Hello and welcome to another episode of Beyond the Arches. I'm the host, Dr. Daniel Noorthoek. With me today, I have Lilia, our treatment coordinator extraordinaire. Welcome, Lilia.

Thank you.
So today we're going to be talking about what makes a full arch result, what goes into making a beautiful smile, the stuff behind it, what are the components—psychology, all of that stuff. We're excited to have you here today to provide insight on the other aspect, the intangibles you deal with head-on all the time.

From my aspect, what makes a good full arch is a case that's ethically ready for a full set of teeth removal, a patient who behaves well in surgery, is of the right mindset, goes smoothly, is safe—all of those typical things. But then there's the other side you deal with a lot, which is everything.

Yeah. On my end, obviously, it's financing and prescriptions and all that stuff just getting it prepared for you aside. For me, it's a lot—like we talked about in the last episode—the psychology behind it for patients. My main priority is: is the patient happy? Are they mentally doing well throughout this process? I feed off of that energy. Being one of the first team members they meet during the consult, I pick up quickly on their personality. If they're not that same bubbly person from consult to day three, I go to our team and doctors to figure out what's wrong. It could be something simple like their stomach hurts, not related to us, but it's making sure the patient is happy start to finish.

What does the profile of a patient look like? Does it vary a lot from beginning to middle to end? Are they all similar, or are there trends you see?
I think I'm pretty good at picking it up from the start—it's an emotional time, no judgment on that roller coaster of emotion. It's normal to have emotions prior to going back, some tears, maybe excitement, very emotional day for them. Oral sedation helps, but the next day, patients feel surgery was easier than expected, don't remember much, and have a positive experience.

Yet, there's a loop: trying in the first set of teeth and managing expectations. It's just the first prototype. Tomorrow is another try-in. Most patients are thrilled with the preview on the first day, but the next day could be pain, so managing that roller coaster is key. The yo-yo of emotions, making sure it's nothing we can tweak to make it smoother.

We're drawn to empathy and to try to fix anything that needs to be fixed, but some things are mechanical—you're support, not able to change it.
From a psychological standpoint, patients who come in with a positive attitude generally end up with a better result. That’s objective—from surgery, experience choosing teeth, final result, to not having complications. By positive, I don't mean excited with a banner; I mean someone with optimism or an accepting attitude. It's intangible but it matters.

We've discussed in the office: patients with open-mindedness and trust have dramatically improved experiences. The power of a positive mental state makes a big difference.
Comparing it to golf—say “good job” before the ball goes in and it doesn’t, bad luck. If a patient voices a fear (“infection”), sometimes it feels like they force the ball out. Every little thing can be nitpicked and spiral downhill. A good team helps by showing positives and progress. Open-mindedness to advice breaks down those walls and lets us address and fix concerns.

Intentional communication helps avoid being locked out.
So, we've got the psychology and the way those things roll into a good result. Then you have aesthetics—prototyping starts with initial records, then prototype, restorative dentist. There’s the 87-year-old who doesn’t care and we have to convince for tweaks, and the 35-year-old who wants more visits for "perfection." Openness is key in the aesthetic journey, and expressing what the patient wants matters. Some have trouble expressing changes; others are happy right away. Patients should be open—we’re not upset if something needs changing.

Sometimes patients come with young photos and want their face back—it’s not possible to recreate that exactly. We can get the smile, not the face. Being open to our guidance, understanding the limits of science and restoration.

Functionality is number one, aesthetics is number two. We want patients to love their teeth. With openness, you're getting as close to natural teeth as possible, but these are prosthetics—not the same feeling, though very close. We stress not doing cases for those who don't need it.

We go deep in consults—transparency is crucial. The best thing for patients is to research, hear from others. We share the “100% next best thing” truth.
Beyond aesthetics and psychology, there's function: bite, comfort, enjoyment of food, and speech. There's science behind bite alignment, the height and thickness of teeth, and strength of the material. The "perfect" bite on paper isn’t always perfect to the patient—personal experience matters.

Good outcomes involve aftercare—like sending someone on a road trip with fragile cargo. You trust patients with medication, icing, compliance, and following instructions. Even smart patients can be non-compliant. We have inklings, but don't always know; openness helps.

We intentionally over-prepare patients, so they get the best results—every word we share for pre-op and post-op isn't for fun; it's for their investment.
The perfect patient who is “ready to go” still sits and receives the education—like buying a used car with quirks, you need to know how to handle it. We merge our protocol with past experiences for mental protection; patients can take advice, knowing they've been prepared. Having finances arranged helps the smoothness of the case, and travel packages ensure peace of mind for out-of-state patients.

Even the speech differs by individual—tech advances make it easier to address. Back in denture days, this was hard, but now we quickly dial in bite, looks, and adapt for comfort.
Assembling all the “ingredients” (product, protocol, personnel, mindset, aftercare, etc.) is like making the perfect potato wedge: good results depend on preparation, materials, teamwork, and assembly.

We appreciate your time, your trust, and your openness—thanks for listening, watching, subscribing, and asking questions. See you next time!