Was your health checked first?
Cavities, gums and bite, before talking about aesthetics. The European Federation of Periodontology guideline calls for a complete diagnosis before planning.
Gloss Dent Polanco
Smile design in Polanco
What smile design is, what the plan can include, who it suits and who it does not, the mock-up, visits and how long each treatment lasts in studies. Clinic in Polanco.
What it is
The planning before choosing a treatment
Smile design is not a treatment: it is the stage where your face, lips, gums and teeth are studied, a change is proposed and it is tried before a single tooth is touched. It decides which combination you need, and that can be very little: sometimes whitening alone.
At our Polanco clinic we check for cavities, gum health and your bite before any cosmetic treatment, plan with photographs, a 3D scan and a digital preview, and you receive a written plan with the alternatives.
What it can include
What the plan can lead to, and how each option differs
What usually makes sense is the least invasive option that fixes what bothers you. The usual order: health first (cavities and gums), then tooth position, then color, and restorations last.
| Usually considered for… | Tooth structure removed | What the sources say | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitening | An even yellowish color, with a tooth shape you like. | None: it lightens the color of your own tooth. | It lasts around 3 years, according to the NHS; it is not permanent. Crowns, veneers and composite do not get lighter. |
| Composite | Chips, small gaps or the shape of a few teeth. | Usually none or very little. | 90% to 95% success at 10 years in a meta-analysis, depending on the type of restoration. |
| Aligners | Crowded, rotated or protruding teeth. | They move the tooth. With the tooth in place, whatever comes next removes less or none. | Worn 20 to 22 hours a day, and they add months to the plan. Afterward, a retainer for as long as you want to keep your teeth in place. |
| Ceramic veneers | A change of shape and color on several teeth or the whole smile. | Usually some enamel: 3% to 30% of the tooth, in a laboratory study. | Between 89% and 97% were still in place at about 9 or 10 years, depending on the material. Still in place does not mean problem-free. |
| Crowns | A heavily restored, fractured or weak tooth. | More: 63% to 72%, in the same study. | At 5 years, 90% to 98.5% were still in place, depending on the material, in a meta-analysis of 64 studies. |
These are averages from studies (sources below), not a promise for your case. The combination you need comes from your assessment.
Is it right for me?
Who it usually makes sense for, and what is treated first
It usually makes sense if…
- You want to change the shape, size, proportion or color of several teeth and see the possible result before deciding.
- Your case combines treatments (for example, aligners and then composite, or gum treatment and then veneers) and the order matters.
- Some teeth will need to be reshaped: planning from the final shape helps preserve enamel, and veneers bonded to enamel failed much less often than veneers bonded to dentin.
- You have old restorations that look different from the rest.
It is not usually the first step, or something is treated first, if…
- You have cavities or inflamed gums: these are treated first. Nothing cosmetic is placed on diseased teeth or gums.
- You clench or grind your teeth, or have bite problems: they change the material and the design, and a night guard is added.
- You have old restorations that leak or are stained: they are checked and replaced if needed.
- A lot of gum shows when you smile: the cause (gum, bone, lip or tooth position) is understood first, before lengthening teeth with veneers.
- Only the color bothers you: whitening may be all you need.
- You expect it to look exactly like the simulation: there is a clear conversation about what can and cannot be achieved. The on-screen image is a guide, not a promise.
The process
Visit by visit
- 1
Clinical assessment 1 to 2 appointments
Medical and dental history, a check of cavities, gums, bite and bruxism, X-rays if needed, a dental chart and a periodontal chart (Mexico's NOM-013 standard requires them as part of the minimum clinical record). At Gloss Dent the first consultation takes about 90 minutes.
- 2
Records of your smile
Photographs and a 3D scan, almost always in the same appointment.
- 3
Digital proposal days to a few weeks
The proposed shape is designed around your face, your lips and your gums, and you see it in a digital preview.
- 4
Mock-up in your mouth 1 appointment
A resin model placed over your teeth without reshaping them, so you can see yourself, give your opinion and have it adjusted. At Gloss Dent it is done in many cases.
- 5
Written plan and consent
A plan in phases with the alternatives (including doing less), the risks and what cannot be undone. Mexico's NOM-013 standard requires consent to explain the alternatives in plain language and to be revocable until the procedure starts.
- 6
Foundation treatments depending on the case
Gums, cavities, aligners (months) or whitening.
- 7
Final cosmetic treatments
Composite, veneers or crowns, according to the plan. At Gloss Dent, porcelain veneers are made in the clinic's own laboratory.
- 8
Maintenance
Regular checkups, and a night guard if you clench your teeth.
At your assessment
What to ask before approving a plan
Did you try it in your mouth?
A mock-up over your teeth, not just an on-screen image, before any tooth structure is removed.
Do you have the plan in writing?
In phases, with the alternatives, including doing less or doing nothing, and with what cannot be undone.
Who will treat you?
You can look up their professional license at gob.mx/cedulaprofesional, Mexico's public registry.
