Just because general dentists claim to know certain cosmetic procedures doesn’t necessarily make them the right person for the job. You need to consider someone who has experience with all types of cosmetic dentistry on a daily basis and who will treat your whole mouth, not just offer piecemeal treatment. Sometimes well-meaning dentists will actually do more harm than good by doing a little here and there, creating more problems instead of fewer.

You will be happier and more satisfied, especially in the long term, if you find a cosmetic dentist who focuses on full smile restoration, rather than on fixing individual problems separately. Full-mouth reconstruction and smile design is the treatment for which you should be looking. One dentist who consistently uses this approach is Dr. Djawdan in Maryland.

Considerations

When researching cosmetic dentists to reconstruct your full mouth into a new smile design, you need to think about the following items:

•Artistry combined with a scientific approach – cosmetic dentistry is an art as well as a science
•Associations such as the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry – important because of the ability to keep up with trends in the industry and because they show other dentists know and support your dentist
•Before-and-after photos of actual patients treated – because you want to see some actual case studies
•Comfort of the dentist’s office – you don’t want to make several visits to a place in which you can’t relax
•Compassion and empathy in treatment – chairside manner is very important especially when combined with expertise
•Continuing education and ongoing training - especially important since technology is constantly changing
•Experience, warmness, and understanding of staff members – since you won’t necessarily be with the dentist 100% of the time
•Financing options offered – since cosmetic treatments are an investment
•Follow-up treatment – because you don’t want to get forgotten just because you already had your treatment done
•Sedation training and licensing (if any) – important if you have an exceptionally complex case or extremely paralyzing fear
•Knowledge, particularly in full-mouth reconstruction – because level of experience and expertise are what get you results
•Lab’s reputation – because it is of utmost importance to have the best quality dental restorations custom made for you at the lab that is used
•Laser dentistry – because laser dentistry is often more comfortable and efficient than conventional methods used for the same procedures
•On-site technology used – so you know you are receiving state-of-the-art care
•Professional follow-up products offered for treatments such as tooth whitening – because you want the tooth whitening treatment to last as long as possible
•References – because you want to be sure cosmetic dentists do what they claim
•Results – it is extremely important to get the results you envisioned which will give you something to smile about
•Strong communication skills – because you want to clearly understand everything that is going on
•Testimonials – so you can see what patients of the dentist are saying
•Time in practice – you don’t want to get people just out of dental school who haven’t had the time to get the experience necessary to work on their own
•Trustworthiness – one of the most important traits for which to look since you are trusting cosmetic dentists with one of your most important assets: your mouth

Because cosmetic dentistry treatment is an investment, you want to make sure that you have researched the options thoroughly. Visit prospective cosmetic dentists’ offices and look for:
•Clean surroundings
•Comfortable atmosphere
•Equipment used
•Sterile environment around dental chairs
•Technology available

Always ask lots of questions and make sure that you feel comfortable with not only the dentist, but also the dentist’s staff members.

If you keep all these tips in mind when choosing a cosmetic dentist, you will reap the benefits of a much better overall experience when getting your full-mouth reconstruction and a new smile design.

Contact the Center for Advanced Dentistry for more information about cosmetic dentistry.