Digital Smile Design in Korea
Plan your new smile from photos, scans and facial proportions before treatment starts. Our Digital Smile Design centre has guided veneer, crown and smile makeover planning in Gangnam since 2015.
- Since 2002
- 13 dentists
- In-house lab
- EN · 中文 · 日本語
What is Digital Smile Design?
Digital Smile Design (DSD) is a planning method that uses facial photos, video and intraoral scans to design tooth shape, length and gum line in relation to your face before any treatment. At Gangnam One Day Dental Clinic, DSD has been used since 2015 to plan veneers, crowns and smile makeovers, so you can review and adjust the design first.
Reviewed by Dr. Kim Jin-hwan , Chief Director · Updated October 5, 2026
How Digital Smile Design works
DSD starts with records rather than drilling. We take full-face and close-up photos, a short smile video and an intraoral scan. The design is drawn over your face, so tooth length, width and midline follow your lips, eyes and facial midline, not just the teeth in isolation.
The digital design can then be turned into a trial mock-up in tooth-coloured material placed over your teeth. You see and feel the proposed shape before any enamel is prepared. Changes to length, edge shape or colour are made at this stage, when they cost nothing to adjust.
- Smile line and lip support analysed together
- Tooth width-to-length proportions measured
- Gum line symmetry checked before cosmetic work
- Bite checked so the new shape works when you chew
What DSD is used to plan
DSD is a planning step, not a treatment on its own. It is most often used before porcelain veneers and full smile makeovers, where several teeth must match in shape and shade.
It also shows when the gum line, not the teeth, is the main issue. In that case the plan may include gum contouring before veneers, or orthodontic movement first, so that restorations are not used to hide a positioning problem.
- Veneers (prep and no-prep) and all-ceramic crowns
- Whitening target shade before restorations
- Gum contouring and gummy smile assessment
- Combined orthodontic and cosmetic plans
Not sure if this is right for you? Send a photo or X-ray — a dentist replies on WhatsApp in English, Chinese or Japanese.
Get a free opinionFrom design to finished teeth in one building
The approved design is passed to Oneday Lab, our in-house dental lab on the 14th floor of the Startplex building, opened in 2022. The lab uses CAD/CAM milling, and temporary to final prosthetics can be made in one day when the case allows.
Before final cementation, the bite is checked with T-Scan Novus digital occlusion analysis, which records bite-force detail to 0.01 mm. A smile that looks right but overloads one tooth is a common reason cosmetic work chips, so the bite is part of the design.
| Digital Smile Design | Traditional planning | |
|---|---|---|
| Based on | Face, lips, teeth and gums together | Mainly plaster models of teeth |
| Preview before treatment | Digital design plus in-mouth mock-up | Wax-up on a model, if offered |
| Changes | Adjusted on screen before any prep | Often noticed after teeth are prepared |
| Communication with lab | Digital files sent directly to in-house lab | Physical models and photos |
| Bite check | T-Scan digital occlusion analysis | Articulating paper |
How it works at Oneday Dental
- Before you travel
Send photos on WhatsApp
Send a smiling photo, a close-up of your teeth and any recent X-rays. The dentist gives a first opinion on what may be possible.
- Visit 1
Records and examination
Facial photos, video, intraoral scan and X-ray or 3D CT if needed. Gum health and bite are checked.
- Visit 1-2
Digital design and mock-up
The smile is designed on screen and, where suitable, previewed as a trial mock-up in your mouth. You approve or request changes.
- Treatment
Restorations made to the design
Oneday Lab mills veneers or crowns from the approved files. Same-day delivery is possible in suitable cases.
- Final visit
Bite and aesthetic check
Fit, colour and bite are checked, including T-Scan analysis, before final bonding.
Hear it from our dentists
Short answers to real patient questions from the Oneday Dental YouTube channel.
Korean audioThings to know before you decide
- A digital design is a plan, not a promise of the exact result: final shade and translucency can differ slightly from a screen image.
- Gum disease, active decay or a heavy grinding habit must be treated or managed before cosmetic work.
- Some designs are only possible with orthodontic movement or gum surgery first, which adds time.
- If your expectations differ from what your teeth and face allow, the dentist will tell you before treatment starts.
Experience you can check
- 2002Founded in Gangnam — 24 years
- 13Dentists in 5 departments
- 3Clinic buildings, 1,570 m²
- 0.01 mmT-Scan bite-force detail
Vice President, Korean Academy of Stomatognathic Function & Occlusion · author on T-Scan implant occlusion (IGI Global)
Digital Smile Design: common questions
Can I see my new smile before treatment starts?
Is Digital Smile Design a separate treatment?
Can I choose the colour and shape of my teeth?
How long does the DSD process take?
Do I need DSD for just one tooth?
How much does Digital Smile Design cost?
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Get a dentist's opinion on WhatsApp
Send your question, photos or X-ray. We reply with a plan, timeline and estimate in English, Chinese, Japanese or Korean.

