At a smile makeover consultation, you can expect a focused conversation about your smile goals, a full oral health exam, advanced digital imaging and scans, and a personalized treatment plan that maps out exactly which cosmetic and restorative treatments will get the result you want. It is a planning appointment – no drilling, no rushed decisions – designed so you leave knowing what is possible and how long it will take.
If you have been thinking about veneers, whitening, bonding, or a full transformation, this article walks you through every stage of the visit so nothing feels unfamiliar when you sit in the chair at our Crownsville, Annapolis, or Dunkirk office.
A smile makeover is not a single procedure. It is a coordinated plan that may combine porcelain veneers, whitening, bonding, cosmetic gum contouring, crowns, clear aligners, or implants – chosen and sequenced to work together.
The consultation is where that plan gets built: a dedicated appointment focused entirely on your smile, separate from a routine cleaning or checkup. Our team offers both virtual and in-person smile makeover consultations, so you can start the process from home if that is more convenient.
This step is also where our holistic philosophy comes in: we evaluate how your oral health affects your whole body, so your result is cosmetically stunning and biologically sound.
Before your visit, you will receive a text message with a secure link to complete your intake forms and upload your insurance information from home. Filling this out ahead of time means your appointment starts with the conversation instead of paperwork.
Bring or prepare:
A list of what bothers you. Write it down – color, shape, size, alignment. In the moment, it is easy to forget details you have noticed for years.
Photos of smiles you like. Screenshots, magazine images, phone photos, or pictures of your own smile from an earlier time.
Your dental history. Past crowns, root canals, extractions, orthodontics, or grinding issues all matter to the plan.
A current medication and health list. Certain medications affect gum tissue, healing, and dry mouth, all of which influence cosmetic outcomes.
Your questions. Every one of them.
Plan on a longer appointment than a standard exam – usually 1.5-2 hours. A smile makeover consultation includes discussion, a clinical exam, imaging, and treatment planning, so give yourself unhurried time. Many patients travel from across the region – some from as far as 90 miles – so we build the visit to accomplish as much as possible in one trip.
Our locations in Crownsville, Annapolis, and Dunkirk each offer weekday scheduling, so you can pick the office and time that fits your week.
This is the part of the appointment most patients enjoy most.
Smile design is personal. Do you want teeth that look noticeably brighter, or a subtle refresh nobody can quite identify? Softly rounded edges or crisper, more defined ones? Age, facial shape, lip line, skin tone, and personality all factor in.
Common concerns patients raise include:
Stains or discoloration
Chips, cracks, or worn-down teeth
Gaps or spacing between teeth
Crooked or misaligned teeth
A “gummy” smile or uneven gum line
The shape or size of the teeth
Bring the images you collected – they communicate far more efficiently than adjectives, whether you want a natural, understated look or a bright, Hollywood-style smile. Just as important, share what you do not want; many patients specifically say they want to avoid an overly uniform, artificial look.
By the end of this discussion, you and our team should share a picture of the endpoint: shade, shape, alignment, gum framing, and how much change feels right. Whether the goal is looking younger, feeling confident at work, or simply loving how you look in photos, that endpoint becomes the target the clinical plan is built around.
Cosmetic work is only as durable as the foundation beneath it. That is why the exam portion is thorough.
Our team examines each tooth for decay, cracks, wear patterns, failing old restorations, and areas of erosion. Existing fillings, crowns, and bonding are evaluated for how well they will blend with new work – or whether they should be replaced as part of the plan.
How your teeth come together determines how long your results last. Uneven bite forces cause chipping, cracking, and premature wear on both natural teeth and restorations such as veneers or crowns. If clenching or grinding is present, the wear pattern usually shows it.
Gums matter just as much. If there is inflammation, recession, or gum disease, that is treated first – we use laser and ozone approaches through laser gum treatment to address gum disease and reverse early decay.
A good chunk of the visit is data gathering. Depending on your case, this may include:
Digital panoramic X-rays for a wide view of the teeth, roots, jaws, and supporting bone
3D cone beam imaging (CBCT) for detailed three-dimensional information – essential when porcelain implants or orthodontic alignment are part of the plan
A digital impression scan, which replaces messy trays and putty with a small handheld wand that builds a precise 3D model of your teeth in minutes
These records allow the design phase to be accurate rather than approximate. You can read more about the dental technology used throughout our offices.
Using your scans, photos, and records, your future smile can be designed digitally before any treatment begins. Proportions, tooth length, midline, and shade are all planned on screen – we can even digitally alter a photo of your current smile to show whiter teeth, straighter teeth, or the effect of porcelain veneers.
Seeing a preview lets you say, “a little longer,” or “not that bright,” while changes are still easy to make. Adjustments at the design stage are simple; adjustments after porcelain is fabricated are not.
In some cases, a physical mock-up can be placed temporarily over the teeth so you can see and feel the proposed shape before committing.
With the design in hand, the options that will achieve it become clear. Your plan may draw from:
Teeth whitening – professional-grade treatments to establish the base shade and brighten stained teeth
Dental bonding – tooth-colored resin sculpted to repair chips, close gaps, and reshape teeth, including no-drill injection molding
Porcelain veneers – thin custom shells for comprehensive changes in shape, shade, size, length, and alignment
Crowns – for teeth needing both strength and appearance
Clear aligners such as Invisalign or ClearCorrect
Cosmetic gum treatment – laser reshaping of the gum line for a balanced, harmonious smile
Full-Mouth Reconstruction – when function and aesthetics both need rebuilding
Dental anxiety is common and worth discussing openly. We offer sedation dentistry options including oral and IV sedation, ranging from light relaxation to deeper levels – which allows longer appointments to be completed comfortably and often lets multiple procedures be combined into fewer visits.
A smile makeover consultation at Maryland Holistic Dentistry combines an honest conversation about your goals, a thorough oral health and bite evaluation, advanced 3D imaging and digital scanning, a visual preview of your potential result, and a step-by-step treatment plan built around your anatomy and timeline.
Come prepared with your concerns, inspiration images, and questions – and expect to leave with clarity rather than pressure. With virtual and in-person options available and three Maryland locations to choose from, the first step toward your new smile is simply a conversation.
About the Author
Gena Schultheis, DDS
August 13, 2026
