Factors to consider when treatment planning for patients seeking comprehensive aesthetic dental treatment

In the context of dentistry, the term aesthetic, derived from ‘aesthesis’ the Greek word for perception, implies the perception of beauty in a person's smile.1 Interest in the ‘science’ behind beauty led theorists to put forward ideas like the ‘Divine/Golden Proportion' proposed by Pythagoras and his followers in 530BC.2 The study of aesthetics in dentistry involves appreciation of the roles played by lines, form, shape, shade, recurring proportionality, dynamic symmetry, unity and harmony. These principles can be seen in works of art dating back to the ancient Greeks and in naturally occurring objects and structures of beauty.2 Despite the ideals of an aesthetic smile being well defined in the literature,3 the work of Ker et al demonstrates that there is a range of variations from the ideal, which can be and are, accepted by laypersons as constituting an aesthetic smile.4 Despite variety in people's perception of beauty, the effects of time (ageing) on a dentition can be perceived as unattractive by laypersons that may, increasingly, look to our profession for help to restore what has been lost.