Mock-up Reveal

Can I see what my new smile will look like before committing?

Yes — and this is the single most useful thing to know before any cosmetic dental treatment.

A mock-up reveal lets you preview a smile makeover before agreeing to anything. The process is completely reversible and causes no harm to any of your natural teeth.

We are at Level 1, 220 Collins Street, Manchester Unity Building, Melbourne CBD.

How it works

1. The digital reveal. Your mock-up starts with a digital reveal on a large screen with the practice's lead ceramist — the person who would actually make your restorations, discussing the design with you directly.

2. The physical mock-up. Your cosmetic dentist then fabricates a physical mock-up on your teeth, made from a temporary resin applied over the top of your natural teeth.

Nothing is drilled. Nothing is removed. You walk out able to see and feel the proposed result, and it comes off.

Why it matters

Most cosmetic dentistry is irreversible. Preparing teeth for porcelain veneers or crowns removes enamel that does not grow back, and that step is usually taken on the strength of a conversation and a photograph.

A mock-up moves the decision point to before the irreversible step. You are agreeing to a result you have already seen in your own mouth, rather than to a description of one — which is what informed consent is supposed to rest on.

What it lets you do

Visualise your new smile

Preview the proposed changes to your teeth's shape, size, length, position and colour — and understand how they look and feel in your own face, in motion, rather than in a rendering. The before and after gallery shows other people's finished results; a mock-up shows yours.

Explore your treatment options

See how different choices change the result:

• how many veneers the outcome actually needs — often fewer than people assume, and whether composite bonding could achieve a similar change with less tooth removed
• whether a gum lift would improve the proportions
• how far to go on shade and length — this is also the point to settle whether teeth whitening happens first, because porcelain does not lighten afterwards the way natural enamel does

Meet the people making it

Spend time with the in-house lead ceramist and your cosmetic dentist, so you are comfortable with the people creating your smile before work begins — not an off-site or overseas provider you never speak to.

The Australian Dental Association takes a formal position on that last point. Its policy statement on elective overseas dental treatment says "Australian residents should only seek elective dental treatment in Australia to ensure Australian standards are met, complications are managed promptly, and good oral health is maintained", and warns of "potential for delivery of treatment without full informed consent and at a different professional and regulatory standard than provided in Australia". One honest limit belongs with it: that statement carries no complication rate and no incidence figure, so it is a professional position on risk, not a measurement of how often things go wrong.

What a mock-up can and cannot tell you

A preview is evidence, not a promise, and the difference is worth stating precisely.

What it genuinely shows you: shape, length and proportion, how the teeth sit against your lip and in your face, and how the whole arrangement behaves while you talk and smile. That is real information, and there is no other way to get it.

What it cannot show you: the finished surface texture, translucency and colour of layered porcelain — a temporary resin does not have the optical behaviour of the ceramic work that would follow. It also cannot tell you how the result will age, how the gums will settle around it, or what your bite will do to it over a decade.

That distinction is not only a clinical courtesy. AHPRA's Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service treat advertising as creating an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment where it overstates a benefit, exaggerates outcomes or recovery time by giving “incomplete or biased information”, indicates a result is “a certainty, guaranteed or sure cure”, or uses “photos or images of unrealistic outcomes”. So a preview should never be presented to you as a guaranteed result — and it is fair to be wary of anyone who presents one that way.

The same guidelines set out when before-and-after images are less likely to mislead: when the images are as similar as possible in content, camera angle, background, framing and exposure; when posture, clothing and make-up are consistent; when lighting and contrast are consistent; when any alteration to an image is explained; and when the treatment referred to is the only visible change to the person photographed. Apply that test to any gallery you are shown, including this practice's. A mock-up in your own mouth exists precisely because someone else's photograph, however honestly taken, is not evidence about your teeth. (Source: AHPRA, Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service.)

What the published evidence says about the treatment you are previewing

The decisions a mock-up helps you make are the ones the research is clearest about.

How much tooth comes off

A gravimetric study in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry (Edelhoff and Sorensen, 2002) prepared typodont teeth to a range of designs and weighed what was removed. Veneer and resin-bonded preparations were the least invasive, taking approximately 3% to 30% of the coronal tooth structure by weight. All-ceramic and metal-ceramic crown preparations took approximately 63% to 72% — for a single restoration, the metal-ceramic crown preparation removed 4.3 times as much as a facial-surface-only veneer preparation. It was laboratory work on artificial teeth rather than a clinical study, which is a genuine limitation, but it is the measurement most later reviews rely on.

