you come first
Whatever the issue our team joins together to find solutions in a caring gentle environment.
Project Details
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Courtney came in after a recommendation to enhance her smile. She did not like the asymmetry and wear. She wanted the shade to be brighter too. Courtney grinds her teeth - which is not her fault. But it can make any future dental work at risk of breaking.
challenges
Providing a smile that Courtney can be confident in, one that she likes and not hinder her public duties is important.
Enhancing her oral wellness and health was super important to reduce future risk factors of common dental diseases like wear, dental decay or gum disease so we trained her on how to expertly brush her teeth, be strategic on her nutrition that could impact her teeth and consider methods to try to manage the toothwear.
But also working with Courtney to ensure she like my draft design of the smile I want to make her is important. Smile design is an art and every artist has their smile. It was my job to understand what Courtney wants as she will be living with these new composites.
solutions
AI did not exist when Courtney saw me and computer smile design was still for the few so little experience was present in the industry when we started. We worked with our lab tech using a photo to create a smile design after listening to Courtney's concerns. We showed her the digital design and did a trial mock up of what that looks like in her mouth.
Interestingly Courtney loved the first version so much she wanted an absolute copy and paste. With this being art that is a difficult thing to do.
We decided to do a technique for her called Injection Moulding which was a relatively non mainstream technique at the time. A stent was made from the smile design and used to inject composite to the mould of the design.
After lots of polishing and texturising, and 6 + years later Courtney's still has composites in her mouth and you can see them below.
The last photo is a patient who has a lot going on. We simply improved the smile by dealing with the infection with a root canal treatment and gum treatment. We did crown lengthening gum surgery (as there was something called altered passive eruption). We replaced the failing crowns with new ones on the front four teeth - thus not drilling more as these were not virgin teeth. As for the canines to enhance the shape we did composite bonding. We let nature do the rest on the back teeth and let them grow down so the smile and bite can equilibrate. 7 years on her is much healthier and things are stable with zero complications.
impact
Usability testing showed a significant improvement in both clarity and engagement.
All participants were able to complete onboarding without assistance, and more importantly, they understood what to do next — something that was missing in competitor apps. Users reported feeling more in control of their money after just one session, rather than overwhelmed.
Unlike other tools that were abandoned quickly, participants expressed a strong willingness to return to Arca on a weekly basis, indicating a shift from short-term usage to habit formation.
3 Min
Average Onboarding Completion Time
6
Diary Study Participants
100%
Would Use Weekly — Usability Testing
2
Weeks of Qualitative Research Conducted
