What’s the cost of Beauty?... Cosmetic Dentistry Gone Bad……
We’ve all heard the stories of Botox injections gone wrong or liposuction fatally injuring celebrities. Money spent on poorly done cosmetic dental work is increasingly becoming just as much of a concern.
The field of dentistry has been rapidly expanding over the past few years and the craze over a Hollywood smile is hitting suburbs and cities all across the nation. $2.75 billion was spent on cosmetic dentistry in 2007 alone and indicators do not show a decrease for 2008. What parallels the increase of dollars spent on cosmetic dentistry is an increase in cosmetic dentists. The challenge of the average consumer becomes to find a qualified cosmetic dentist that will create a natural and beautiful looking smile.
Cosmetic Dental procedures range from
professional tooth whitening to
veneers and gum shaping. “We have many patients who come in with cosmetic work that was just not done properly and the teeth are either too big, too small or are the wrong color for the person’s complexion” states Dr. Konstantin Ronkin, a graduate of the Las Vegas institute for Advanced Dental Studies where Hollywood dentists are trained. There are various factors that need to be taken into account when doing cosmetic dentistry. The dentist should choose the shape of the teeth based on the shape and size of the patient’s face and mouth. The color is chosen based on eye color, hair color and skin color.
While these are the basic criteria of a qualified cosmetic dentist, some dentists have taken it to the next level. Dream Smile Dental, an office in Canton, MA that introduced laser tooth whitening to New England back in 1995, has taken cosmetic dentistry to the next level. “We practice with the concept of Neuromuscular Dentistry.” States Dr. Evetta Shwartzman, owner of Dream Smile Dental. “We first determine the patient’s optimal bite, and then place veneers and crowns based on that bite. This ensures that the restorations won’t break and the smile will look more natural as well as last a lifetime.”
A male patient at Dream Smile Dental in Canton came in with crowns that were done at another dental office. The crowns were less expensive, but the ideal cosmetic result was not achieved and the crowns stained his gums and began chipping due to an incorrect bite. Dr. Konstantin Ronkin established his optimal bite and placed porcelain veneers which not only gave him a beautiful new smile but also restored function in his teeth. Now, he doesn’t have to be concerned with his teeth chipping or cracking because she’s biting down correctly.
Similarly, a female patient came in with cosmetic work that was done elsewhere but the crowns were too opaque and too big for her face. Her crowns were restored using a higher quality material that gives teeth that natural translucency and her smile actually fits her face.