Find out your options
from your phone,
within two working days.
Answer a few questions, add photos of your smile, and our Treatment Coordinator replies on your own private link with the treatments that would suit you and what to do next. It is free, it is private, and you do not need to come in.
About ten minutes. You can stop and pick it up later. Nothing leaves the clinic.
Reviewed by Dr Shaz MacAvoy, Specialist Orthodontist. Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (Orthodontics), registered with the Dental Council of New Zealand.
Four steps, most of them yours to do in an evening
1. Tell us what bothers you
Who it is for, what you would like to change, and what has happened before. You can type your answers or record a short video, whichever is easier.
2. Add photos of your smile
Seven photos on your phone, with an example of each one shown on screen: from the front, each side, and top and bottom. No special equipment.
3. We reply within two working days
Our Treatment Coordinator reads everything and replies on your private link with the treatments that would suit you and the honest next step.
4. You choose what happens next
A free Smile Assessment in Newmarket or Albany, a New Patient Consultation with Dr Shaz for a written plan and exact quote, or nothing at all. There is no pressure either way.
A personal reply, not a form letter
Every reply is written for the person who sent it. Here is the kind of thing to expect.
Thanks for sending your photos through. From what we can see, the crowding on your lower front teeth and the way your top teeth sit slightly forward are both things we treat every week. For you the realistic options would be clear aligners or clear braces, and most treatment like this takes 12 to 18 months. For those options our all-inclusive fees start at $7,900, and most comprehensive treatment is around $10,400, with interest-free plans from about $60 a week. The next step, if you would like one, is a free Smile Assessment at Newmarket or Albany, where we go through the options in person, or a New Patient Consultation with Dr Shaz for records, a written plan and your exact quote. Here is your link to book whichever suits.
A good first step for most people
You are an adult wondering whether it is too late, or what would actually be involved.
You are a parent and something about your child's teeth or bite has caught your eye. A first check around age seven is ideal.
You have been quoted elsewhere and want a specialist practice's view before you commit.
You live outside Auckland, or a clinic visit is hard to fit in, and you would like to know your options before travelling.
You are nervous about dental visits and would rather start from your own couch.
You just want a straight answer about what treatment would cost before you pick up the phone.
Choose the first step that suits you
All three lead to the same place: a clear picture of your options and an honest recommendation. Adults start online or with a free video call, and come into the clinic only for the specialist consultation. Children and teens are welcome in the clinic for a free visit, or can start online or by video call too.
From your phone, reply within 2 working days
- A few questions and seven photos, in your own time
- A personal reply from our Treatment Coordinator
- Your options and the honest next step, no visit needed
About 20 minutes, from wherever you are
- A relaxed video chat with our Treatment Coordinator
- A look at your teeth and bite and the options that fit
- No referral, no obligation, no time off work
With Dr Shaz, specialist orthodontist
- A full set of diagnostic records taken at Milk
- Specialist diagnosis and a written treatment plan
- Your exact all-inclusive quote and payment plan
Treatment at Milk is all-inclusive: simple cosmetic treatment from $7,900, comprehensive specialist treatment from $9,900 with most cases around $10,400, and children's early treatment from $4,500. Interest-free in-house plans work out around $60 to $76 a week, and family discounts apply. Full details on our prices page.
What happens to your photos and answers
The seven photos, and how to take them well
The tool shows an example beside each photo as you go, so you always know what we are after. They are the standard set an orthodontist uses to read a bite from a distance, and a phone camera is more than good enough.
Your smile, then your bite
A natural smile from the front, then the same view with your teeth gently together and your lips pulled back so we can see the gums. These two show alignment, crowding and how the top and bottom teeth meet.
Both sides
Teeth together, photographed from the left and from the right, with a finger or a clean spoon handle holding the cheek back. These are the photos that show an overbite, an underbite or a crossbite, which is why we ask for both sides.
Top and bottom, and a profile
Open wide and photograph the upper teeth from below and the lower teeth from above, using a mirror if it helps. Finish with a relaxed side-on view of your face, lips together, which tells us how the jaws sit in the face.
