cosmetic dentistry
A smile makeover is a plan, not a procedure.
A smile makeover isn't a product you buy; it's several tools used deliberately — perhaps alignment first, whitening next, then veneers where shape needs changing and bonding where a corner needs rebuilding. The result reads as one decision because it was planned as one.
The plan comes with one written figure and a sequence you approve before anything starts — including which steps can wait, because a good plan flexes around a real budget.
How a makeover is designed
It starts with what bothers you, in your words — pointing at a mirror works better than dental vocabulary. Then the design: your smile line against your face, tooth proportions, the shade that suits your skin rather than a paint chip. For alignment and shape cases, the iTero Lumina scan produces a projection you can react to before committing.
Sequence matters as much as selection: alignment before porcelain, whitening before shade-matching, foundations before finishes. Getting the order right is the difference between a result that lasts and one that gets redone.
The version that fits a budget
The honest secret of makeovers: the full-porcelain version is not the only version. Whitening plus two carefully bonded teeth changes many smiles for a fraction of veneer costs — and when that's true for yours, that's the plan you'll be shown first.
Phasing is normal, too. A plan can bank the foundation work this year and the porcelain next — the design holds, and each phase stands on its own. What you won't get is a plan sized to a number instead of a goal.
Questions we hear in the chair
- What does a smile makeover cost?
- It spans a huge range because it's a combination, not a fixed menu — from whitening-plus-bonding to full veneer cases. Your written figure is itemized by step at the consult, with the phasing options priced too.
- How long does a makeover take?
- Whitening-and-bonding plans finish in weeks. Plans that include alignment run 12 to 18 months before the finishing steps. The design phase gives you a real calendar, not a range this sentence could.
- Can I see the result before committing?
- Yes — that's the point of designing first. Scan projections for alignment, visual design for veneer shape, and temporaries you wear before final porcelain. Every approval happens before the irreversible step, not after.
- Where do prepless veneers fit in a makeover?
- As the finishing layer for the right cases — several teeth refined without drilling. Those cases are referred to Dr. Willis through the same consult that designs the rest of the plan; it stays one plan, one building.
Clinical content reviewed by Dr. Marissa DeAngelis, Senior Dentist.
Serving Crozet for 50+ years. At least two full-time doctors in the building, Monday through Friday.