Cosmetic Dentistry

[Mercury26]

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Hi,
I wanted to ask all of you dental students if you get much cosmetic procedures practice during school? Is anyone thinking about focusing on cosmetic dentistry in the future? I am totally fascinated by this field and would love more info on the process of "specializing" in cosmetic dentistry ( I know there is no actual specialty...)

Thanks

 

[toofache32]

I always thought the "cosmetic" dentistry idea was interesting...it's all cosmetic. Nobody ever asked me to "make me ugly and snaggle-toothed." Even the patient wanting a gold tooth up front is making a cosmetic request.

But you're probably asking about veneers and bleaching teeth to be toilet-bowl-white. I didn't do any of that because it was an incredible headache to schedule these with certain faculty, and I knew I would never do any after graduation. Also, we had very few patients who wanted them, because our patients were mostly crack-****** and indigents who were at the school for financial reasons to begin with. One lady came in to our emergency clinic and when I told her the root canal she needed was $300, she said she only brought $4 because she thought that would cover it.

 

[badabooom]

there is no such thing as "cosmetic dentistry" specialist
not recognized by ADA as a specialty anyway.

 

[badabooom]

don't forget there's teeth posterior to the canines
i will be really mad if a "cosmetic dentistry specialist" refer a patient to me for any general dentistry work.

 

[Doggie]

One lady came in to our emergency clinic and when I told her the root canal she needed was $300, she said she only brought $4 because she thought that would cover it.

At least she brought money to pay you. Patients at my school think they own the place.....demanding crazy **** left and right for free!


"I dont want to wait 2 weeks for my dentures........I want them tomorrow!"

 

[StarGirl]

At least she brought money to pay you. Patients at my school think they own the place.....demanding crazy **** left and right for free!


"I dont want to wait 2 weeks for my dentures........I want them tomorrow!"

aw come on, aren't u good & fast enough to get a denture out the next day???!

 

[gpg]

This happened to a friend of mine. He was alloted a patient for complete denture. The patient was wearing one made in the same college around 5-6 years ago. When my friend started trying the tray, the patient yelled saying, "All the measurements are noted on my paper. why the hell have you not kept it ready by now?"

My friend did not know where to look.........

 

[left2rightOMFS]

Hi,
I wanted to ask all of you dental students if you get much cosmetic procedures practice during school? Is anyone thinking about focusing on cosmetic dentistry in the future? I am totally fascinated by this field and would love more info on the process of "specializing" in cosmetic dentistry ( I know there is no actual specialty...)

Thanks

Oh I hated that in dental school when a general dentist would put "cosmetic dentist" on his/her sign on the front door. When did they do this extra training to become a "cosmetic dentist?" What is a cosmetic dentist? To me, when some dingle calls himself a "cosmetic dentist" he is saying that every other dentist out there is just a drill and fill amalgam junkie who doesn't know how to do anything that looks good.

Did you every notice that the ones that call themselves "cosmetic dentists" are also the ones with all the cheesy advertising in the paper and magazines.

"image is everything!" "your smile makes you beautiful!" "success comes with image!"

Cheesballs.

 

[Energon]

Hi,
I wanted to ask all of you dental students if you get much cosmetic procedures practice during school? Is anyone thinking about focusing on cosmetic dentistry in the future? I am totally fascinated by this field and would love more info on the process of "specializing" in cosmetic dentistry ( I know there is no actual specialty...)

Thanks

Ok Hg, to answer your question: Yes cosmetic dentistry is a very exciting field. Ofcourse the question is what exactly is cosmetic dentistry? Since ADA doesn't have a category for it (God knows they have one for everything else in the world) I dont believe it is just limited to teeth bleaching and veneers.
I think in order to concentrate on esthetic dentistry, you should have a good background or training in pros in order to do full mouth restorations and have a good understanding of using implants and other modalities of treatment to obtain the best results for your patients.

 

[badabooom]

ADA's definition of specialties

 

[ItsGavinC]

until recently i had planned to limit my practice to the lower right mandible..


ahh..
i kinda miss the D1 years.
spending 3 hours prepping an ideal occlusal on #30

those were the days.

LOL, I'm in the middle of that mindset and know what you mean!

 

[ItsGavinC]

Did you every notice that the ones that call themselves "cosmetic dentists" are also the ones with all the cheesy advertising in the paper and magazines.

"image is everything!" "your smile makes you beautiful!" "success comes with image!"

Cheesballs.

For sure. Advertising that makes our profession look less like a profession and more like a taco stand. Blah.

 

[mike3kgt]

Oh I hated that in dental school when a general dentist would put "cosmetic dentist" on his/her sign on the front door. When did they do this extra training to become a "cosmetic dentist?" What is a cosmetic dentist? To me, when some dingle calls himself a "cosmetic dentist" he is saying that every other dentist out there is just a drill and fill amalgam junkie who doesn't know how to do anything that looks good.

Did you every notice that the ones that call themselves "cosmetic dentists" are also the ones with all the cheesy advertising in the paper and magazines.

"image is everything!" "your smile makes you beautiful!" "success comes with image!"

