Are some of us wired to be more ‘creative’ than others? Or is it something that comes with practice? Being creative means different things to different people in different situations but whether we’re producing designs and products, making new ideas a reality, or finding novel solutions for age-old problems, creativity is a skill that is vital for every aspect of human life.

That’s why we want to celebrate this World Creativity and Innovation Day by taking a look at all the ways that these skills are put to use in dentistry and within DSD Company. Because while many non-dentists are unlikely to include dentistry in any list of typically ‘creative’ careers, those of us within the profession know that our creative skills are vital for success.

That’s because we are not just dentists; we are treatment planners and smile designers with substantial artistic skill. We solve clinical issues in novel ways while designing smiles that are not only healthy but custom-made to suit, complement and enhance the features of a person’s face through carefully balanced ratios, realistic textures and refined shapes. And what could be more creative than that?

Here at DSD, creativity and innovation are part of our DNA! Here are just a few examples of how they have shaped and continue to contribute to who we are today:

👉 Christian Coachman and DSD Company

Perhaps the best example of creativity here at DSD is our founder, Christian Coachman, who shows how a determination to innovate can shape a career. With a strong passion for design that could have led him to architecture, he instead chose the path of dentistry and a career as a skilled lab technician. As a result, he travelled all over the world to work alongside some of the greatest minds in dentistry and hone exceptional artistic skills in ceramics and smile design. 

It was this unique creative environment while working as a technician and smile designer that led to Christian’s ideas for the DSD workflows and the birth of DSD Company.

Find out more about Christian’s journey in dentistry and smile design 👇

👉 10 years of smiles 

2020 marks the end of the first decade of DSD. Over the last ten years, constant innovation and change has meant that what started as a concept has become a comprehensive set of workflows and protocols which have redefined the way we work as dentists. 

And it’s not just the concepts which have progressed. DSD Company today is a multi-faceted business which teaches dentists around the world and delivers smile design projects worldwide. 

2020 has also given us a refreshed image to reflect our dedication to innovation and staying at the top of our game: 


👉 The DSD Planning Center

The DSD Planning Center is our global clinical hub where we produce smile design projects for dentists in over 72 countries around the world. The innovative concept of a centralized center for planning and design allows us to bring together our collective knowledge to deliver the highest quality designs and treatment plans for dentists. Creativity and innovation is an inherent part of this process!

In the Planning Center, our team of specially trained smile designers use facially driven software to design and create the most esthetic smiles guided by the patients’ facial features, proportions and ratios. 

“The smile design process is a creative artistic guessing process. A modern smile designer is a new specialist in the interdisciplinary team that has to combine a complex set of skills that involves architectural/designers skills, sculptor hand skills and dento-facial skills.” - Christian Coachman

You can read more about our smile designers and the team at the DSD Planning Center here:

👉 3D printing innovation

Here at DSD, we are always innovating to find ways to deliver treatment that is even more precise, reliable and efficient than ever before – leading to happy patients and even greater clinical satisfaction for dentists. We are a pioneer in encouraging more dentists to use 3D printing to improve the clinical workflow in their dental clinics by demonstrating the benefits for both clinicians and patients.

Using 3D printing technology, we have also provided game-changing solutions - such as the Double Crown Lengthening Guide and the Sinus Lift Guide - which allow clinicians to carry out these types of procedures much more safely and predictably, dramatically reducing the possibility of error.

Lastly, there’s our DSD Mockup, a hallmark of the DSD workflow which wouldn’t be possible without innovation and 3D printing technology.

To learn more about DSD and 3D printing in the dental industry, don’t miss our blog post about the Formlabs User Summit in October 2019 here.

👉 DSD Courses 

We strive to be at the forefront of dental education by offering courses which are not just the chance to learn new skills, but the opportunity to have new experiences. It’s this innovative approach that makes every one of our courses a community-building experience that gives each participant so much more than just theoretical knowledge of a concept.

Our suite of DSD courses continues to grow and expand as we innovate and find new ways to add value for our community: there are clinical and non-clinical courses; theory and hands-on components, and even courses just for the vital non-clinical staff at the core of every dental clinic. 

Our courses are intense, dynamic and engaging, and bring together like-minded dentists from all over the world for unique, unforgettable experiences. 

Creativity in uncertain times

Being creative is an important trait that becomes even more valuable in the face of challenges. In response to the tough times we are all living in right now, we are determined to find solutions to continue to support our community and help them grow and refine their skills – even as many clinics have had to press pause on their normal workflows.

As part of this desire to help we’ve launched two brand new live shows. The first, a spin off of our classic Coffee Break with Coachman interviews, sees Christian Coachman talk to influential dentistry figures about the effects of the current global crisis on dentistry and the dental industry. 

Our second, Clinical Solutions with Luken and Guests, has DSD Education Strategy Director Dr Luken de Arbeloa share the stage with a number of international dental professionals who have been exploring their own specialties, giving their advice and tips on a range of clinical topics. With guest speakers from all over the world, some of Luken’s shows have taken place in Spanish and some in English.

Up to now, we’ve shared over 50 hours of FREE video content so that you can brush up on your clinical knowledge and stay up to date with the latest in the industry, completely free of charge. 

And now, all of these shows are available to replay whenever you want on our website! Read our blog post here for a summary of what to expect in each episode:

The best DSD content, direct to your home

Though times have changed, we can still strive to be the best that we can be. We want to support our community and in turn, help you to support your own patients. That’s why we’re always looking for novel ways to bring the best DSD learning to you, wherever you are. 

One way we’re doing this is through our dedicated online learning resource: DSD Online Education. This is a platform packed with bite-sized video content, exclusive interviews with DSD Founder Christian Coachman and extra resources where existing DSD Members can refresh their knowledge and aspiring members can learn for the first time. 

We hope that it can help you to make the most of this unexpected downtime to sharpen your skills and offer even more for your patients when we get up and running again.

Would you like to know more about the benefits of DSD Online Education? Find out here: 

Don’t forget to keep an eye on our social media channels to stay up to date with all the latest news from Digital Smile Design.