Cosmetic Dentistry? Information? Salaries?

[OMFS08]

Just wanted to know if anyone here is interested in Cosmetic Dentistry? If so, what does it take to be a cosmetic dentist? What is the salary like? What does a general dentist need to do to get into the field? Sorry for all the questions, any help is appreciated. Thanks

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[Contach]

Just wanted to know if anyone here is interested in Cosmetic Dentistry? If so, what does it take to be a cosmetic dentist? What is the salary like? What does a general dentist need to do to get into the field? Sorry for all the questions, any help is appreciated. Thanks

top of your class and accepted for a 6 year residency program. really hard to get into so you have to work your ass off. but once you're out you make over $500 000 / year salary. I haev a friend who is a cosmetic dentist and he owns a Bentley.

 

[ZenoVT]

Wow that's insane.... 6year residency?

 

[BioMaxDDS]

top of your class and accepted for a 6 year residency program. really hard to get into so you have to work your ass off. but once you're out you make over $500 000 / year salary. I haev a friend who is a cosmetic dentist and he owns a Bentley.

except there is not a specialty called "cosmetic dentistry". any (general) dentist = cosmetic dentist

 

[ZenoVT]

except there is not a specialty called "cosmetic dentistry". any (general) dentist = cosmetic dentist

that's what i thought, and the closest thing would be prostho right?

 

[enfuego]

How does a cosmetic dentist differ from a general dentist?

 

[BioMaxDDS]

http://www.ada.org/public/topics/cosmetic.asp

 

[cpc728]

top of your class and accepted for a 6 year residency program. really hard to get into so you have to work your ass off. but once you're out you make over $500 000 / year salary. I haev a friend who is a cosmetic dentist and he owns a Bentley.

Basically cosmetic dentistry is not a specialty. Any general dentist can concentrate on doing cosmetic dentistry. There are courses you can take to enhance your skills but there is no 6 year residency program for cosmetic dentistry. It also helps tremendously if you have artistic talents.

 

[tinman831]

I sense a bit of sarcasm coming from Contach. 😉

 

[Hordel]

Cosmetic dentistry is NOT my idea of fun. You have to deal with people who want perfection, perfect shade...etc. For example, you do a veneer and the patient chooses a shade that is to white (despite your advice), even though their teeth are slightly stained. The veneer is placed and the patient is pissed and mad because YOU made the wrong choice and now the veneer sticks out way to much in their mouth and shows how stained their other teeth really are. This does NOT sound like a fun way to make a living.

 

[Sephisabin]

Like the previous posters said, cosmetic dentistry is not a specialty. Any general dentist is allowed to do any procedure coming out of dental school. You don't need to specialize in ortho to do braces or pediatrics to work with children. However, you're not allowed to call yourself a specialist in any of those fields. Cosmetic dentistry is not recognized as a specialty by the ADA so any dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist as soon as they graduate. That said, all it takes to be a cosmetic dentist is the knowledge and the desire to do that type of work. Some schools will teach you all that stuff (my school guarantees to train us in cosmetic procedures and give every student a veneer case) while others won't. If your school is the latter, you can take some courses once you're done to learn how to do those procedures.

 

[haisha ni narou]

All dentists should be "cosmetic" dentists. In other words, all dentists should produce and be able to produce restorations that are esthetically pleasing to the patient. A "cosmetic" dentist is nothing more than a self-proclamation that I think is overused and over emphasized in the name of marketing. Just my 2 cents.

 

[OMFS08]

Like the previous posters said, cosmetic dentistry is not a specialty. Any general dentist is allowed to do any procedure coming out of dental school. You don't need to specialize in ortho to do braces or pediatrics to work with children. However, you're not allowed to call yourself a specialist in any of those fields. Cosmetic dentistry is not recognized as a specialty by the ADA so any dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist as soon as they graduate. That said, all it takes to be a cosmetic dentist is the knowledge and the desire to do that type of work. Some schools will teach you all that stuff (my school guarantees to train us in cosmetic procedures and give every student a veneer case) while others won't. If your school is the latter, you can take some courses once you're done to learn how to do those procedures.

