See the appointment funnel we built for Smile by Design below.

Thanks for booking your No-Charge Initial Consultation with us at Smile by Design. Whether you chose Bondi Junction or North Sydney, your visit is locked in and the confirmation is already on its way to your inbox.

The visit itself is simpler than most people expect. You'll be examined properly, we'll talk through what you'd like to change about your smile, and the dentist will tell you plainly whether veneers genuinely suit your situation. It's an assessment only. There's no treatment on the day, nothing to pay for the consultation itself, and if something like whitening or Invisalign would serve you better, that's what you'll hear.

Between now and your visit, a few short emails will arrive from us. Each one answers a question new patients ask before they come in, so when you see them, give them the minute they take to read. They're written to save you from sitting in the chair with question marks still hanging over everything.

Below this video you'll also find a set of short clips. They cover the things people most want settled before a first visit, like what veneers cost here, whether they'll look fake, and what happens if your teeth turn out not to be suitable. Watch the ones that speak to you. It means your consultation can skip the basics and go straight into the detail of your own smile.

We're looking forward to meeting you at the clinic. See you soon.

Most cosmetic clinics keep their pricing behind a consultation door. We publish ours, so let me put the real numbers in front of you before you come in.

Porcelain veneers at Smile by Design run in three tiers. The Essential package starts at $1,500 for a single tooth and goes to $10,995 for eight veneers. Signature runs from $2,000 to $12,995. Luxe, our top tier, runs from $2,500 up to $21,995 for a full eight-veneer smile. If you'd rather think per tooth, our fee guide lists porcelain veneers at $1,200-$2,500 each, depending on the case.

Where your own smile lands inside those ranges depends on what the examination shows, and that's exactly what your consultation settles. You'll see the full cost of your recommended plan in writing before you decide anything, so the figure you agree to is the figure you pay.

On affordability, payment plans are available up to $30,000, with terms up to 60 months, so a smile makeover can sit alongside your normal budget rather than on top of it. The consultation where all of this gets worked out is no charge, it's an assessment only, and it's available one per patient, subject to availability.

Come in, get examined, and leave with your own number rather than a guess.

Almost everyone brings this question in with them. You've seen the chalky white rows on social media that photograph like piano keys, and you'd rather keep the teeth you have than end up with those.

That look comes from smiles built to a template instead of a face. Our process was designed to avoid it, and you don't have to take that on faith, because you see your result before it exists. Using Digital Smile Design, we photograph and scan your teeth, then design your new smile digitally and show it to you while everything can still be changed.

Then we go a step further than a picture. Temporary trial veneers are placed over your own teeth, so you can wear the new shape around for a while, check it in the mirror and in photos, and ask for adjustments before the final porcelain is ever made.

The porcelain itself is crafted with an in-house ceramist, which means the person building your veneers matches shade and translucency against your natural teeth in person. Veneers shaped around your features and your natural tooth colour tend to read as a very good version of your own teeth, and for most people that's the entire point.

If a natural result is your main worry, say so at your consultation. It gets designed in from the very first appointment.

The image that keeps a lot of people away from veneers is the one where healthy front teeth get ground to pegs. What actually happens at our practice is a lot gentler than that picture.

Our approach is minimally invasive. We preserve as much of your natural tooth as we can, and for many cases only a fine layer of enamel is adjusted so the veneer sits flush rather than bulky. How much preparation your teeth need is exactly what the examination determines, and you'll know the answer for your own mouth before anything is agreed.

Comfort sits alongside that. Most patients report little to no discomfort through the process, and the team will talk you through what your visits involve so nothing comes as a surprise.

There's also a gentler option worth knowing about. Composite veneers are a single-visit alternative that's more affordable and reversible in suitable cases, and if the assessment shows they're the better fit for you, that's what we'll recommend. Everything rests on clinical suitability, which is precisely what your no-charge consultation is for.

Bring this worry with you when you come in. It's one of the most common conversations we have, and it deserves an answer based on your teeth rather than anyone else's.