How long it lasts
What studies say about how long it lasts and how well it works
Smile design has no lifespan of its own: what lasts is each treatment in the plan. Whitening, around 3 years according to the NHS; composite, 90% to 95% success at 10 years; ceramic veneers, between 89% and 97% still in place at about 9 or 10 years. On digital smile design itself, the evidence is still weak.
| Study | What it found |
|---|---|
| Digital design and satisfaction (Alwabel 2025, review of 7 studies) | With digital design, satisfaction and treatment acceptance were higher, but there were few studies, they differed widely and some were small. |
| Smile design with artificial intelligence (Saini 2025, meta-analysis of 7 studies) | On average, 58% satisfaction, with a very wide margin (30% to 86%), large variation between studies and publication bias detected. |
| Mock-up accuracy (Cattoni 2019, laboratory) | Mock-ups milled from a digital design deviated less from the design (0.011 mm) than mock-ups moulded by hand (0.047 mm). It is a laboratory study, not a study in patients. |
| Preserved enamel (Gurel 2013, 580 veneers) | 99% were still in place when the preparation stayed in enamel; those that reached dentin failed about 10 times more often. |
| Composite on front teeth (Heintze 2015, meta-analysis) | Success at 10 years of 95% for restorations between teeth and 90% for edge restorations. More than half of the studies started before 1991. |
| Ceramic veneers (Morimoto 2016 and Klein 2025, meta-analyses) | 89% were still in place at a median of 9 years; in the other, at about 10 years, 96% of feldspathic porcelain and 97% of lithium disilicate veneers. |
| Still in place versus problem-free (Panayong 2025, 233 veneers) | At 9 or 10 years, 89% were still in place, but fewer than 10% had had no complication. |
| Whitening (NHS) | The effect may last around 3 years if you follow the instructions. It is not permanent. |
These are averages for groups of patients, often treated by specialists or at universities. In your case, your gums, your bite, how much enamel is preserved and aftercare all play a part.
Aftercare
What helps the result last
Hygiene
Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and clean between your teeth. Cavities can form around composite, veneers and crowns.
Checkups
Regular checkups catch chips, debonding or gum changes early. If you had gum treatment, maintenance follows the European Federation of Periodontology guideline.
Guard and retainer
A night guard if you clench or grind your teeth: among patients with bruxism, the risk of veneer fracture was 7 times higher without a guard. After aligners, a retainer for as long as you want to keep your teeth in place.
Color
Coffee, tea, wine and tobacco stain whitened teeth again and discolor composite. Crowns, veneers and composite do not get lighter if you whiten later.
Where we are
Gloss Dent Polanco: address, opening hours and booking
Smile design assessments are by appointment. You can book online, call or message us on WhatsApp. If you are travelling from another city, confirm the number of visits before booking your trip: it depends on what your plan includes.
Gloss Dent Polanco
Address
Torcuato Tasso 325, Mezzanine 1, Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, 11560 Ciudad de México, CDMXUsual opening hours
Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 19:00, and Saturday, 9:00 to 14:00. Visits by appointment.
Phone and WhatsApp
Common questions
Before you book
How much does smile design cost in Polanco?
It depends on what the plan includes: it may be whitening alone or several phases, with gums, aligners and veneers. That is why at Gloss Dent the price is given after the assessment, with a written plan. Ask for the estimate to list each phase, the teeth, the material, the try-ins and the checkups.
Does smile design always end in veneers?
No. You may not need any: sometimes whitening, composite or aligners are enough. If you do need them, the number comes from how many teeth show when you smile and what you want to change. The average smile shows the 6 front teeth and the premolars.
Will my smile look exactly like the simulation?
Not necessarily. The simulation is a guide for making a decision. The result depends on your gums, your underlying tooth color, your bite and the material; that is why it is tried in your mouth with a mock-up before the final work.
Do I need orthodontics first?
If your teeth are crowded, rotated or protruding, often yes: with the tooth in its proper position, less tooth structure is removed, or none. If only the color or small details of shape are changing, no.
How long does it take?
It depends on what the plan includes. A plan with whitening and composite can be completed in weeks. One with veneers usually takes 3 to 5 appointments over 3 to 6 weeks after the assessment. If aligners come first, add months. That is common practice, not a study figure.
What happens at the first appointment?
We go over what you want to change, check your teeth, gums and bite, and take photographs and a 3D scan. At Gloss Dent the first consultation takes about 90 minutes.
Clinical sources
The criteria and figures on this page come from these sources. They are averages from studies, not a promise for any individual case.
- ADA · MouthHealthy: 8 Great Ways to Improve Your Smile
- ADA · MouthHealthy: Veneers
- ADA: Whitening (Oral Health Topics)
- NHS: Teeth whitening (2025)
- European Federation of Periodontology: S3 guideline (2022)
- NOM-013-SSA2-2015, Mexico's Ministry of Health (clinical records and consent)
- SEP: Mexico's public registry of professional licenses (cédula profesional)
- Magne 2004: mock-up-guided preparation
- Cattoni 2019: accuracy of milled and moulded mock-ups (laboratory)
- Alwabel 2025: digital smile design and patient satisfaction (systematic review)
- Saini 2025: smile design with artificial intelligence (meta-analysis)
- Gurel 2013: preserved enamel and veneer failures
- Heintze 2015: composite restorations in front teeth (meta-analysis)
- Morimoto 2016: survival of ceramic veneers (meta-analysis)
- Klein 2025: feldspathic, lithium disilicate and zirconia veneers (meta-analysis)
- Panayong 2025: ceramic veneers over the long term
- Beier 2012: porcelain veneers at 20 years
- Edelhoff 2002: how much tooth each preparation removes
- Pjetursson 2026: crowns by material (meta-analysis)
- Tjan 1984: which teeth show when you smile
- Kapagiannidis 2005: premolars visible when smiling
- FDA 510(k) K220140: wear for 20–22 hours a day
- NHS England: questions about retainers (2019)
Book your assessment at Gloss Dent Polanco
We review your dental health, what you want to change and the options for your case, and you receive a written plan.