Five Points, Raleigh. Cosmetic dentistry by general dentists.

The Raleigh cosmetic dentist who shows you the smile before making it.

Your new smile is planned in wax, fitted in your mouth as a trial, and worn for about a week before any tooth is touched. The porcelain is matched by daylight and made by hand by a ceramist in this building. And if you do not need veneers, we say so.

Book a consultation

or call (919) 555-0137

The front of Larkspur Smile Studio on a spring morning: a white brick former portrait studio with a walnut door, a bed of violet larkspur, and a wide window showing a pale grey dental chair, an overhead lamp and a tall round mirror in a bright white room
The studio, 2210 Fairview RoadA 1958 portrait studio that kept its north lightChair, lamp and mirror in the front window

Why people come here

Nobody wakes up wanting veneers. Something makes them look.

A date on the calendar

A wedding, a fortieth, a new job with a public face. There is a day by which you want this settled, and you want to know what is possible in the time.

A photograph

Your smile in someone else's picture. The chip you have had since you were twelve, the edges that have worn short, the one tooth that is darker. This is the year.

A friend's smile

You asked her where she had it done. She said the ceramist was in the room and she wore the trial for a week first. That is this studio.

How the work is done here

Three things that are true of every smile planned at Larkspur.

A dentist in a white jacket handing a round hand mirror to a seated patient at Larkspur, the patient seen from behind, the mirror showing only soft light
See it firstThe plan is made in wax and fitted as a trial smileWorn for about a week, in daylight and in photographsChanges are made to the mock-up, not to your teeth
The ceramics bench inside Larkspur Smile Studio: jars of porcelain powder in tooth shades, sable brushes, a small bench kiln, a loupe and one porcelain veneer on a black velvet block by a window
Matched by handAnders Lund, dental ceramist, works at a bench in the studioShade chosen at the window, against your skin and your other teethPorcelain layered here, adjusted here, by someone you have met
The Larkspur reception, arranged like a small gallery: white walls with three framed abstract prints, a long walnut bench, a low walnut desk with a vase of larkspur and a window onto live oak leaves
Told the truthWho is and is not a candidate, before any benefit is describedBonding, whitening or aligners first when they will do the jobA written plan, tooth by tooth, handed over at the consultation

Treatments

Six pages, each one honest about who it is not for.

Two general dentists who do cosmetic work. Where a case needs an orthodontist or a surgeon, we refer it and say so on the page.

A dentist and a ceramist comparing a fan of porcelain shade tabs beside a seated patient at the window of the Larkspur studio, the patient seen in profile from behind
Porcelain veneersWorn as a trial first, made by hand hereThin porcelain made on the bench in this building, matched by daylight, and fitted only after you have worn the planned smile for about a week. Results vary.
Portrait of Theo Castellanos, DDS, general dentist at Larkspur, seated on a walnut stool in a bright white studio
Dental bondingA chip, a small gap, a worn edge, in one visitTooth-coloured composite shaped onto the tooth and polished in one visit. The smaller fix we try before veneers, and often the only one needed.
A consultation room at Larkspur: white walls, a tall clerestory window, a dental chair in pale stone upholstery, walnut cabinetry, a large round mirror on a stand and a single stem of larkspur in a glass vase
Teeth whiteningIn the studio or with custom trays at homeProfessional whitening planned around sensitivity, and done first when veneers or bonding are coming, so the porcelain is matched to the final colour.
Portrait of Maren Ellery, DDS, founder of Larkspur Smile Studio, in a white clinical jacket beside a tall window in a consultation room
Clear alignersMild to moderate crowding in adultsClear trays that move the teeth that only need moving, planned by the same dentists who would do any bonding or veneers afterwards. Complex bites are referred.
A dentist in a white jacket handing a round hand mirror to a seated patient at Larkspur, the patient seen from behind, the mirror showing only soft light
Smile makeoverA written plan across several treatmentsA plan, not a package: whitening, aligners, bonding and veneers in the right order, worn as a trial smile for about a week before anything that cannot be undone.
Portrait of Priya Natarajan, treatment coordinator at Larkspur, seated at a low walnut desk in the gallery-like reception with a vase of larkspur
Veneers costHow the written quote is built, tooth by toothWhat decides the cost of veneers, what the written plan lists, what is included, and how financing works. The range is given in writing at the consultation.

The trial smile

Five visits, and nothing irreversible until the fourth.

The full process, with what the trial smile can and cannot show, is on the smile makeover page. Read it

  1. 1

    The consultation

    An hour with Dr. Ellery or Dr. Castellanos. Photographs, a look at your bite and your gums, and a plain conversation about what you want changed and what would change it. You leave with a written plan, tooth by tooth, with the fee for the whole smile.

  2. 2

    Records and the wax plan

    A scan of your teeth and a set of photographs. Anders and the dentist plan the new shapes in wax on a model of your mouth, a tenth of a millimetre at a time.

  3. 3

    The trial smile

    The wax plan is copied onto your teeth as a temporary mock-up, with no drilling. You wear it for about a week: at dinner, in daylight, in photographs. You come back and tell us what to change, and we change the mock-up.

