Digital smile design

It is an umbrella term rather than one treatment — whitening, veneers, crowns, bonding, reshaping, and orthodontics all sit under it. What suits you depends on whether the concern is colour, shape, position or wear, and those are addressed differently.

Anywhere from a single appointment for whitening or bonding, to several months for orthodontic movement. Your dentist will give you a sequence and timeframe in writing as part of the plan, so you know before committing.

With an assessment and a conversation about what specifically bothers you. People often arrive asking for veneers when whitening or aligners would achieve what they actually want, at lower cost and with less removal of tooth structure.

In many cases yes. A2ZDental has intraoral scanners on site, so your teeth can be scanned and a proposed result shown digitally before anything irreversible is done. It also gives you something concrete to react to.

Usually not, or only partially. Health funds generally cover treatment classed as restorative rather than purely cosmetic. Where a treatment has both functional and cosmetic benefit, part may be claimable. HICAPS is processed on the spot so you see the gap immediately.

Treatments differ in how much they change the tooth underneath. Whitening and bonding sit at the conservative end. Others involve more preparation of the tooth. That is why it is worth discussing the least involved option that achieves what you want — your dentist will explain what each approach means for your own teeth at an assessment.

A planned sequence rather than a single treatment, usually combining whitening, orthodontics, bonding, veneers or crowns. Planning starts with photographs, a digital scan and a written sequence you take away before anything begins.

It starts with what you actually dislike, not with a treatment. People arrive asking for veneers far more often than they need them. Photographs and a scan first, then you see a simulation of the proposed result before anyone touches an instrument.