Built by a Dentist, for Dentists

Dr. Schaake built SmileConsult because he was trying to grow his dental practice and needed a way to connect with patients planning to travel from out of town for the implant and cosmetic procedures that he offers.

There simply weren't enough patients in the surrounding area who needed the procedures he enjoys doing. Referral networks and traditional marketing only reached so far, and patients considering travel for dental care needed a way to connect with a dentist before committing to the trip.

Existing telemedicine platforms were designed for general medicine — rigid scheduling, shared portals, long contracts, and pricing that didn't make sense for a solo practitioner. None of them understood the unique workflow of dental consultations, where patients share photos and records and dentists respond with detailed, personalized assessments.

Other dental-focused virtual consult platforms were either unpolished and clunky to use or were prohibitively expensive. He also noted that none of them provided a complete suite of features that would be expected in the modern day of AI and vertically-integrated cloud-based platforms.

To help more patients and build long-distance connections, Dr. Schaake created SmileConsult — a platform that lets dentists offer personalized, asynchronous video consultations to patients anywhere. Patients submit their photos and smile story on their own time. Dentists respond with a thoughtful video when it works for them. No scheduling headaches, no missed appointments, no platform lock-in.

The result is a tool that feels like an extension of your practice, not a third-party service. Your own subdomain, your own patients, your own pace.