Why the enamel left underneath matters

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry compared ceramic veneers by the surface they were bonded to:

Veneers with only minimal dentin exposure were significantly less likely to require clinical intervention than those with severe exposure (risk difference −0.16, 95% CI −0.31 to −0.01). "Success" here means the veneer needed no intervention; "survival" means it did not fail outright. That is the clinical reason the how many, and how deep conversation belongs at mock-up stage rather than after the handpiece has been picked up.

Lifespan in years is not a figure anyone publishes

A systematic review in the European Journal of Dentistry (2021), covering 30 studies, 2,473 patients and 11,465 porcelain laminate veneers, reported survival of 80.1% to 100% in studies with follow-up under 5 years, 47% to 100% at 5 to 7 years, and 53% to 94.4% at 10 to 12 years — and concluded that a conclusive estimate of longevity beyond 20 years is lacking. Its own explanation for that spread is that the studies defined "failure" differently and used different evaluation criteria, so the numbers are not measuring quite the same thing.

The Australian series within that review is the one closest to home: 499 veneers in 155 patients, placed by a single prosthodontist in private practice between 1990 and 2010, with reported survival of 98% at 5 years, 96% at 10 years and 91% at both 15 and 20 years. Two conditions belong with those figures — patients with extensive tooth-structure loss through parafunction were excluded, and only teeth with at least 80% enamel remaining were veneered. The same authors' earlier series of 304 veneers reported 73% at 15 to 16 years. A well-documented long run is achievable in selected mouths; no single number settles it, and a practice quoting one should be asked which study it came from.

If you grind, or your gums are not healthy, say so now

Healthdirect records that veneers "may not be suitable if you grind or clench your teeth or if you have gum disease", that they are "not used to repair damage", and that they "don't straighten your teeth or fix your bite". It is equally plain about permanence: "Your dental professional fixes veneers to the surface of your teeth. You can't take veneers off." See TMD & Teeth Grinding and Bleeding Gums.

The composite option has its own numbers

A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis in the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice pooled the randomised controlled trials of resin composite laminate veneers and reported an overall survival rate of 88% (95% CI 81% to 94%), with mean follow-up ranging from 24 to 97 months. Surface roughness, colour mismatch and marginal discolouration were the complications most often reported, and the authors regard most as clinically acceptable with or without reintervention. Less tooth removed, a shorter documented record — which is precisely the trade a mock-up exists to let you weigh.

Whichever you choose, it is not the last work that tooth will need

The Australian Dental Association's consumer guidance: "Having a crown, bridge or veneer does not mean no treatment will ever be needed again for the tooth or teeth. These teeth can still be damaged by tooth decay. Sometimes crowns, bridges and veneers can chip, fracture or no longer match the colour of your teeth and need to be replaced."

What to do with it

A few things worth doing while the mock-up is on:

• Look at it in different light — the practice's lighting is not your bathroom's or your office's
• Talk, smile and laugh in front of a mirror; a smile that works at rest can look wrong in motion
• Photograph it, and look again the next day
• Show someone whose opinion you trust
• Say clearly what you would change — this is the cheapest point at which to change it

Getting started

To experience a mock-up reveal, begin with the complimentary cosmetic consultation.

Note that the consultation is a discussion only — no check-up, x-rays, scans or clinical treatment — and a $50 refundable deposit secures the appointment. Confirm the current terms when you book — what the appointment includes, whether records such as scans or radiographs are part of it or charged separately, and whether any deposit applies. Fees for the treatment that may follow are listed in the price guide, and the practice can be reached on the contact page.

Before you decide

A mock-up is an elective step, and your dentist will review other treatment options where appropriate.

Results, recovery times and potential risks vary for each individual and procedure. This information is general in nature and intended for people over 18. Undergoing any dental or cosmetic procedure is a significant decision — seek independent advice from a qualified, AHPRA-registered practitioner before proceeding.

The practice's mock-up demonstration video features Dr Ryan Sherry (DEN0002124765), Registered Dentist, General Registration.

Common questions

Is "cosmetic dentist" an actual qualification?

No, and this is worth knowing before you choose anyone for this kind of work.

The Australian Dental Association's own consumer guidance states it flatly: "A dentist cannot be registered as a Cosmetic Dentist in Australia." The phrase describes an area of interest and practice, not a registration category. What the ADA does say is that "cosmetic dental treatments can be done by a dentist or dental specialist, called a prosthodontist" — and prosthodontics is one of the recognised dental specialties on the AHPRA register.

