A smile designed entirely for you.
Not a procedure — a comprehensive transformation. Digital smile design, custom porcelain veneers hand-painted in-house, gum reshaping, alignment correction. All planned around your face.
Smile design at Art Dental Studio is not a single procedure — it's a comprehensive treatment plan customized to each patient. It typically combines multiple treatments (porcelain veneers, gum reshaping, professional whitening, sometimes orthodontic correction) into one coordinated transformation, planned and executed under one roof. What distinguishes smile design at Art Dental Studio is the level of personalization. Dr. Vivian Menendez and master ceramist Enrique work directly with you to design every detail — tooth shape, color, proportions, length, gum line — before any irreversible work begins. You see digital previews, hold physical wax-up models, and wear temporary veneers in the final shape for 1-2 weeks. Only when you've approved the design do we move to permanent placement.
What is smile design?
Smile design is a comprehensive cosmetic dentistry approach that treats the smile as a complete aesthetic system rather than a set of individual teeth. Instead of fixing one chipped tooth here and replacing one crown there, smile design plans the entire smile holistically — accounting for facial proportions, lip line, gum contour, tooth color, alignment, and how the teeth interact with each other and with your face.
A typical smile design case at Art Dental Studio involves 8-20 porcelain veneers across the visible teeth, often combined with one or more of: professional whitening of remaining natural teeth, gum recontouring (crown lengthening) for a balanced gum line, orthodontic alignment if needed, and occasional implant placement for missing teeth.
Every smile design case begins with extensive planning — photographs, 3D scans, facial measurements, digital simulations, wax-up models. The plan is reviewed and refined until both the patient and the clinical team are confident in the design. This planning phase is what separates true smile design from "just getting veneers."
Who is a candidate for smile design?
Smile design is most often chosen by patients who want comprehensive change rather than spot treatment. The ideal candidate typically has:
- Multiple aesthetic concerns (color, shape, alignment, gum line)
- Mature aesthetic vision — interested in long-term result, not quick fixes
- Realistic expectations and willingness to invest the needed time in the process
- Generally healthy teeth and gums (existing periodontal disease or active decay must be treated first)
- Budget for comprehensive treatment
- Willingness to maintain results with 6-month cleanings and proper home care
The smile design process
- 01
Free consultation
You meet with Dr. Vivian Menendez. We discuss your goals, take photographs of your current smile, perform a clinical examination, and review your dental and medical history. You leave with an understanding of options, realistic timeline and approximate pricing — without commitment.
- 02
Digital records and planning
3D digital scans of your teeth, comprehensive photographs from multiple angles, X-rays as needed. These records form the foundation for digital smile design. We may also take video of your speech and smile dynamics to understand how your smile moves.
- 03
Digital smile design preview
Within 1-2 weeks, we present a 3D simulation showing your projected final smile. You see different shape options, color variations and proportional adjustments. We refine the design based on your feedback — adjust tooth length, change shape, alter gum line — until you approve.
- 04
Wax-up models
For comprehensive cases, Enrique creates physical wax-up models so you can hold and visualize the planned result. This is a step most studios skip. The wax-up becomes the blueprint for the temporary veneers.
- 05
Pre-treatment work
Any necessary preparatory treatment happens before veneers: gum recontouring for balanced gum line, orthodontic correction for major alignment issues, periodontal treatment for healthy gums, professional whitening for remaining natural teeth.
- 06
Tooth preparation and temporaries
Under local anesthesia, we gently prepare the teeth that will receive veneers (removing 0.3-0.7 mm of enamel) and place temporary veneers in the new shape. You wear these temporaries for 1-2 weeks — this is your final test drive of the design.
- 07
Temporary phase feedback
During the temporary phase, you live with the new smile shape. You eat, speak, photograph, see how friends and family respond. If anything needs adjustment — too long, too white, shape preference — we modify the final design before permanent veneers are crafted.
- 08
Permanent veneer placement
Enrique hand-crafts your final veneers based on the approved design. At your placement appointment, we remove the temporaries and bond the permanent porcelain veneers one tooth at a time, checking fit and aesthetics. You leave with your final transformed smile.
- 09
Refinement and follow-up
We see you 1-2 weeks after placement to confirm everything settled correctly. Any minor adjustments are made. Then back to your regular 6-month cleaning schedule for long-term care.
Living with your new smile
Smile design has no surgical recovery period — there's a brief adjustment phase as your bite and speech adapt to the new tooth shapes (1-2 weeks). Most patients report mild temperature sensitivity that resolves on its own.
You can eat normally the same day, with caution around very hard foods (ice, hard candy) and sticky foods for the first 24-48 hours while cement fully sets. After that, your new smile handles all normal eating — though the lifetime habits of not biting hard objects matter for longevity.
Maintenance is critical for long-term success. We provide a custom night guard for any patient who grinds or clenches (most patients do, even if they don't notice). You keep your 6-month cleaning schedule. You floss carefully around veneers (slide, don't snap). With these habits, smile designs at Art Dental Studio typically last 15-20+ years.
Questions answered.
Veneers are one tool used in smile design — but smile design plans the entire visible smile holistically rather than treating individual teeth. A smile design case typically combines veneers with whitening, gum reshaping and (sometimes) orthodontic correction. The planning phase is much more extensive, with digital previews, wax-up models and temporary veneers worn before commitment.
Every case is different, so we do not publish prices. Your free consultation includes a transparent, written, personalized estimate. Financing options with monthly payment plans are available.
Treatment duration varies depending on the specific needs of each patient. During your free consultation, we will evaluate your case and give you a personalized treatment plan with an accurate timeline.
This is exactly why we have master ceramist Enrique in-house. Each veneer is hand-painted to match your skin tone, facial proportions and personal aesthetic — not pulled from a catalog. The most common feedback from our patients is that friends and family notice they look better but cannot tell what changed.
Yes. We use digital smile design to create a 3D simulation of your final result before any tooth preparation. You can request adjustments to shape, length, color and proportions. For comprehensive cases, we also create wax-up models so you can physically hold and review the planned smile.
During the temporary phase (before the permanent veneers), you wear veneers in the final planned shape. This is your last opportunity to request changes before the permanent veneers are crafted. We adjust shape, length, color or proportions based on your feedback. Permanent placement only happens after you approve the design.
With proper care, smile designs at Art Dental Studio typically last 15-20+ years. The biggest factors in longevity: 6-month cleanings, daily flossing, not biting hard objects, wearing a night guard if you grind, and avoiding excessive smoking/heavy red wine consumption.
Yes — veneers are not permanent. After 15-20+ years, normal wear, gum recession or aesthetic changes may make replacement the right choice. Replacement uses the same per-veneer pricing as initial placement. Many patients see well over two decades from a single set with proper care.
Take the first step with Smile Design
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Book your free consultationRelated guides
- → Smile design in Cooper City (Broward)
- → Smile design in Kendall
- → Choosing a cosmetic dentist in Miami
- → The smile design process, step by step
- → In-house dental lab vs. outsourced
- → Veneer materials compared
- → Multi-specialty care under one roof
- → How to choose the best cosmetic dentist in Miami
- → Why ultra-white teeth look fake
- → Smile design for brides & weddings
- → When a smile makeover needs a team
