ing smile from different angles—to talk about what needs to be changed to achieve her goals. (“Together we talked about the way my smile looks from the side and the front. It was so much easier to look at my smile in the photos and follow the doctor’s explanation and vision of what it would take to give me the smile I want.”)

2. She learned that the dentist can offer other ways to make changes that patients don’t even know about. (“Who knew that it was more than having short teeth? My gums were too low!”)

3. She learned that gum reshaping would actually make some of her tee

Carolyn N. firmly believes her four stubby, wayward front teeth get in the way of her looks. They are a humbling reminder that nature’s blueprint is imperfect—even for a statuesque and charismatic young lawyer with long golden hair swinging at her shoulders.

“I’ve always wanted to have a happy, feminine smile that fits the real me,” says Carolyn, with a confident handshake. “But I didn’t know how to get one.”

That was before Carolyn embarked on a campaign of consultation appointments with five different dentists. At first, she opted for the “free” consultation, but quickly found that the fleeting, 10-to-15-minute, freebee-sessions raised more questions than they answered.

“I wanted to get information, and I felt that the no-fee consult would suffice,” says Carolyn. “But I could soon see that these short-and-sweet sessions don’t give you what you need after all. You have to spend time with an experienced dentist. Period. So, I decided not to limit myself to a free consultation.”

Patients like Carolyn soon realize it is unwise to choose a dentist based on a consult fee. Free or not, this appointment is pivotal in mapping a course of treatment—to help make an important decision. “After all, cosmetic dentistry takes a lot of time, and a lot of money,” says Dr. Daniel J. Deutsch, at the Washington Center for Dentistry, in Washington, DC. “And these appointments offer the only chance to really check out the doctor’s personal esthetic, and his experience.”

Dentists like Dr. Deutsch aim to guide patients through a maze of options and to help patients make decisions using relevant criteria. He says the best consultation prioritizes options, highlights effective treatments—and considers the budget.

And in this day of “infomercials” and questionable testimonials, there is no substitute for seeing photos of a dentist’s actual patients. “Patients find it enormously helpful to see how their dentist deals with other people who have the same smile problems,” he says. “And it reassures them to see how a particular treatment really improves a smile—that’s done right in the same office. When it comes to this type of thing, a picture really is worth a thousand words!”

So here’s what Carolyn found helpful in her for-fee consultation appointment:

1. She learned that a dentist can take Polaroid photos of her existing smile from different angles—to talk about what needs to be changed to achieve her goals. (“Together we talked about the way my smile looks from the side and the front. It was so much easier to look at my smile in the photos and follow the doctor’s explanation and vision of what it would take to give me the smile I want.”)

2. She learned that the dentist can offer other ways to make changes that patients don’t even know about. (“Who knew that it was more than having short teeth? My gums were too low!”)

3. She learned that gum reshaping would actually make some of her tee

nd that the fleeting, 10-to-15-minute, freebee-sessions raised more questions than they answered.

“I wanted to get information, and I felt that the no-fee consult would suffice,” says Carolyn. “But I could soon see that these short-and-sweet sessions don’t give you what you need after all. You have to spend time with an experienced dentist. Period. So, I decided not to limit myself to a free consultation.”

Patients like Carolyn soon realize it is unwise to choose a dentist based on a consult fee. Free or not, this appointment is pivotal in mapping a course of treatment—to help make an important decision. “After all, cosmetic dentistry takes a lot of time, and a lot of money,” says Dr. Daniel J. Deutsch, at the Washington Center for Dentistry, in Washington, DC. “And these appointments offer the only chance to really check out the doctor’s personal esthetic, and his experience.”

Dentists like Dr. Deutsch aim to guide patients through a maze of options and to help patients make decisions using relevant criteria. He says the best consultation prioritizes options, highlights effective treatments—and considers the budget.

And in this day of “infomercials” and questionable testimonials, there is no substitute for seeing photos of a dentist’s actual patients. “Patients find it enormously helpful to see how their dentist deals with other people who have the same smile problems,” he says. “And it reassures them to see how a particular treatment really improves a smile—that’s done right in the same office. When it comes to this type of thing, a picture really is worth a thousand words!”