So when you see the term, including on this page, read it as a description of the work rather than a credential. What you can actually verify, free, on the AHPRA public register is whether a practitioner holds general registration, whether they hold specialist registration and in which of the recognised specialties, and whether any conditions apply to their registration.

The standard that matters most here is the Dental Board's scope of practice requirement: practitioners must work within the scope of their own education, training and competence. A general dentist doing cosmetic work is entirely proper; a general dentist doing complex full-arch work beyond their training is not. Asking how many cases like yours someone has done, and asking to see documented long-term follow-up rather than a highlights gallery, is a reasonable thing to do.

I only want one tooth fixed. Why am I being shown eight?

Sometimes there is a genuine reason, and sometimes there is not. The mock-up is the right place to find out which.

The legitimate reason is symmetry and blending: matching a single new restoration to the shade, translucency and surface of the natural teeth beside it is one of the hardest things in dentistry, and a plan that includes the neighbours may be about achieving a match rather than selling volume. The ADA notes that porcelain and zirconia are colour-matched to your other teeth, which is exactly where that difficulty lies.

The reason to push back is that each additional tooth is irreversible. On the measurements above, a veneer preparation removes roughly 3% to 30% of the crown of the tooth by weight and a full crown preparation 63% to 72% — applied to a tooth that had nothing wrong with it, that is a permanent trade for an aesthetic gain.

AHPRA's advertising guidance is relevant here too. The National Law prohibits advertising that directly or indirectly encourages the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of regulated health services, on the basis that any health intervention carries inherent risk. That is a rule about advertising rather than about treatment planning, but the principle behind it is a fair test to apply to any plan put in front of you.

Practical version: ask for the minimum option and the recommended option, both mocked up if possible, with the reason for the difference stated in terms of your teeth rather than in general terms. Ask specifically whether composite bonding on fewer teeth would get you most of the way.

Would a crown or a veneer be better for my tooth?

They answer different problems, and the difference is mostly about how much sound tooth is left.

The ADA's consumer guidance describes a crown as something "recommended by a dentist to fix a badly broken, cracked or decayed tooth", and notes they are "commonly recommended for teeth that have had a root canal treatment, particularly for premolar and molar teeth". A crown is "created to fit over the natural tooth after it has been cut back", and it can make the tooth stronger and protect what is inside it. Materials include porcelain, zirconia, gold alloy, or a combination of porcelain and metal.

A veneer covers the visible surface rather than encasing the tooth, and the evidence above shows what that buys: far less tooth removed, and — where it stays in enamel — very high reported survival. Healthdirect's limits apply, though: veneers are "not used to repair damage", and they "don't straighten your teeth or fix your bite".

The rule of thumb the evidence supports is that a structurally compromised tooth is a crown question and an intact tooth with an appearance you dislike is a veneer or bonding question — and that being offered a crown for a purely cosmetic complaint on a sound tooth deserves an explanation.

On the process itself, the ADA describes crown treatment as usually two appointments: the tooth is cut back at the first, a copy of the shape is taken either as an impression held in place for three to five minutes or a digital scan, a temporary plastic crown is fitted, and the finished crown is cemented at the second visit. Some practices, including this one, offer same-day crowns where the whole sequence happens in one day.

What if I see the mock-up and hate it?

Then it has done its job, and it comes off.

That is the entire point of taking the decision before rather than after the preparation. A mock-up you dislike costs you an appointment; a set of veneers you dislike costs considerably more than money, because the enamel underneath is gone and the tooth now needs a restoration of some kind indefinitely.

What should happen next is a second design rather than a polite retreat. Be specific about what is wrong — too long, too white, too square, too even, the wrong shape for your face — because "I don't like it" is difficult to act on and "the two front teeth are too long and too uniform" is not. It is entirely reasonable to ask for the design to be revised and shown again.

And it is equally reasonable to decide not to proceed at all. Deciding against elective treatment after seeing it is a sound outcome, not a failed appointment, and no one should make you feel otherwise. If you feel pressure at that point, that in itself is information.

Related reading

• Same-day porcelain veneers — what changes when the porcelain is made and fitted in one visit
• The case for same-day porcelain veneers versus temporary veneers worn for 2-3 weeks
• How long do porcelain veneers last?
• What is the difference between porcelain crowns and veneers?
• The technology behind the digital reveal
• Second opinions and corrective dentistry — if you are unhappy with cosmetic work done elsewhere

Practical details

Smile Solutions trades under ABN 28 193 514 103.