When you're weighing up an investment like this, the lifespan question deserves a straight answer.

Porcelain veneers at our practice are expected to last 10-20 years with proper care, and in well-maintained cases they can last up to 20 years, though individual results vary. Care, in practice, means the things you'd do anyway. Brushing well, keeping up your regular check-ups, and being sensible about habits like nail biting or opening things with your teeth.

Longevity is also one of the quiet reasons the design stage matters so much. A veneer that fits precisely, made by our in-house ceramist and bonded only after you've approved the trial smile, is a veneer built to be lived with for decades.

And it's a reason to think carefully about where the work is done. A veneer lives in your mouth for a very long time, and if it ever needs attention years from now, you want the practice that designed and placed it a short trip away in Bondi Junction or North Sydney, with your records and your scans on file.

At your consultation, ask what lifespan looks like for your specific case. The answer depends on your bite and your habits, and the dentist will give it to you plainly.

Before you hand anyone your front teeth, you should know who's behind the practice, and you shouldn't have to take our word for any of it.

Smile by Design is led by our founder, Dr Michael Tam, who has over 30 years of experience in general, cosmetic and implant dentistry. His work has been featured on Channel 7 and in Cosmetic Dentistry Australia magazine, and the practice has grown to two Sydney clinics, one in Bondi Junction and one in North Sydney.

The reviews are public too. Our North Sydney clinic holds a 4.8-star rating on Google, and you can read what patients say in their own words before you come in, including anything critical, which is exactly how we'd suggest you research any clinic.

What that experience means for you in the chair is a process rather than a promise. Your smile is designed digitally, previewed with trial veneers, and only finished once you've approved it, because a practice that's been doing this for decades has learned that certainty is what patients actually want.

When you come in, ask whatever's on your mind about the practice and the people. You'll get direct answers, and you'll be examined by a clinical team that treats your questions as part of the job.

Subject: Your consultation is booked
Preview: What the consultation covers, what it costs, and what happens on the day.
Send: Immediately after booking (fires on form submission)

Hi,

Your No-Charge Initial Consultation is booked. It's held in person at the clinic you chose, North Sydney or Bondi Junction, and as the name says, there's no charge for it. The visit is an assessment only, so no treatment happens on the day and you won't be asked to commit to anything.

A few things about the practice before you come in:

- Your assessment is with a clinical team led by a principal dentist with over 30 years of experience in general, cosmetic and implant dentistry.
- We use Digital Smile Design, which means any smile changes are designed and previewed before treatment begins, never guessed at.
- You get full cost transparency during your consultation. If treatment is recommended, you leave knowing what it involves and what it costs before you decide anything.

On the day we'll examine your teeth, listen to what you'd like to change, and talk through the options that suit your clinical situation. If veneers aren't the right answer for you, we'll say so and walk you through what is.

If the time no longer works, reply to this email or phone the clinic and we'll rearrange it.

See you soon,
The Smile by Design team

Subject: On veneers that look obviously fake
Preview: You approve the shape and shade of your new smile before anything permanent is done.
Send: Day 1, morning

Hi,

The most common worry we hear from people booking a smile consultation is ending up with veneers that look obviously done. Overly white, overly uniform, wrong for the face. You've seen them, and it's a reasonable thing to want to avoid.

Veneers end up looking that way when the shape and shade are picked off a chart and bonded on without a trial. So we've built the opposite process:

- Digital Smile Design maps your face and teeth first, and we preview the proposed smile digitally before any treatment starts.
- You then wear temporary trial veneers, so you can assess the shape, size and feel in your own mouth, in daylight, in photos, before the final porcelain is made.
- The final veneers are crafted with our in-house ceramist, with shade and translucency matched to your natural teeth rather than a standard white.

Nothing permanent happens until you've seen the design and worn the trial version. If something about the shape bothers you at that stage, we adjust it then, while it's still easy to change.

As with any dental treatment, individual outcomes vary and everything depends on your clinical suitability, which is exactly what the consultation assesses.

