nothing is assumed in advance — the plan follows the design, not the other way around.
- A complimentary consultation to talk through what bothers you and what you want
- Photos, video, and digital scans of your teeth and smile
- A visual preview of your proposed smile, reviewed together
- Revisions until the design reflects what you actually want
- A clear treatment sequence and timeline before you commit
The Process and What Follows
After you approve a design, treatment is sequenced in visits that build toward the planned result. Some plans move quickly; others, particularly those involving aligners or implants, unfold over months. We'll tell you which kind of timeline you're looking at up front so you can plan around work and travel.
Aftercare depends on what you have done. Veneers and restorations ask for consistent brushing and flossing, regular cleanings, and care with habits like nail-biting, ice-chewing, or grinding. Whitening results hold longer with take-home touch-ups. We go over the specifics that apply to your case and stay available for follow-up as things settle in.
Payment and Financing
We're an out-of-network, fee-for-service studio and don't bill insurance, which lets us plan treatment around your goals rather than a benefits schedule. We welcome self-pay and cash patients, and Cherry financing is available if you'd rather spread payments over time.
Your consultation is complimentary. You'll leave knowing what your options are and what they cost, with no obligation to move forward — a straightforward first step for anyone in Del Mar considering a change.