  4. 4

    The shade, and the final work

    Shade is chosen at the window with Anders in the room. Only now are the teeth prepared, as little as the case allows, and the porcelain is made on the bench downstairs. Temporaries in the shape of the trial smile go on in the meantime.

  5. 5

    The fitting and the follow-up

    The veneers are tried in, checked in daylight, adjusted by Anders on the spot if needed, and bonded. Keisha sees you for the first maintenance visit a few months later. Results vary.

The bench

The porcelain is made in this building, by a person you will meet.

Most practices send an impression to a laboratory in another state and receive veneers in a box. Here the ceramist is Anders Lund, and his bench and kiln are through the door behind reception. He sits in on your shade appointment, layers the porcelain by hand, and adjusts a trial or a final veneer while you wait rather than by courier.

It is slower. It is also why the shade matches your other teeth in daylight and not just under the lamp.

Meet the people

The ceramics bench inside Larkspur Smile Studio: jars of porcelain powder in tooth shades, sable brushes, a small bench kiln, a loupe and one porcelain veneer on a black velvet block by a window
The ceramics benchPorcelain powders in tooth shades, sable brushes, a bench kilnThrough the door behind reception, by the window

The people

Nine people. These are the five you will meet first.

Both dentists are general dentists who do cosmetic work. Neither is a specialist, and the site never says otherwise.

Portrait of Maren Ellery, DDS, founder of Larkspur Smile Studio, in a white clinical jacket beside a tall window in a consultation room
Maren Ellery, DDSGeneral dentist, founder
Portrait of Theo Castellanos, DDS, general dentist at Larkspur, seated on a walnut stool in a bright white studio
Theo Castellanos, DDSGeneral dentist
Portrait of Anders Lund, dental ceramist, in a linen apron at the walnut bench inside Larkspur Smile Studio
Anders LundDental ceramist
Portrait of Keisha Monroe, RDH, dental hygienist at Larkspur, in a white hallway with a walnut door
Keisha Monroe, RDHDental hygienist
Portrait of Priya Natarajan, treatment coordinator at Larkspur, seated at a low walnut desk in the gallery-like reception with a vase of larkspur
Priya NatarajanTreatment coordinator

An illustrative example

How a case could run

I had been quoted ten veneers somewhere else and could not have told you why ten. Here, Dr. Ellery said four, and that two of those might be bonding. I wore the trial for eight days. My sister noticed before I told her. Then Anders matched the shade at the window with me, and I met the person who made them.

Composed from the research for this fictional studio. The person and the case are invented.

Plan
Four teeth, not ten
Trial smile
Worn eight days
Shade
Chosen at the window with Anders
Written plan
Handed over at the consultation
Larkspur Smile Studio at early dusk, warm light in the front window showing the chair, lamp and mirror, larkspur lit by a garden light under the oaks
The studio at duskWarm light in the front windowFairview Road, Five Points

Before you book

Questions people ask before they book.

Anything else, call (919) 555-0137. Priya answers.

What is a trial smile?

A temporary mock-up of the planned smile, made from the wax plan and placed over your own teeth with no drilling. You wear it for about a week, in daylight, at dinner and in photographs, then tell us what to change. Changes are made to the mock-up. Nothing irreversible happens until you have worn it and said yes.

Can you go back to normal teeth after veneers?

Usually not, and we say so before you start. A porcelain veneer needs a small amount of enamel removed in most cases, and that enamel does not grow back. No-preparation veneers exist for some cases and are reversible in principle, but they suit fewer people than the advertising suggests. This is why the trial smile comes first and why bonding or whitening is offered when it will do the job.

Why do some dentists discourage veneers?

Because they are irreversible, because they are sometimes sold to people who only need whitening or bonding, and because they will need replacing one day. We agree with all three concerns. The veneers page lists who is not a candidate before it lists any benefit.

How long do veneers last?

Most porcelain veneers last many years with care, and none last forever. How long depends on your bite, whether you grind, your gum health and how the edges are kept clean. Keisha sees every veneer patient for maintenance visits. Results vary and we do not promise a number.

How much do veneers cost in Raleigh?

It depends on how many teeth, whether some of them can be bonding instead, how much preparation is needed, and whether whitening or aligners come first. We do not publish figures because a figure without a plan is a guess. The veneers cost page explains how the quote is built. The range for your plan is given in writing at the consultation.

Is cosmetic dentistry a specialty?

No. Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognised dental specialty in North Carolina, so nobody can truthfully call themselves one. Dr. Ellery and Dr. Castellanos are general dentists who do cosmetic work and plan it with a dental ceramist in the building. Complex bites go to an orthodontist and implants to a surgeon, and we say so.

Next step

See your smile before anything is done to it.

Book a consultation. You leave with the plan in writing, tooth by tooth, and nothing is decided that day.

Book a consultation

or call (919) 555-0137

Monday to Thursday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Friday 8:00 am to 2:00 pm

Call (919) 555-0137 Book a consultation