See you soon,
The Smile by Design team

Subject: The veneer process, visit by visit
Preview: From first assessment to final fitting, in order, so nothing on the day surprises you.
Send: Day 1, afternoon

Hi,

Worth knowing what the full process looks like before you come in, so the consultation slots into a picture rather than floating on its own.

The consultation itself is the assessment. We examine your teeth and gums, take the records we need, and work out what's clinically suitable for you. Some concerns, like discolouration, chipping or uneven tooth shape, have several possible answers, and porcelain veneers are only one of them. Composite veneers, for instance, are a single-visit, more affordable alternative, and unlike porcelain they're reversible.

If porcelain veneers are the right path and you decide to go ahead, treatment runs over multiple visits:

- Your smile is designed digitally and previewed with you.
- Your teeth are prepared and temporary trial veneers are placed, which you wear while the final set is made.
- Our in-house ceramist crafts the final porcelain, matched to the approved design.
- The final veneers are bonded and adjusted, and we check the fit and bite before you leave.

Between the trial stage and the final fitting there's room to refine the design, which is the point of doing it in this order.

None of this is decided at the first visit. The consultation is where you get the information; the decisions stay yours.

See you soon,
The Smile by Design team

Subject: Veneer costs, in actual numbers
Preview: Our veneer fees are published, so you can look at real numbers before the consultation.
Send: Day 2, morning

Hi,

Cost is usually the first question, so rather than saving it for the chair, our fees are published and you can look at them now.

From our fees guide, porcelain veneers are $1,200-$2,500 per tooth, prior to health fund deductions. For full smile makeovers there are three package tiers:

- Essential Veneers Package from $1,500 (single tooth) to $10,995 (8 veneers)
- Signature Veneers Package from $2,000 (single tooth) to $12,995 (8 veneers)
- Luxe Veneers Package from $2,500 (single tooth) to $21,995 (8 veneers)

What your case would cost depends on how many teeth are involved and what's clinically suitable, which is what the consultation works out. You'll get the specific figure for your situation there, in writing, before you decide anything.

On paying for it: dental payment plans are available up to $30,000, with plans up to 60 months, through Humm, with approvals subject to their assessment. We can also talk you through SuperCare if accessing super for major dental treatment applies to you.

The consultation itself stays no-charge either way. If the numbers rule it out for now, you'll still leave knowing what your options are and what they'd cost when the timing is right.

See you soon,
The Smile by Design team

Subject: Five questions to ask any cosmetic dentist
Preview: A short list you can use at any clinic, including ours.
Send: Day 2, afternoon

Hi,

Whether or not you go ahead with us, these are the questions worth asking anyone who proposes to put veneers on your teeth. Bring them to your consultation and put them to us too.

1. Will I see and approve the shape before anything is bonded? A digital preview is good; wearing trial veneers first is better. If the answer is no, that's worth pausing on.
2. How much natural enamel will be removed, and is the treatment reversible? Porcelain involves some preparation of the tooth; composite can be reversible. You want the answer for your teeth specifically.
3. Who makes the veneers? A ceramist working with the practice can adjust shade and shape through the process. Work sent to a distant lab is harder to refine.
4. How long should these last, and what does looking after them involve? Get an answer in years, with the care assumptions stated.
5. What happens if something chips or doesn't feel right afterwards? You want a clinic you can walk back into, and a clear answer on how adjustments are handled.

An experienced clinician can answer all five in specifics for your case. Vague answers on any of them tell you something useful.

See you soon,
The Smile by Design team

Subject: The tooth-shaving question, answered properly
Preview: How much enamel is involved, how it feels, and how long the result lasts.
Send: Day 3, morning

Hi,

Two questions sit behind most veneer hesitation: does it hurt, and are my real teeth being ground away. Both deserve a proper answer before you're in the chair.

On preparation: porcelain veneers do involve preparing the tooth surface, and our approach is minimally invasive, removing as little natural enamel as the case allows. How much that means for you depends on your teeth, and we'll show you specifically at the consultation rather than quoting an average. If preserving tooth structure is your priority, composite veneers involve less preparation again and are reversible, and they're on the table as an option.