Cheesballs.

While I may agree with the advertising can be cheesy and downright annoying, I don't really have a problem with a dentist limiting their practice to focus on cosmetics. As for the extra training, I would call somebody who has taken the entire Pankey or LVI cosmetic cirriculum to be more qualified in "cosmetic dentistry" than another dentist who had just graduated from school.

Cosmetic dentists do not refer out their class I composites or standard dental treatment. Just think from the practitioner standpoint... every time a dentist refer patient out for basic care, they run the risk that the patient will not return! Now these "extreme makeover" guys and their advertisements... that's a different story .

-Mike

 

[Gutta Percha]

For those of you that think advertising or a specific type of advertising is beneath you and are still in dental school, then just wait till you have your own office.

If you think by attending LVI makes you a cosmetic guru, then you are falling for their marketing tactics just like the public. Dickerson was a genius for grabbing on to Extreme Makeover because he created the public perception that if you didn't attend LVI then you are not a "true" cosmetic dentist. How many times do they mention ZOOM on EM---Tons of times. It has been proven over and over again that adding lights or heat to bleach doesn't improve its efficacy; however, I have pts. everyday ask, "do you do Zoom."

Cosmetic dentistry is great for instant aesthetics, but for the average dentist trying to base their practice on it is not realistic. It does work for some, but for most dentists the money is still in the bread and butter.

 

[ip]

There are a few 1 year esthetic fellowships like in SUNY Buffalo and Tufts. I'm sure there are others but I don't know of them.

No, there's no specialty in it just like there's no specialty in implant dentistry or TMD. But the ADA is nuts in limiting how someone WITH extra training in these fields can market themselves.

For example, someone with extra training cannot even say "Limited to X" because according to ADA that implies specialty. A perio cannot even say "Limited to Implant Surgery" b/c implant surgery is not a specialty.

 

[DcS]

More than 10 responses and no one answered the OP's question. At UNC we had veneer training, and like everyone else have learned different bleaching techniques. We also learn in an Advance Operative course diastema closure, fracture repair etc etc.

 

[lnn2]

Make it 11 responses

 

[GQ1]

Hi,
I wanted to ask all of you dental students if you get much cosmetic procedures practice during school? Is anyone thinking about focusing on cosmetic dentistry in the future? I am totally fascinated by this field and would love more info on the process of "specializing" in cosmetic dentistry ( I know there is no actual specialty...)

Thanks

i thought prosthodontists were the specialists in cosmetic dentistry

 

[ItsGavinC]

i thought prosthodontists were the specialists in cosmetic dentistry

Not really. As has been mentioned, ALL dental work is cosmetic to a point, and any general dentist can limit their practice to the procedures they find most interesting or most lucrative.

 

[badabooom]

it's great being a GP, think about it

if a medical malpractice lawyer walks into my office, i can always say "i have a friend from school....", then you remember the dude that always gave u a hard time back in school.

 

[mike3kgt]

it's great being a GP, think about it

if a medical malpractice lawyer walks into my office, i can always say "i have a friend from school....", then you remember the dude that always gave u a hard time back in school.

Hahahahahahaha....

Now for the question. I know we as dentists cannot refuse to see a patient because of disability (HIV, wheelchair, etc) but can we refuse to see a patient because of their occupation (med mal attorney, politician, etc)??

Maybe it's possible to wrangle around it by stating you're not taking on patients at this current time?

-Mike

 

[GQ1]

Not really. As has been mentioned, ALL dental work is cosmetic to a point, and any general dentist can limit their practice to the procedures they find most interesting or most lucrative.

This is the ADA definition.
Prosthodontics: Prosthodontics is the dental specialty pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance

Im thinking about pros, I know quite a few pros charging $2500 to 3000 a unit, and I dont think in any way theyre just a mere general dentist.

 

[Energon]

No, as a pros you are trained to take on many complex cases that need a lot of rehab. As a general dentist, over the course of years spent practicing and doing CDE, you get experience to one day become somone who can work at a prosthodontist's level. However, you can do a 3 yr intense residency with clinical and didactic components to attain that level of expertise a lot sooner (as explained by the chief pros resident at my school).
Also, once you finish that program, you can either practice as a prosthodontist or as a gendent who does not refer out complex cases.

Yes pros is a good program

 

[toofache32]

Hahahahahahaha....

Now for the question. I know we as dentists cannot refuse to see a patient because of disability (HIV, wheelchair, etc) but can we refuse to see a patient because of their occupation (med mal attorney, politician, etc)??

Maybe it's possible to wrangle around it by stating you're not taking on patients at this current time?

-Mike

There was a physician in Florida who proposed to his state medical board that med malpractice lawyers and their families should not be offered care. He eventually backed off but I think he had a good point.

 

[mike3kgt]

There was a physician in Florida who proposed to his state medical board that med malpractice lawyers and their families should not be offered care. He eventually backed off but I think he had a good point.

There was a push for a little while to do just this. A group wanted to not see patients for elective care if they were or were related to malpractice plaintiff attorneys. Genius. Too bad the entire state didn't think it would fly.

-Mike