Digital Smile Design
In Los Angeles, California

What is Digital Smile Design, and why is Viva Smile the first DSD clinic in Los Angeles?

DSD is a planning protocol that designs the finished smile first, then works backward to the treatment needed to achieve it. Instead of treating teeth one at a time and hoping they add up to a balanced result, the whole smile is designed as a single outcome — proportion, shape, length, and how it all sits in relation to your lips, your face, and the way you actually smile.

The design is built from real records: clinical photographs, video of how you speak and smile, facial measurements, digital scans, and CBCT imaging. From those, your smile is designed virtually and then 3D-printed as a wearable mockup you can try on. Nothing is permanent until that mockup is approved.

The protocol was developed by the global DSD organization, and becoming a certified DSD clinic requires specific training and accreditation. Dr. Káren Baghdasaryan completed the Digital Smile Design Residency and Mastership, and complex cases are planned in collaboration with the DSD Planning Center in Madrid.

1

DIGITIZATION

We record your dental information and diagnostic photos using advanced technology.

2

3D FACIAL DESIGN

We design your custom-made smile in 3D and in harmony with your facial features.

3

DIGITAL TREATMENT PLANNING

We work with DSD experts to deliver the highest standards of treatment for you.

4

SMILE TEST DRIVE

You will see, feel and approve your new smile design before treatment begins.

5

GUIDED DIGITAL DENTISTRY

You receive the same results that you approved in your treatment plan.

How is DSD different from regular cosmetic dentistry?

The difference is the order of operations, and it changes everything downstream.

In conventional cosmetic dentistry, treatment planning and treatment happen close together — the dentist assesses, recommends, and begins, and you see the final result when it's done. If something about the shape or proportion isn't quite what you pictured, the work is already permanent.

In DSD, design and approval come first, as their own distinct phase. You see a simulation of your proposed smile, then a physical mockup you wear in your own mouth, before a single tooth is touched. If the length looks off, or the shape isn't you, the design is adjusted while it's still just a mockup. The permanent work only begins once the result is settled.

This matters most because the irreversible steps in cosmetic dentistry — removing enamel for veneers, placing implants — can't be undone. Designing and approving the outcome before those steps protects you from the single most common cosmetic regret: a result that's technically fine but isn't what you wanted.

What treatments does DSD govern?

DSD isn't a treatment itself — it's how complex cosmetic treatment gets planned. At Viva Smile, it governs:

• Porcelain veneers — every veneer case is designed through DSD, which is why the result is planned against your face rather than applied tooth by tooth.
• Composite veneers — guided composite is placed through designed guides fabricated from your DSD plan.
• Full-arch implant reconstruction — the finished smile is designed first, and implant positions are derived from that design.
• Full-mouth rehabilitation — cases combining function, bite, and aesthetics are planned as a single outcome.
• Smile makeovers combining multiple treatments — where veneers, crowns, and alignment all need to match into one coherent result.

Who is a candidate for Digital Smile Design?

DSD is the right planning path when your case is cosmetic, involves the teeth visible when you smile, or combines several treatments that need to look like one result. That includes anyone considering veneers, anyone facing full-arch or full-mouth treatment, and anyone who wants to see and approve their outcome before committing.

It's less relevant for single functional restorations outside the smile zone — a back-tooth crown or a filling doesn't need a full smile design. For those cases, a standard dental exam is the right starting point, and we'll tell you plainly if that's your situation rather than routing you toward a process you don't need.

Why does seeing your smile first matter so much?

Because cosmetic dentistry is permanent, and your face is not a template.

A smile that looks beautiful on someone else can look wrong on you — too long, too uniform, too white, out of proportion with your features. Designing against your actual face, and then letting you wear the result before it's permanent, is how that mismatch gets caught while it's still fixable. By the time treatment begins, the question "will I like it?" is already answered. You've seen it. You've worn it. You've approved it.

That's also why a credentialed cosmetic clinician matters in the chair, not just the software. Dr. Baghdasaryan is an Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry — a designation held by fewer than 350 dentists worldwide — and the DSD design is shaped by that clinical eye, not generated automatically. The technology shows you the result; the clinician makes sure it's the right one.

The DSD process, step by step

Digital Smile Design at Viva Smile runs in distinct phases. The design and approval happen first — this is the Smile Design Appointment — and treatment follows once you've approved your result.

1

Visit one - Records and design

We capture the full set: photographs, video, facial measurements, digital scans with the iTero scanner, and CBCT imaging where the case calls for it. Your smile is then designed digitally, in proportion to your face - accounting for how you smile, how you speak, and the result that suits you specifically.

2

Visit two - Vogue Day

A 3D-printed wearable mockup of your designed smile is fabricated, and you try it on. You see it in the mirror, in photos, in your own face. This is where you confirm the result is right - or tell us what to adjust. The team then presents your full treatment plan: what it will take to achieve the smile you just approved, the sequence, the timeline, and the cost.

The Smile Design Appointment is $500, and it applies in full toward your treatment cost if you proceed. It isn't a separate fee on top of treatment - it's the first $500 of your treatment, paid up front to cover the design and mockup work.

3

Visit three - Treatment

Once you've approved your design and your plan, treatment begins. What that involves depends on your case - it might be veneers, implants, orthodontics first to align the teeth, or a combination, sequenced as one plan. Because the result was designed first, every step serves the outcome you already approved. Guided techniques translate the digital design into the actual work, so what you saw on Vogue Day is what you get.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Digital Smile Design cost?

The Smile Design Appointment — the design and mockup phase — is $500 at Viva Smile, and it applies in full toward your treatment cost if you proceed. The cost of treatment itself depends on what your case involves (veneers, implants, or a combination), and you receive a full breakdown after your design is complete.

Is the Smile Design fee an extra charge?

No. The $500 applies toward your treatment, so for patients who proceed it isn't an additional cost — it's the first part of treatment, paid up front to cover the design work and the wearable mockup.

What is Vogue Day?

It's the second visit of the Smile Design Appointment, where you try on a 3D-printed mockup of your designed smile. You see and wear your proposed result before any permanent work begins, and adjust the design if anything isn't right.

Does insurance cover Digital Smile Design?

The Smile Design Appointment is a cosmetic planning service and isn't covered by insurance. Parts of the treatment that follows may be covered depending on what's involved and your plan — we verify your benefits before treatment so you know where you stand.

Is DSD only for veneers?

No. DSD governs veneers, but also full-arch implant cases, full-mouth rehabilitation, and any case combining multiple cosmetic treatments. Anywhere the finished appearance is the measure of success, the case is planned through DSD.

How long does the whole process take?

The Smile Design Appointment is two visits. Treatment afterward varies by case — a veneer case runs several weeks, while implant cases involve months of healing. Your timeline is laid out in the plan you receive on Vogue Day.

Do I have to commit to treatment after the Smile Design Appointment?

No. You're not pushed to decide. Patients who complete the design and aren't ready are left to come back on their own timeline. The $500 applies toward treatment whenever you proceed.

Ready to see your smile before you commit to it?

Digital Smile Design starts with the Smile Design Appointment — $500, applied in full toward your treatment, where you'll see and wear your designed smile before any permanent work begins. If you're earlier in your thinking and want to know whether DSD is the right path for your case, a $150 dental exam is the place to start; it's covered at 100% by all PPO plans, and you'll get an honest read on your options.

Book online or call (818) 900-2800. A free Zoom consultation with Dr. Baghdasaryan is also available if you'd like to talk it through first — though designing your smile is, by definition, a question your records answer in person.

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