Smile design: the process, appointment by appointment

What frightens people most about a smile design is not the treatment itself: it is not knowing what will happen. Here is the full route, in the order it happens, so you arrive knowing.

What a smile design is, in one line

It is planning how your smile will look before a single tooth is touched. Your whole face is studied — proportion, lip line, face shape, skin tone — and from that come the shape, size and colour of each tooth. That is the difference from "getting veneers": here the design comes first and the execution second.

Appointment 1 · Diagnosis

The whole mouth is examined, not only what shows when you smile: gums, bite, back teeth, old composite. We listen to what bothers you about your current smile, which is almost never what a dentist would assume. By the end of this appointment you know whether you are a candidate, which technique your case requires, and what it costs — as a written proposal.

If there is decay, inflamed gum or a bite to sort out, that work comes first. Aesthetics over an unhealthy foundation does not last.

Appointment 2 · Design

Photographs, records and models of your mouth are taken. The new smile is projected over them: how long each tooth should be, which shape suits your face, and which colour agrees with your skin. Everything important is decided here; what follows is executing what was agreed.

Appointment 3 · Try-in

This is the step that separates a good treatment from a gamble. The design is transferred to your mouth provisionally and you see yourself in the mirror with the proposed smile before anything is permanent. You can talk, smile, take a photo, and say what you like and what you do not.

If something does not convince you — the teeth look long, the colour too white, the shape too square — it is adjusted at this stage. This is the moment to be demanding, and being demanding costs nothing.

Appointment 4 · Placement

The definitive veneers are placed and the details are refined: contacts with the bite, gloss, texture, how they look when you speak. You leave with the finished smile.

Appointment 5 · Aftercare

A follow-up visit to confirm the gums responded well, the bite is comfortable, and you are looking after the result properly. Here we resolve the small details that only show up with use.

How long it takes in total

It varies by case. Most veneer treatments are resolved in a few appointments spread over some weeks, and at the consultation you receive the calendar for yours. If you are travelling from outside Cancún, appointments are grouped into blocks: it is explained in this article.

Frequently asked questions

Does it hurt?

The design and the try-in do not. Local anaesthetic is used at placement if the case requires it. The most common discomfort afterwards is passing sensitivity to cold.

Can I change my mind about the shape or colour?

Yes, and that is exactly the purpose of the try-in appointment. After definitive placement, adjustments of that kind are no longer possible.

Am I left without teeth between appointments?

No. When the case requires preparation, temporaries are placed so you can carry on normally.

Do I need veneers or just whitening?

If your only concern is colour and you like the shape, whitening may be enough. If the shape, size or gaps bother you, colour alone will not solve it. It is settled at the consultation.

Want to know what your case needs?

The consultation reviews your mouth, defines whether you are a candidate and gives you a written proposal with defined fees. It is a diagnostic appointment, not a sales appointment.

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