Thank you for offering such a simple and useful response. Everybody else that responded with proper information thanks as well, to contach "you should be proud of yourself" (EXTREME SARCASM)...Very good professional material! Patient: Doc Contach how do I know if I will get no cavities at all? Doc Contach: "Just brush your teeth for 10 hrs a day and eat nothing, just rinse with water the entire day and don't forget the baking soda". Patient: THANK YOU DOC CONTACH, BEST DOC EVER!!!!


People like you need not enter professional school.

 

[doc toothache]

What Mr. C was trying to tell is that there are times, such as this, when it would be better to obtain information from official channels, in this case the ADA, since SDN sources are at times replete with mis/disinformation. He may also be starting on his professed quest to reach the 2k landmark in record time using the newly discovered meanness factor.

 

[jay47]

All dentists should be "cosmetic" dentists. In other words, all dentists should produce and be able to produce restorations that are esthetically pleasing to the patient. A "cosmetic" dentist is nothing more than a self-proclamation that I think is overused and over emphasized in the name of marketing. Just my 2 cents.

You hit the nail on the head with this one. People in my area barely know that a dentist is a "Dr.", much less what the word cosmetic means. It is simply a marketing tool.

Lolz at Countach.....I thought it was an 8 year residency.....lol.

 

[seaweed719]

Not sure if Contach was making a sarcasm there, but he could be referring to the 6 year OMFS programs, which are of course very competitive to get into. And yes, some OMF surgeons chose to specialize in comestic procedures including liposuctions, facelifts, etc. Any well known and highly skilled cosmetic surgeons (including OMFS) practicing in west LA can be making well over $500,000.

Check out the facts yourself:
http://www.aaoms.org/facial_cosmetic_surgery.php

 

[bigstix808]

Cosmetic dentistry is NOT my idea of fun. You have to deal with people who want perfection, perfect shade...etc. For example, you do a veneer and the patient chooses a shade that is to white (despite your advice), even though their teeth are slightly stained. The veneer is placed and the patient is pissed and mad because YOU made the wrong choice and now the veneer sticks out way to much in their mouth and shows how stained their other teeth really are. This does NOT sound like a fun way to make a living.

for the money they are likely paying for the procedure...i would have high expectations as well. its how you deal with those individuals that i feel would make you a good "cosmetic" dentist.

OP, no such specialty as "cosmetic dentist". The ability to do good quality cosmetic procedures is likely going to come with time after dschool...unless you're just a bad mama jama and can knock perfect veneers first try 🙂

 

[Slack3r]

I think he was referring to OMFS or prosthodontics? OMFS can specialize in facial plastics if they want to,

 

[NonTradHopeful]

top of your class and accepted for a 6 year residency program. really hard to get into so you have to work your ass off. but once you're out you make over $500 000 / year salary. I haev a friend who is a cosmetic dentist and he owns a Bentley.

Please stop spreading false information. There is no residency for cosmetic dentistry...any general dentist can perform cosmetic dentistry as long as you have the proper training to do so. The only 6 year residency program in dentistry is OMFS, and that is not considered cosemetic dentistry...it's mostly oral surgery procedures, sinus lifts, and things like that.

...unless you were being sarcastic, in which case disregard this post 😎

 

[setdoc7]

Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty by the ADA. With that said there are several cosmetic dentistry organizations which run CE and even give accreditation to members after passing some hurdles. Real cosmtetic work is tough, and takes a great deal of multispecialty skills or referrals. It's not just composite blending and veneers, it's a lot more and those dentists who are really good at it practice a different and very expensive type of dentistry. Anyone can call themselves a cosmetic dentist, as many procedures we do every day have a cosmetic component.
Most dentists are not salaried, so the question is really about income. That will depend on the procedures you offer and the type of area and patients you attract.
The training is so variable that it defies this small space. Since there is no specialty board and real governing body, it can be as little or as much as you would like.

 

[yappy]

I shadowed a dentist who was all about this cosmetic thing. He was only two years out of school and had his own practice - very poshe place.

I assumed he was doing pretty well b/c he was placing around 2-4 crowns per patient (had the same day crown milling machines), vaneers, and about every woman that came in was interested in the botox he was performing. On top of this he was selling everyone and their uncle a night guard! ("I highly suggest protecting your investment" LOL!)

It was amazing.

 

[joe200]

I heard they get the most impacted when the economy is in a recession because people won't spare the change for cosmetics.

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

Seriously what is with the bumping of old topics today? This thread is 2 years old. Must be the googlers....