I need to replace a few front teeth. I want to do dental implants, but am trying to figure out who should do it. Do I go to a general dentist and focus on the implants or a cosmetic dentist and focus on the crown looking good?
Tom J.
Dear Tom,
Many patients don’t realize this but cosmetic dentists are general dentists. There’s not a recognized cosmetic dentistry specialty. When it comes to picking a dentist to do your cosmetic work, you want someone who’s invested a lot of time training because some dentists are more skilled than others. It takes more than technical skill. To get beautiful results, they also need an artistic eye. What you can do is look at their smile gallery to see if you like the results of their work.
When it comes to dental implants, you want to focus both on the technical and the crown. Dental implants have a high success rate, but they’re an advanced procedure. Check to be sure the dentist has significant experience.
Because you’re concerned about the cosmetic end of things, and I don’t blame you. Everyone wants an attractive smile. I want to make sure you know that if you’re going to want any type of teeth whitening in the near future, you’ll want to do it before getting the implant crown. Once the crown is made, the color is permanent.
It’s a detail which is sometimes overlooked, but it will save you money and time in the long run.
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