The Smile Makeover Process Step-by-Step at Taki Dent

A smile makeover should never be a leap of faith. Patients' biggest fear is often "waking up with a smile that isn't mine", and a well-run process is designed precisely to remove that risk — because you see and approve the result before anything permanent happens. A prosthodontist-led smile makeover runs in three phases in strict order: plan, preview, then treat. This article walks UK patients through exactly what happens at each step at Taki Dent in Antalya, so you arrive knowing the sequence, the timeline and the decisions you will make along the way.

Step 1 — The remote consultation

The journey starts before you travel. You send clear photographs of your teeth and smile and describe your goals — what you like, what you would change, how natural or how bright you want the result. The clinic's team reviews the case and returns a preliminary plan and an indicative quote. This is the moment to ask about accreditation, the materials used and the guarantee, and to discuss whether veneers, crowns, composite bonding, or a combination is likely to suit you. Whatever clinic you choose, ask for the plan and an itemised written quote so you can compare like for like.

Step 2 — Examination and records on arrival

On day one in Antalya the clinic takes the full clinical records that a precise makeover depends on:

• A comprehensive oral examination, including a gum-health assessment — veneers should not be placed on inflamed gums, because the margin where restoration meets gum is critical to long-term success.
• An intraoral scan using a wand scanner (no messy putty impressions).
• Photographs and a short video of you at rest and smiling, so the design respects your face, not just your teeth.
• A 3D CT scan where indicated, to check roots and bone before any structural work.

If any preparatory care is needed — treating gum inflammation, a filling, or whitening of teeth that will not be veneered — it is scheduled here, before the makeover proper.

Step 3 — The digital smile design

This is where your new smile is drawn. Using digital smile design software, the proposed teeth are designed directly over your own photographs and scan, assessing the midline, the incisal plane, tooth proportions, the gum line and the buccal corridors. The aim is harmony with your face — a smile that looks like it belongs to you, not a generic template. Shade and translucency are discussed here, and most UK patients are best steered away from the brightest bleach shades unless they genuinely suit, towards a result that reads as natural in daylight and in photographs.

Step 4 — The trial smile (the most important step)

The digital design is converted into a physical trial smile: a temporary resin overlay, placed over your teeth, which you wear and assess in your own mouth. You evaluate the shape, length, shade and how the smile moves with your lips and speech. You can ask for changes — longer, shorter, brighter, more rounded — and the design is refined. Crucially, this all happens before any irreversible preparation. A clinic that skips or rushes this step is a red flag; it is the heart of the process, and the reason patients rarely get a surprise at the end.

Step 5 — Preparation and temporaries

Once you approve the trial smile, the teeth are prepared — conservatively. For veneers this is a precise, minimal reduction of enamel (often 0.3–0.5mm), preserving as much natural tooth as possible; where a tooth is already compromised, a crown is used instead, as explained in Veneers vs Crowns. Final scans are then taken and high-quality temporary restorations modelled on your approved design are fitted, so you leave with a presentable smile while the laboratory crafts the definitive ceramics.

Step 6 — Crafting the final restorations

Your final restorations are made from premium ceramics — e.max lithium disilicate for veneers, chosen for strength and lifelike translucency, and zirconia where extra durability or a crown is needed. These are the same branded materials used in UK practices. The laboratory work is what turns a good design into a beautiful, durable result, and it typically takes a few days, which is why a smile makeover is usually a 5–7 day trip or occasionally two visits.

Step 7 — Final fitting and the bite check

At the fitting appointment the fit, shade and contacts of each restoration are checked before bonding. Bonding is done meticulously, with careful isolation, because the strength of the bond determines how long the work lasts. The occlusion is then verified — how your teeth meet in every position, not just straight up and down. This bite check is not a formality: occlusal forces are the main mechanical threat to ceramic restorations, a point reinforced by published research on how mechanical load and biological variables drive bone-level changes around restorations and implants (doi.org/10.3290/j.qi.a43864). The quality of the finish line at the gum, which is controlled at this stage, similarly governs long-term gum health and survival (doi.org/10.52037/eads.2023.0022).

Step 8 — Aftercare and guarantee

You leave with a written aftercare pack: a customised hygiene plan, a night-guard recommendation if you grind, your treatment records, and a written guarantee (lifetime material guarantee on implants; 5 years on zirconia crowns and laminate veneers; 2 years on composite restorations). Remote follow-up is offered, and patients are encouraged to keep regular check-ups with your own UK dentist. The British Dental Association (bda.org) and General Dental Council (gdc-uk.org) note that the NHS will not redo overseas work, so good records and a clear guarantee matter — which is exactly why they should be provided in writing.

What should UK patients verify before booking?

Before you commit, verify the clinic's accreditation, that a specialist will plan and deliver your case, the materials, and the guarantee. Taki Dent's International Health Tourism Authorisation no. ST-6335 is issued by Turkey's Ministry of Health and can be checked on the official register at the Ministry's health-tourism register. You can explore the underlying treatment on the smile design in Turkey page.

The prosthodontist's bottom line

A good smile makeover is methodical, not magical: plan it digitally, preview it as a trial smile you approve, then treat in premium materials with a carefully managed bite and a clear guarantee. Done in that order — the order described for Taki Dent in Antalya — the result is one you have already seen, agreed and can rely on for years.

Further reading on this site: Hollywood Smile Cost in Turkey (2026) and Digital Smile Design vs Composite Bonding.

Medically reviewed for clinical accuracy by Dr Morteza Neshat Omidvaran, GDC 211103 (GDC-registered UK dentist). This article is general information, not individual clinical advice; arrange an assessment for a personalised plan.