Having problems with my dentist

I’m getting porcelain veneers. I have in mind what I want, but my dentist thinks I should do it differently. I’m not asking for anything outlandish, I just know what type of smile I want. He’s thinks it won’t work for my “age”. Outside of finding that pretty insulting, I’m paying a buttload of money for this makeover, shouldn’t it be what I wanted?

Sara S. – Louisiana

Sara,

You’re exactly right. You’re the patient. It’s your smile. You should decide what type of smile you’ll get.  True cosmetic dentists know this. They know it is the patient who determines what is beautiful for their smile.

I have to be honest with you, I don’t think this will be the best dentist for your smile makeover. It sounds to me like your dentist may be a great general dentist, but he doesn’t have extensive training in the cosmetic side of things. I say this because in dental school we’re taught that the dentist knows what is best for the patient. It isn’t until you take post-graduate training in cosmetic dentistry that we realize it is the patient who should determine their smile when it comes to things like porcelain veneers.

If you’re going to spend that much money, you want to be sure you’ll be thrilled with the results. I suggest you go onto mynewsmile.com and look up the recommended cosmetic dentists. They list them by state. It would be worth a drive to a reasonably close city to get a great smile.  Some people travel across the country to go to the best dentist possible.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Cosmetic Dentist Dr. David Newkirk.