Ensure Your Cosmetic Dentist Has Advanced, Live Person Training

A Bridgeport, CT woman was awarded $198,000 because a cosmetic dentist promised her a "celebrity" smile but what she got instead was "horse teeth."

I won't comment on whether or not the dentist in question was competent.

What really matters is that as a consumer, you must ensure your dentist (and any medical professional) is licensed and has undergone rigorous live-person training in all procedures.

Any dentist can say he or she specializes in veneers, but what does this mean?

Does the dentist have live-patient training in advanced procedures from institutions such as the Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies or the Rosenthal Institute?

Has he or she been trained to fully evaluate the patient, including the patient's facial structure and teeth shape?

Does he or she perform procedures with exacting detail? Sure, any dentist can perform a simple veneer procedure, but is the dentist measuring gums and teeth down to the exact millimeter?

Does he or she work with a trained ceramist in order to ensure natural looking teeth color? (And, when dentists are pressed to make their production number, do they even find it worthwhile to take this extra time?)

As a consumer, you must, must, must research your dental professional and his/her training and experience BEFORE you lay thousands of dollars on the table.

It's very easy to believe in dentists' radio and TV ads . . . but the results -- a poorly designed smile that looks unnatural and lasts only a few years -- speak for themselves.

Cosmetic Dentists Don't Have Advanced Training -- Bah!

In a recent press release issued by The Wealthy Dentist, Jim Du Molin writes:

Some dentists and dental specialists are highly critical of doctors who call themselves "cosmetic dentists." (In fact, the term "cosmetic dentist" is not recognized as a dental specialty by the ADA. Some states even prohibit use of the term in dental advertising.) "These individuals have NO advanced specialty training," complained a New York orthodontist. "I believe they reflect poorly on the profession," said a Florida prosthodontist. "Frequently the treatment they provide is about instant gratification and not in the long-term interest of the patient."

Pardon me, but I disagree.

If you go to any advanced cosmetic training like Larry Rosenthal or the gold standard of continuing educational institiues such as the Las Vegas Institute, you learn how to properly treat and diagnose cases. Contrast this with dental school, where students never learn the principles of cosmetic dentistry.

Dentists who say cosmetic dentists don't have advanced training have no clue what they're talking about.

Fortunately, the public is becoming more sophicated and knows that better options exist. They are leaving dentists who refuse to update their skills and continue to use decades old technology that they were taught in the 1950s in dental school. These dentists have lowered their care to nothing more than a tooth plumber status.

As this press release points out, politcs and conflict within the profession contiue. It is sad, but at least there are a many highly educated dentists who refuse to succumb to the problem.