On comfort: preparation is done under local anaesthetic, and most patients report little to no discomfort during treatment. Some sensitivity in the days after is normal and settles. We won't tell you it's nothing, because for some patients it isn't, but it's a much smaller experience than most people have built up in their heads.

On how long it lasts: porcelain veneers may last 15-20 years with proper care, though individual results vary. Proper care means what it does for natural teeth: brushing, flossing, regular check-ups, and not using your front teeth as tools.

All of it, including whether you're clinically suitable at all, is what the consultation is for. Nothing about your teeth is decided from an email.

See you soon,
The Smile by Design team

Subject: Checking us out before you come in
Preview: Where to look up the practice and the clinician before your appointment.
Send: Day 3, midday

Hi,

Before letting anyone near your front teeth, you should check who they are. Our background is public, and we'd rather you looked before the appointment than sat through it with the question unasked.

The practice is led by a principal dentist with over 30 years of experience in general, cosmetic and implant dentistry, holding a postgraduate qualification in implants. On our website, the media page has the coverage: television appearances including Channel 7, and published articles in Cosmetic Dentistry Australia magazine. It's all there to read, not summarised by us.

The same diligence applies to the cheaper quote or the overseas package, and we'd genuinely encourage you to run it. Ask who does the clinical work, what their experience is, whether you'll preview the result before it's bonded, and what happens when you need an adjustment six months later. Veneer treatment is a relationship with a clinic over years, and a clinic you can reach matters most on the day something chips.

At the consultation you're welcome to ask any of this directly. Experience shows up in the specifics of the answers, and you'll be able to tell.

See you soon,
The Smile by Design team

Subject: Your consultation is tomorrow
Preview: What to bring, what happens on the day, and how to change the time if needed.
Send: Day 3, evening (or morning before if the appointment is early)

Hi,

Your No-Charge Initial Consultation is tomorrow, at the clinic you booked, North Sydney or Bondi Junction.

You don't need to bring anything. If you have photos of smiles you like, or an old photo of your own smile you'd want back, bring them, they're genuinely useful in the design conversation, but they're optional.

On the day we'll examine your teeth, talk through what you'd like to change, and give you a clear picture of what's clinically suitable, what the process would look like, and what it would cost. There's no treatment at this visit and no obligation to go ahead.

If tomorrow no longer works, reply to this email or phone the clinic, North Sydney on (02) 9460 3566 or Bondi Junction on (02) 9389 3333, and we'll find a better time.

See you tomorrow,
The Smile by Design team

Subject: Your consultation is today
Preview: Nothing to prepare. We'll see you at the clinic.
Send: 2-3 hours before the appointment

Hi,

Your consultation is today. Nothing to prepare, just come in and we'll take it from there.

If you're running behind or something's come up, phone the clinic, North Sydney on (02) 9460 3566 or Bondi Junction on (02) 9389 3333, and we'll sort it out.

See you soon,
The Smile by Design team

Subject: Looks like we missed you today
Preview: Easy to fix. Reply with a day that suits and we'll rebook you.
Send: 1-2 hours after a missed appointment (conditional)

Hi,

Looks like we missed you today. It happens, and it's easy to fix.

You booked in to have your smile assessed and get real answers on options, suitability and cost, and that's still worth the visit whenever it works for you. The consultation stays no-charge. Reply to this email with a day and time that suits, or phone the clinic, and we'll rebook you.

The Smile by Design team

Subject: Seeing your veneers before they're bonded

The most common hesitation we hear about veneers is the permanence. Porcelain veneers involve preparing the surface of the tooth, so it's a decision most people want to be certain about before anything is bonded.

Digital Smile Design is how we build that certainty. Using photographs and X-rays, we design your new smile digitally and preview the result before treatment begins. Then, before any final porcelain is made, we fit temporary veneers so you can wear the proposed shape and size on your own teeth. You live with them for a while, and anything that doesn't sit right gets adjusted before the final set goes to the ceramist.