So here’s what Carolyn found helpful in her for-fee consultation appointment:

1. She learned that a dentist can take Polaroid photos of her existing smile from different angles—to talk about what needs to be changed to achieve her goals. (“Together we talked about the way my smile looks from the side and the front. It was so much easier to look at my smile in the photos and follow the doctor’s explanation and vision of what it would take to give me the smile I want.”)

2. She learned that the dentist can offer other ways to make changes that patients don’t even know about. (“Who knew that it was more than having short teeth? My gums were too low!”)

3. She learned that gum reshaping would actually make some of her tee

make an important decision. “After all, cosmetic dentistry takes a lot of time, and a lot of money,” says Dr. Daniel J. Deutsch, at the Washington Center for Dentistry, in Washington, DC. “And these appointments offer the only chance to really check out the doctor’s personal esthetic, and his experience.”

Dentists like Dr. Deutsch aim to guide patients through a maze of options and to help patients make decisions using relevant criteria. He says the best consultation prioritizes options, highlights effective treatments—and considers the budget.

And in this day of “infomercials” and questionable testimonials, there is no substitute for seeing photos of a dentist’s actual patients. “Patients find it enormously helpful to see how their dentist deals with other people who have the same smile problems,” he says. “And it reassures them to see how a particular treatment really improves a smile—that’s done right in the same office. When it comes to this type of thing, a picture really is worth a thousand words!”

So here’s what Carolyn found helpful in her for-fee consultation appointment:

1. She learned that a dentist can take Polaroid photos of her existing smile from different angles—to talk about what needs to be changed to achieve her goals. (“Together we talked about the way my smile looks from the side and the front. It was so much easier to look at my smile in the photos and follow the doctor’s explanation and vision of what it would take to give me the smile I want.”)

2. She learned that the dentist can offer other ways to make changes that patients don’t even know about. (“Who knew that it was more than having short teeth? My gums were too low!”)

3. She learned that gum reshaping would actually make some of her tee

s” and questionable testimonials, there is no substitute for seeing photos of a dentist’s actual patients. “Patients find it enormously helpful to see how their dentist deals with other people who have the same smile problems,” he says. “And it reassures them to see how a particular treatment really improves a smile—that’s done right in the same office. When it comes to this type of thing, a picture really is worth a thousand words!”

So here’s what Carolyn found helpful in her for-fee consultation appointment:

1. She learned that a dentist can take Polaroid photos of her existing smile from different angles—to talk about what needs to be changed to achieve her goals. (“Together we talked about the way my smile looks from the side and the front. It was so much easier to look at my smile in the photos and follow the doctor’s explanation and vision of what it would take to give me the smile I want.”)

2. She learned that the dentist can offer other ways to make changes that patients don’t even know about. (“Who knew that it was more than having short teeth? My gums were too low!”)

3. She learned that gum reshaping would actually make some of her tee

ing smile from different angles—to talk about what needs to be changed to achieve her goals. (“Together we talked about the way my smile looks from the side and the front. It was so much easier to look at my smile in the photos and follow the doctor’s explanation and vision of what it would take to give me the smile I want.”)

2. She learned that the dentist can offer other ways to make changes that patients don’t even know about. (“Who knew that it was more than having short teeth? My gums were too low!”)

3. She learned that gum reshaping would actually make some of her teeth look much longer. (“It turns out my gums grew too far down, covering too much of my tooth structure. In an easy, painless, procedure, the doctor removed part of my gum tissue, and exposed a lot more of my tooth. Amazing!)

4. She learned a lot about how her new smile would look, when the doctor placed mock-up material on other teeth: She could see how a veneer or crown could improve the shape and color of teeth before it was even done! (“The mock-up material looked like a real tooth, and it showed how a longer, whiter tooth would make my smile look so much prettier.”

5. She learned—by looking at her dentist’s before-and-after photos—that other patients with the same “short teeth” had achieved great results after gum reshaping and veneers. (“It was exciting to see other people with the same tiny teeth, end up with beautiful smiles. After seeing the photos, it was so easy to make the decision to go ahead with treatment—even the two veneers that I needed where gum reshaping was not an option.”