Tips: daylight beats a bathroom bulb, turn the flash off to avoid glare, wipe the lens, and ask someone to take the photos for you if you can. For children, a second person to hold the cheek back makes it quick. If a photo is blurry, retake it; the tool lets you replace any of the seven before you send.
What happens next, and when
Received
Your answers and photos land on your own private link, seen only by the Milk team. You get a confirmation straight away, and you can come back to the link at any time.
Reviewed
Our Treatment Coordinator, who works alongside Dr Shaz every day, reads everything and looks at the photos with the specialist's usual checklist: alignment, spacing, bite, jaw relationship, and anything that needs a closer look.
Your reply, within two working days
A personal message on your private link: the treatments that would suit you, roughly how long they take, a cost guide from our published all-inclusive fees, and the honest next step, which is sometimes to wait, or to see your dentist first.
Your choice
Book a free Smile Assessment at Newmarket or Albany to talk it through, go straight to a New Patient Consultation with Dr Shaz for records, a written plan and an exact quote, or do nothing at all. If you stop here, your photos are deleted after 30 days.
Who the online assessment suits, and who should just book
Parents wondering about timing. The most common message we receive is a parent of a seven to ten-year-old asking whether it is too early. Photos answer that well: we can usually see whether early treatment would help or whether waiting is the right call.
Adults weighing up braces or aligners. If you want to know what would suit you and what it would cost before you take time off work, the online route gives you both, and you can then decide whether to come in.
Anyone comparing quotes. If you already have a plan from another practice, send us the photos and tell us what was proposed. A second opinion costs nothing here.
Better to book in person: a child who cannot manage the photos, anything that hurts, a tooth that has not come through by the age you would expect, or a jaw that clicks, locks or feels off. Book a free Smile Assessment at Newmarket or Albany and we will look properly.
Teenagers use the tool too, usually with a parent, and it is a good way for a 13 or 14-year-old to ask their own questions about how visible braces would be, whether aligners are an option for them, and how long it all takes, without feeling put on the spot in a clinic. We answer in plain language, and the reply is written for the person who sent it. Most families then book the free Smile Assessment together.
What photos cannot show is what sits under the gum: impacted teeth, root positions and jaw growth patterns need x-rays and a scan, which is what the New Patient Consultation with Dr Shaz is for. The online reply tells you which route makes sense for you.
Online Smile Assessment FAQs
Is the online Smile Assessment really free?
Yes. The online Smile Assessment is free and does not commit you to anything. If you decide to go further, the next steps are a free Smile Assessment in the clinic or a New Patient Consultation with Dr Shaz for $390, and we always tell you the cost before anything is booked.
Who looks at my photos and answers?
Our Treatment Coordinator, who works alongside Dr Shaz MacAvoy every day, reads everything you send and replies on your private link within 2 working days. The specialist examination itself happens at the New Patient Consultation.
Do I need to come in?
No. The online assessment is done from your phone in your own time. If you would rather talk to someone, book a free 20 minute video call with our Treatment Coordinator instead. Adults come into the clinic only for the specialist consultation; children and teens are welcome in the clinic for a free visit, or can start online or by video call too.
Can I do it for my child?
Yes. Choose "My child" at the start and the questions change to suit a parent or guardian. We recommend a first orthodontic check around age seven, and the online assessment is an easy way to find out whether anything needs looking at now.
What photos do I need, and what phone?
Any smartphone camera is fine. The tool asks for seven photos of your teeth and smile, from the front, each side, and top and bottom, and shows an example of each one on screen as you go. It takes most people about ten minutes, and you can stop and come back later on your private link.
Is my information private?
Yes. Your answers and photos are private to you and the clinic, sent over your own private link, and never passed on. If you start and do not finish, everything is deleted after 30 days.
How is this different from a dental check-up?
A dentist checks the health of your teeth and gums. An orthodontic assessment looks at how your teeth and jaws fit together and whether straightening or bite correction would help. Milk is a specialist orthodontic practice, so the reply you get is focused on that, and you do not need a referral from your dentist.
Find out where you stand tonight
Ten minutes on your phone, and a personal reply from our Treatment Coordinator within two working days. If you would rather talk, call us on (09) 520 1880 or book a free visit at Newmarket or Albany.
Start your free online assessment