What Actually Happens at a Smile Design Consultation in Chicago (And Why the Preview Step Changes Everything)

You've been thinking about this for a while.

Maybe years. Maybe just months. Maybe it started when a photo of yourself made you flinch, or when a friend got veneers and you found yourself unable to stop looking at hers in a good way, or when you finally admitted — to yourself, quietly — that you don't smile the way you used to.

And now you're wondering: what actually happens if I book the consultation?

Not "how much does it cost." Not "how long does it take." Those come later. What most people really want to know first is: is this going to feel like a sales pitch, or is it going to feel like the beginning of something?

Here's exactly what a Smile Design Consultation looks like in my Lakeview office — start to finish, honestly and without a script.

What a Smile Design Consultation Actually Is (And Isn't)

Let's clear something up first: a Smile Design Consultation is not a cleaning. It's not an exam. It's not the appointment where I look at your teeth and hand you a treatment plan with a price on it.

It's a conversation about what you want your smile to feel like — and a design process for figuring out how to get there.

It usually takes about an hour. It happens in a private room, not the general operatory. There's no drilling, no cold air, no clinical prep. If you've been avoiding the dentist because of past bad experiences, this is the appointment that quietly undoes some of that.

Here's how it unfolds.

The Four Steps of a Smile Design Consultation

Step 1 — Consultation & Smile Design

We start with you talking, not me examining.

I want to know what you notice when you look at your smile in photos. Not what a hygienist would notice — what you notice. The gap. The slight rotation on that lateral. The color that never quite got where you wanted it. The way one edge looks a little longer than the other.

Then I ask about your life. Are you getting married in eight months? Turning 40 next year? Coming off Invisalign that shifted back? Have you been wearing an old bonding job you've hated for a decade? Are you scared of the "veneer look" and only interested in something no one else will notice is different?

Every one of those answers changes the design.

Then I look. I take digital photographs, video, sometimes 3D scans depending on the case. I'm looking at your face — the way your upper lip drapes at rest, the shape of your smile line, how much tooth shows when you laugh fully, how the light catches the edges. I'm looking at your teeth — enamel thickness, existing bonding, shade, alignment, bite pattern.

At the end of Step 1, I have enough information to design your smile. You have enough information to know whether you trust me to do it.

Step 2 — Preview Your Smile

This is the step that changes everything.

Before anything is permanent, before we prep a single tooth, before you sign a treatment plan — I'll show you what your smile could look like. Sometimes it's a digital preview on the screen. Sometimes it's a wax-up or a mock-up placed temporarily over your teeth so you can see it in a real mirror, in real light, with real proportion.

You'll see the shape. You'll see the shade. You'll feel how it changes the way your upper lip drapes when you smile.

And here's the part I love most about this step: you get to say no.

Too white? We shift it. Too square? We soften the corners. Not enough length? We add. Feels close but not quite? We refine. There's no pressure to approve anything until it's genuinely the smile you want.

I've had patients cry in this step. Not because of pain — there is none — but because it's often the first time they've seen the version of themselves they'd forgotten was possible.

I've also had patients say "no" in this step. Which is a compliment, actually. It means they trusted me enough to be honest, and the preview did its job.

Step 3 — Transformation

If we get to this step, you already know what you're getting. That's the whole point of the preview.

The transformation phase itself depends on your treatment plan. If it's a full set of veneers, it's typically two main appointments — a prep and design appointment (with beautiful, natural temporaries that let you "try on" your final smile for a couple of weeks) and a delivery appointment where the porcelain is bonded. If it's a combined case — Invisalign first, then veneers, then a whitening refinement — it's a sequenced plan mapped out over months, not something rushed into a single week.

You'll always know what's happening next. There are no surprise appointments and no surprise recommendations.

Step 4 — Final Result

Delivery day is emotional for most patients. Not just because the veneers look beautiful — because they look like them.

We refine, we adjust, we photograph. You'll leave with a nightguard fitted for you (nonnegotiable, for every veneer patient — this protects your investment for the next decade), a hygiene protocol tailored to your case, and a follow-up appointment already scheduled to check refinement two weeks out.

And then the part no one prepares you for: you'll spend a week catching yourself smiling in mirrors you used to avoid.

Common Questions Patients Ask Before Booking a Smile Design Consultation

"Do I have to know what I want before I come in?"

No. In fact, some of the best consults are the ones where the patient walks in saying "I don't even know what my options are." That's what the consultation is for.

"Am I committing to treatment by booking?"

Not at all. A consultation is a conversation. Some patients leave with a treatment plan they want to start next month. Some leave knowing they need six more months before they're ready. Some leave realizing they don't want veneers at all — they want Invisalign and whitening. All of those are the right outcome if they're honest.

"What if I've been told by another dentist I need crowns instead of veneers?"

Bring the notes. Sometimes it turns out veneers were never on the table for structural reasons. Sometimes it turns out crowns were oversold and a conservative veneer approach is actually the better call. The consultation is where we sort that out.

"How is a Smile Design Consultation different from a normal cosmetic consultation?"

The preview step. Most cosmetic consultations end with a proposed treatment plan and a price. A Smile Design Consultation ends with you seeing what your smile will look like before you approve anything. That's the difference.

"Can I do this on my lunch hour?"

Yes. The consultation is roughly an hour, and we schedule Monday through Thursday. If you work in the Loop or the north side, our Lakeview location — half a block from the Paulina Brown Line stop — is designed to be a manageable in-and-out from a workday.

Why the Preview Step Matters More Than Anything Else

I've been doing cosmetic dentistry for 16 years. Every year, I get better at the technical work. Every year, I refine my aesthetic eye. Every year, the technology gets sharper — the digital previews are more accurate, the mock-ups more precise, the ability to visualize a final result before touching a tooth more real.

But the single most important thing I've learned in all those years is this: a patient who has seen their smile before it's placed is a patient who feels safe. A patient who feels safe makes better decisions, gives clearer feedback, and ends up loving the final result.

That's what a Smile Design Consultation gives you. Not just information. Not just a price. Not just a plan.

Confidence — before anything is permanent.

Booking a Smile Design Consultation in Chicago

If you've read this far, you already know whether this is the kind of experience you're looking for.

Consultations are Monday through Thursday at the Lakeview office — 3346 N. Paulina St., across from Starbucks, half a block from the Paulina Brown Line. Morning-before-work slots, lunch-hour slots, and last-appointment-before-dinner slots are usually available.

Book your Smile Design Consultation →

Or call the office at (773) 883-1818 and my team will find a time that fits your schedule.

I'll see you in the design chair.

Dr. Brittany Dickinson is the owner of Chicago Aesthetic Dentistry in Lakeview, Chicago. She personally performs every Smile Design Consultation and every cosmetic treatment at the practice — no rotating team, no delegated aesthetic work.