By the time the finished veneers are bonded, there's very little left to imagine.

Suitability depends on your clinical circumstances, and individual outcomes vary.

Smile by Design

Subject: Porcelain or composite veneers

Anyone researching veneers runs into the porcelain versus composite question early, and the marketing around it rarely spells out the trade-off.

Composite veneers are sculpted directly onto the tooth in a single visit. They cost less, and because the resin is added to the tooth surface, the treatment is reversible. The compromise is longevity, since composite generally needs more upkeep and earlier replacement.

Porcelain veneers are made individually, in our case by an in-house ceramist, and bonded to a prepared tooth surface over multiple visits. On our fees guide, porcelain veneers run $1,200-$2,500 per tooth, prior to health fund deductions, and with proper care they may last 10-20 years, though individual results vary.

Which one suits you depends on the condition of your teeth and how long you want the result to hold, which is something we assess in the chair before recommending either.

Smile by Design

Subject: Why some veneers look fake

Everyone has seen veneers that are obviously veneers. The shade is a white that doesn't occur in nature, and every tooth is a copy of the one beside it.

Porcelain tends to get the blame, but the cause is usually a set of design decisions made before anything was fitted. Natural teeth vary slightly in shade and translucency from tooth to tooth, and a convincing veneer has to carry that same variation. It's why we keep the ceramic work in-house and use digital shade-matching: the ceramist building your veneers works alongside the dentist who designed them, and the shade is matched against your surrounding teeth and features.

You also get a say before anything is final. Temporary veneers let you wear the proposed shape and size first, so if something reads as too white or too square in the mirror, it gets changed at the preview stage.

Individual outcomes vary, and suitability depends on your clinical circumstances.

Smile by Design

Subject: What veneers cost

Cosmetic dentistry has a habit of hiding its prices behind an enquiry form. We publish ours.

Porcelain veneer packages at Smile by Design come in three tiers:

- Essential Veneers Package: from $1,500 (single tooth) to $10,995 (8 veneers)
- Signature Veneers Package: from $2,000 (single tooth) to $12,995 (8 veneers)
- Luxe Veneers Package: from $2,500 (single tooth) to $21,995 (8 veneers)

If you'd rather spread the cost, dental payment plans are available up to $30,000, over terms up to 60 months, through Humm and subject to their approval.

For a figure on your own teeth, the No-Charge Initial Consultation covers an assessment and, where treatment makes sense, a treatment plan with the costs set out in full. Nothing gets scheduled until you've seen the complete cost of your treatment.

Smile by Design

Subject: How long porcelain veneers last

With proper care, porcelain veneers may last 15-20 years, though individual results vary.

Proper care turns out to be mostly the routine you already know. Brushing and flossing as normal, along with regular check-ups and cleans. The rest is keeping your teeth away from jobs they weren't built for, opening packaging being the classic offender. Porcelain stands up well to normal chewing, but like a natural tooth it can chip under a sharp point load.

If you grind your teeth at night, or you know you bite your nails, raise it at your assessment. Both affect how any cosmetic work is planned, and planning around them from the start protects the result for longer.

Smile by Design

Subject: Booking a consultation

If you've been reading these and want to know where your own teeth stand, the starting point is the No-Charge Initial Consultation.

It works the way the name suggests. There's no charge for the appointment, it's open to new and existing patients, and it's limited to one per patient, subject to availability. The appointment is for assessment purposes and doesn't include treatment on the day. A dentist examines your teeth and talks through what you'd like to change, then tells you what's clinically suitable and what it would involve. Where veneers or another treatment makes sense, you'll receive a treatment plan with the costs set out in full before anything goes ahead.

We run two clinics, one in Bondi Junction and one in North Sydney, with late Thursday and Saturday appointments for people who can't get away during work hours. Our principal dentist has over 30 years of experience across cosmetic and implant dentistry, and the practice covers the full range under one roof, from veneers and whitening through to implants.

You can book online at smilebydesign.com.au, or phone either clinic.

Smile by Design