Trial smile only
Design appointment and in-mouth mock-up. Ideal if you are weighing up whether to do anything at all.
£250
Cosmetic dentistry · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Smile design and the trial smile: see the plan in your own mouth first
Smile design is the planning stage that should sit in front of any cosmetic treatment involving more than one or two teeth. It is a structured appointment in which we photograph and measure your face and teeth, listen carefully to what you dislike, and then draft a proposed shape for the smile, first on screen or in wax and then as a temporary mock-up placed directly over your own teeth. You look in the mirror, walk to the window, take a selfie and tell us what is right and what is not. Only when the design is agreed do we talk about materials and fees. At Wimpole Street the appointment costs £250, which is deducted from the treatment if you go ahead, and nobody is under any obligation to proceed.
- £250, credited to treatment
- One 60–90 minute visit
- Reversible mock-up, no drilling
Suitability
Is it right for you?
A good fit when
- Anyone considering veneers, bonding on four or more teeth, or a full makeover.
- Patients who are unsure what they want changed and would like to explore options visually.
- Those who have been quoted elsewhere and want a second opinion with a tangible preview.
- People who want to involve a partner or family member in the decision by showing them the mock-up.
- Complex cases where orthodontics, gum reshaping and veneers may all play a part and need sequencing.
- Anyone nervous about committing to irreversible treatment without seeing the result first.
Think twice, or choose another route, when
- A single chipped tooth or one small gap; a straightforward bonding consultation is enough.
- Whitening alone, which does not change shape and needs no mock-up.
- Teeth with active decay or gum disease, which should be stabilised before aesthetic planning.
- Anyone expecting the temporary mock-up to look exactly like polished porcelain; it is a rough draft in resin, not the finished article.
The process
How it works at Wimpole Street
- 01
Conversation and photographs
We spend the first part of the visit on what bothers you and what you want to keep. Photographs of the face at rest, smiling and in profile, plus close-ups of the teeth, are taken with the lip line and midline marked.
- 02
Measurement and analysis
Tooth proportions, the curve of the smile against the lower lip, gum levels and how much tooth shows at rest are measured. Small asymmetries that you may have sensed but never named are often revealed here.
- 03
Draft design
The proposed shape is drawn digitally over your photographs or built in wax on a model. We keep the design within what your face and bite can carry rather than importing a template from someone else’s smile.
- 04
The trial smile
A silicone key of the design is filled with temporary resin and seated over your unprepared teeth. Within a few minutes you are wearing a preview of the proposed result. No anaesthetic, no drilling, and it is removed at the end unless you want to keep it briefly for a review visit.
- 05
Edit together
Too long, too square, too white, not enough change: all of this can be adjusted on the mock-up there and then. We photograph the approved version so the technician has an exact target.
- 06
Written plan
You leave with a plan setting out which treatments, in what order, over how many visits and at what fee, with the £250 already credited. Take it home; there is no pressure to decide on the day.
Choices
Options & materials
Design leading to composite
The approved mock-up becomes the template for composite bonding or veneers, often completed in a single further visit.
Bonding from £395 · veneers from £595 per tooth
Design leading to porcelain
The mock-up guides conservative preparation and the laboratory work, so the final ceramic matches what you approved.
From £1,095 per tooth
Fees
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Smile design appointment with trial smile Non-refundable if you decide not to proceed; credited in full to treatment if you do. | £250 |
Composite bonding, per tooth Built to the approved design. | From £395 |
Composite veneer, per tooth Built to the approved design. | From £595 |
Porcelain veneer, per tooth Laboratory ceramic made from the approved design. | From £1,095 |
New patient examination Introductory rate; the usual fee is £95. Required before cosmetic treatment. | £30 |
Indicative Wimpole Street fees, the same as at South Kensington and St Paul's. A written plan with the exact figure is agreed before anything is started.
Outcomes
What the result looks like
The most useful outcome of a smile design visit is often a smaller plan than the one you arrived expecting. Seeing a mock-up makes it obvious when two bonded edges and a course of whitening achieve what eight veneers were going to be asked to do, and it is far easier to reject a temporary than to regret a finished tooth. Equally, some patients discover that the change they had in mind is too timid and ask for more.
Where treatment goes ahead, the finished result tracks the approved mock-up closely because the same silicone key or digital file guides the dentist and the technician. Photographs of the trial smile beside the final work are, in our experience, the most convincing before-and-after a patient can have.
Afterwards
Looking after the result
- If you keep the mock-up on for a review, treat it gently: it is temporary resin and will chip if you bite into anything hard.
- Photograph yourself in different lighting and ask people whose opinion you trust before deciding.
- Read the written plan slowly and query anything unclear; the fee is fixed once agreed.
- If whitening is part of the plan, it is done first and the design shade is set to the whitened colour.
- Book the treatment visit within a few months if you proceed, while the records and bite registration are current.
Informed consent
Risks and honest limitations
Every treatment has trade-offs. These are the ones we discuss at the consultation so that a decision is made with full information rather than after the fact.
- The trial smile is a draft. It is made of temporary resin, is thicker than final porcelain would be and is not polished to the same finish, so it shows shape and length rather than the exact final appearance.
- The £250 fee is not refunded if you decide against treatment. It pays for clinical time and laboratory work that has already happened.
- Design cannot overcome biology. Gum levels, lip movement and bite constraints limit how long or how even teeth can be made without further procedures.
- The mock-up sits over unprepared teeth, so it will feel bulkier than the final result. Some patients find that distracting.
- Where the plan involves porcelain, the design does not remove the need for irreversible enamel preparation later; it only makes sure the preparation is planned and minimal.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
No. It is credited in full against treatment if you go ahead, but it is not returned if you choose not to, because it covers the appointment, photographs, design work and the mock-up materials.
No. The resin is placed over clean, unprepared enamel without etching or bonding agents and peels away at the end. Your teeth are exactly as they were.
Allow 60 to 90 minutes. Photographs and discussion take the first half; making, fitting and refining the mock-up takes the second.
Sometimes, for a short period before a planned review, if we have judged it stable. It is fragile and must be treated carefully.
Not at all. Many design visits end with a plan for whitening and a little bonding, or with a decision to do nothing for now. The purpose is an informed choice.
In shape and length, very closely, because the same design is used as the template. In colour, translucency and polish the final work is finer than the temporary resin can show.
Yes. Smile design appointments run at South Kensington and St Paul’s now at the same fee, and the treatment itself can be booked at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026.
Keep reading
Related treatments and guides
Marylebone, W1
Smile design at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as the Marylebone diary is live. If you would rather start sooner, the same clinicians already see patients in South Kensington and at St Paul’s.
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
