I went to a highly sought after cosmetic dentist about my smile makeover. I have some spaces between my teeth and they all need whitening, plus one tooth is chipped. I was very excited of the possiblity of having a smile I was proud of again, especially because all my friends have already been to see him and have gorgeous smiles. They’re all a tad wealthier than I am so I should have known this would be too good to be true for me. I went in for my consultation and we talked about what I wanted my smile to look at. When they gave me the plan and estimate it was significantly more than I could afford. I asked about alternative plans and they basically said, if I don’t like their plan, they’d prefer I find a different dentist to do my smile. I walked out humiliated. Now what do I do?
Karyn
Dear Karyn,
The best dentists find options for their patients.
The first thing I want you to do is take a deep breath. He may have been the most sought after cosmetic dentist in your area, but that doesn’t mean he was the only one who can give you a smile you are proud of. In fact, based on the issues you mentioned were important to you to fix, there are a few alternatives I can think of.
With some dentists, it is their way or the highway. I don’t consider these the best dentists. In fact, the best dentists will work with their patients to find alternatives which work for them.
A Mini Smile Makeover
My guess is he planned on doing porcelain veneers, which in your case isn’t imperative. For the spacing issues, you could do Invisalign. This uses clear aligners to straighten your teeth. Adults no longer have to wear ugly metal wires and brackets. These aligners are invisible even at a conversational distance.
Additionally, you can have your dentist provide you with some teeth whitening gel. Your Invisalign aligners can also double as teeth whitening trays, This allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth at a fraction of the price.
As for your chipped tooth, after your teeth are whitened, you can have dental bonding applied to your chipped tooth. This is a composite resin that is hand sculpted to fill in the missing structure. The reason I say after the whitening is because the composite resin can be made to match any tooth color but, once it is completed, will not whiten. The color is permanent. You need to have your teeth the color you want the bonding to be when it is made.
I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.