1. Do your own smile makeover research
The crucial first step of a smile makeover is research. This is a major dental treatment, so you must be sure of what you want. Envision your dream result. Do the reading. Get a second opinion. Get a third opinion if needs be. Seek out others who have already had the treatments you are considering. And, crucially, find a dentist and team you are comfortable with.
2. Come in for a complimentary discussion
If, after all your research, you’d like to work with us at Advanced Dental Artistry – great! We will invite you in for a free discussion.
One of our patient coordinators will sit down with you, find out what you want to achieve and then show you similar cases from our huge archive of great results from over 20 years in dentistry.
And remember, we have seen it all before there are multiple cases that are almost identical for almost every new patient!
3. New Patient Exam
When you want to be assessed, know exactly what your options are and the prices, it is time for a new patient exam. This takes around 1 ½ hours and involves a close look at your smile, X-rays, scans (including our brand-new 3D bone scanner!) heaps of photographs and videos.
Yes, video – it shows us how your lips move, how you talk and what your smile looks like in motion. It’s critically important: the more information we have, the more on point your smile design will be.
4. Hygiene visit
The first visit of the actual smile makeover process is all about hygiene and restoring your oral health. We can’t stress this enough, this appointment is critical before we start any cosmetic treatment. We need to get your gums nice and healthy, take impressions for our ceramists, and if whitening is an option we undertake that at this time too. It is so important to get your dental health to its best state and have the foundations solid!
5. Preparation & trial smile
In the break since your last visit, we have been hard at work preparing your temporaries for what we like to call, ‘the trial smile’.
Everything has been designed from the model of your mouth we built from our scans, photos, X-rays, videos and impressions from the earlier appointments. Best of all? It is hand crafted in house by our very own ceramists Libby and Soo!
Think of this as a prototype of your new smile. We actually place the design into your mouth and see what your new smile will look like. As perhaps the most important step in the process, this is your chance to give us feedback so we can finesse the porcelain to get them not just looking but fitting perfect.
Once we have your feedback and you are 100% happy, the clinical team reassess your case; dentist, nurse, patient coordinator and the dental ceramists. Working together all under one roof, they masterfully discuss and review your trial smile before the final porcelain is made. Our quality control is absolute, so the final result is to the standards we not only set ourselves, but our patients have come to expect.
6. Final porcelain insert
The big day! This is where your temps and trial smile are removed and your final porcelain is fitted. Your smile makeover is almost complete!
7. Review
At first, your new smile is going to feel a little different from your old teeth. It can take a lot of getting used to, but you soon adapt. Nevertheless, we’ll always follow up with you – one week, a month, 3 months, then 6 monthlies thereafter for your ongoing hygiene and check-up appointments. Teeth and gums are living tissue, and of course they can change and react as time goes on. It is important to look after your new smile and investment to get results with longevity.
Ashleigh’s Smile Makeover
How to start
There is a lot to learn at the beginning of this process. If your own research has you going around in circles or you feel you are not gaining insight, perhaps the best way to go forward is to contact us. We are serious when we say we offer free consultations, in a no-pressure and no-obligation environment. Why? Because we believe patients should make informed decisions, feel at ease and certain in their treatment plan, dentist and team.