Who is the best cosmetic dentist in the United States? If you are looking to whiten, straighten, or somehow change the cosmetic look of your teeth, and smile, who is the best one to do it? Questions like this arise all the time. We always want to know who is the very best in any one particular field. Who is the best athlete? Who is the best actor, or actress? Etc. etc. The problem with finding the very best cosmetic dentist is that what looks good to one person might not look good to another person. It is akin to asking who is the best painter, or sculptor, in the country. The quality of the art is dependent upon the person viewing it. The same can be said for cosmetic dentistry. Some people like all of their teeth the exact same length. Some people like their canines very pointed. Some people would like the color of their teeth to be as white as a piece of paper. Variations like these, and many more, make it nearly impossible to judge what is the perfect smile. This is one of the reasons that the American dental Association does not even have a specialty labeled cosmetic dentist. Specialties in dentistry exist, such as orthodontist, periodontist, and oral surgeon. But there is no registered specialty for cosmetic dentist. It is, in fact, illegal to advertise yourself as a cosmetic dental specialist as no such certification exists. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Famous individuals such as Michael Strahan and Madonna have large gaps in between their front teeth. Certainly that would not be considered cosmetically perfect for a smile. Yet both of those people, who are perfectly capable of getting that fixed, leave it just the way it is. So how do you know? How does a person wade Through the myriad of dental advertisements claiming to be the best cosmetic dentist and find who is truly the right cosmetic dentist to do the work on you or your loved ones? My number one suggestion would be to ask around. Find people who’s smile you like. It may seem odd to ask people about their teeth but to approach someone and say “your teeth look absolutely beautiful who is your dentist” is never taken as an offense. After you have a few suggestions, for dentists, then schedule appointments with those dentists to get ideas and estimates on getting you the smile you want. Any dentist who claims to dabble in the cosmetic realm will have before and after pictures of cases they have done. After you have chosen a dentist ask to be involved in the work. Ask if the dentist uses a local lab and if it would be alright to actually visit the lab and/or talk to the technician that will be doing the work. Bringing someone with you to the appointments is also a very good thing. Getting a third party opinion, from someone you trust, is a great way to ensure that you don’t do something that you thought looked good at the dentist but looked a lot different once you get it home. And finally, the old saying that “you get what you pay for” is something that applies here. If someone is offering you cut rate deals on teeth than I would probably steer away. I’m not saying that you need to find the most expensive dentist in town but teeth are something that you shouldn’t be afraid to spend money on. Your smile says multitudes about you. A bright, beautiful, smile can brighten a room, make people feel comfortable, and give you the confidence that you may have been lacking for so long. Brighter, whiter, straighter, healthier teeth are worth every penny.
