What clinics need to know
- Which teeth. Upper or lower, front or back, left or right. "The four upper front teeth" or "a missing tooth at the back on the lower left" is enough. You don't need tooth numbers.
- What is wrong now. Broken, missing, loose, painful, discoloured, worn, gaps, crooked. Say how long it has been like that.
- What was done before. Fillings, root canals, crowns, implants, braces, extractions. Roughly when, if you know.
- What you want. A natural look or very white, fixing only what hurts or a complete smile change, keeping your own teeth where possible.
- Your health. Diabetes, heart conditions, blood thinners, osteoporosis medicine, pregnancy, smoking, grinding your teeth at night. These change what a dentist can safely do.
- What you have at home. Tick the box if you have a recent X-ray or scan. You can send it to the clinic you choose later.
An example
"Upper front six teeth: two have old white fillings that have gone yellow, one is chipped at the edge. Lower front teeth are a bit crowded. One molar missing at the back on the lower right, taken out about three years ago. Root canal on the upper left about ten years ago, no pain. I would like a natural colour, not very white. Non-smoker, no medicines. I grind my teeth at night. I have a panoramic X-ray from March."
From that, a clinic can tell you whether veneers, bonding or crowns fit the front teeth, whether the missing molar needs an implant and a second trip, and what it would want to check first.
What to leave out
- Your name, phone number, email, social media or anything else that identifies you. These can't be posted anyway: it is how your request stays anonymous.
- Names of your dentist at home or of other people.
- Prices from other clinics. Let each clinic quote on its own; you compare afterwards.
Why words are enough to start
No clinic can fix a final plan from a message, with or without photos. A dentist always confirms the plan after an X-ray and an examination. A good description gets you an honest range, the likely number of days and trips, and the questions the clinic still has. That is what you need to choose who to talk to.