HOW TO CHOOSE A COSMETIC DENTIST?
Trusting someone with your smile is more than just choosing a dentist. We see so many patients in our clinic, who come to us for what we call “revision” work – which means, redoing treatment that they have already had done elsewhere because for many reasons it has failed.
Most commonly, it does not look how they wanted it to, the teeth were damaged more than they expected underneath, or have broken, and they aren’t comfortable emotionally or in the bite. These problems can undo all the positivity that cosmetic dentistry can bring, it can really change lives for the better – but ONLY if you have done your research and chosen the right dentist for the job.
Read this guide to find a cosmetic dentist near you, that will achieve your dream smile:
Table of Contents
Where to begin:
It makes sense to use an example of if you were building a house, would you use someone who lays bricks all day to do your carpets? Most probably you would choose someone who lays carpets all day – in the same way, when choosing a dentist for cosmetic dentistry you want to choose someone who is doing that particular type of dentistry, day in day out, and only doing that.
1. Reviews
The most powerful way of finding out how reputable a cosmetic dentist or a clinic maybe is to read the reviews left by other members of the public who have chosen them before you. With sites such as Trustpilot and Google Reviews, along with Facebook Reviews and testimonials on websites, it can help you to gather an overall image of how happy they have made people so far! Remember there will always be some negative reviews, but check the dates and these may be some time ago, perhaps before that dentist arrived.
2. Recommendations
Most patients will not ask to do this, but why not ask to speak to other clients that have had a similar treatment with that dentist? If the dentist is happy to put you in touch with their previous patients then this is a good sign too.
3. Photographs
Cosmetic dentistry is a visual thing, all about the beauty and aesthetic individual to that smile, and that person. In our, before and after results you will see how each smile is perfectly bespoke for that patient – rather than a one size fits all. Asking to see, or following an Instagram, Pinterest, and before and after page for that dentist or clinic will help you to decide if they are the right choice. Check carefully how many smiles they create, and how often – you want to choose a dentist who is doing high-quality cosmetic work day in day out.
4. Credentials
It is important to find out what training this dentist may have. Cosmetic dentistry is not a postgraduate speciality which involves a qualification, it usually has required years of the dentist pursuing different training courses.
These courses are self-funded, and often the dentist will choose to take more basic training and build up to more complex training. It is, therefore, useful to read up on the bio, to make sure that the dentist is not just using the term “cosmetic dentist” but has the true credentials to back this up.
The top cosmetic dentists will be somehow involved in the management of large academies, which are elected positions such as The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
5. Teaching
Often the leading cosmetic dentists will be invited to lecture internationally, or conduct their own courses, or have founded their own academies or are featured in the dental or other national press.
Teaching other dentists gives the ability to pass on skill and knowledge that the most renowned cosmetic dentists have developed, often their own innovative techniques.
When training qualified dentists, the teacher must have a greater degree of understanding and knowledge to pass on information, which can give confidence to a patient seeking cosmetic dentistry.
6. Awards & Accreditation
Some cosmetic dentists will have been awarded commendations or awards for cases they have submitted to a panel of judges. There are within some dental academies such as The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry accreditation pathways, which require dentists to pass tests and submit before and afters in order to achieve the accolade. This is usually a sign of someone with sufficient understanding of the subject to achieve the best cosmetic results for your smile.
7. Consultation
The most important part of the planning stages of any smile makeover is the consultation. This is where you get the chance to meet with the treatment coordinator at the clinic, or the dentist too. Asking the right questions, about previous smiles treated and credentials along with checking testimonials before you attend, is always going to mean you will make a better choice.
When you are in the consultation you will get a feel for the experience, and level of expertise that clinic and its dentists have, along with seeing their before and after results if you haven’t already seen them online. A great cosmetic dentist will always offer a long consultation with the dentist once you have met with the treatment coordinator, of around 2 hours if not longer.
This is how long it truly takes to find out the best plan for you and to diagnose and assess not only the teeth, the mouth, but also the facial features.
8. Attention to detail
You will get a feel for the attention to detail that the dentist possesses when you meet with them, and from their own appearance. When it comes to aesthetics, it is part of the experience. The clinic, the dentist, the results, the dentists aesthetic all come together to build a picture of someone you can trust.
Sometimes they will explain options to you that other dentists have told you, you can’t or shouldn’t have, but remember these highly trained and highly regarded cosmetic dentists have achieved what they have for a reason.
If you feel you can trust them, be open-minded and ask them to show you how they would achieve things for you in a safe way…always remember that the dental health advice from a healthcare professional who wants to do the right thing is far better than what you find on Dr Google or Dr Youtube.
9. Pricing
The best cosmetic dentists often do not have set price lists, and the treatment fees depend on the type of procedure, the time it will take, and the options you choose. When calling practices and enquiring about price, you will find the best clinics are not able to give you pricing over the phone – this is not them being difficult, this is because each plan is bespoke and tailored, so once consultations have occurred then a price can be calculated.
Price alone should not be the main driving force for why you choose your cosmetic dentist, you will find you mostly get what you pay for. Repeating cheaply done dentistry costs far more to fix, so being tempted by Cosmetic Dentistry Turkey deals, or offers and vouchers in the UK is often a sign that the dentist is not of the quality that you may wish – do it once, do it right, and you won’t have to pay for replacement dentistry that is upsetting and often not budgeted for.
The most flexible clinics will offer 0% finance or other options to spread the cost of treatment, as often to get the result that you desire, you may spend slightly more than your initial budgets so these schemes can simply help you to not compromise on the result or the dentist you chose but allows you to make it affordable. You will be familiar with visiting a hairdresser and having different fees for associate stylists, senior stylists etc – and in some cosmetic dental clinics, you will find this pricing structure too.
The more experienced or more highly trained dentists may have higher fees for the same treatments than the less experienced, and less trained. This gives you a choice, depending on the before and after you see, and after researching their credentials, of who you wish to choose.
Our principal dentist Dr Sam Jethwa founded the Bespoke Smile Academy, which trains around 20 qualified dentists per year in smile makeovers and how to deal with complex bite problems and worn down teeth. Sam is Director of Communications at The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD) and has postgraduate qualifications along with a vast array of postgraduate cosmetic courses under his belt, carried out across the UK, Europe, and the USA.
Sam is now invited to lecture internationally, and this year is due to present to hundreds of dentists at The UK Dentistry show and London Dentistry show, along with many online webinars in which hundreds of dentists register from across the world.
Sam is award-winning and takes pride in what he has created at Bespoke Smile, where the entire team are trained using the same standards as 5* hospitality training from the hotel sector. Our initial consultations are free, and are with our highly trained treatment coordinator, after which you will see the best dentist for you, and these last approximately 2-3 hours long and will be the most comprehensive consultation you will ever have experienced.
At Bespoke Smile you will never be seen by a dentist who can be considered a “jack of all trades, and master of none” – you will see the right dentist for each job. Dr Sam Jethwa will be your dentist if you have chosen a smile makeover with porcelain veneers, laser dentistry, or complex reconstructive work.
Dr Gurs Sehmi will be your dentist if you have chosen dental implants, replacing missing teeth, or complex braces.
Dr Pano is our resident Periodontist, which means Gum Specialist and so you will see him if you are stabilising your gum health before your cosmetic dentistry, or if you want to rebuild lost gum, or maybe have a wisdom tooth causing discomfort.
Dental Hygienists are a vital part of our dental team and you will see them every 3 to 6 months for gum maintenance, and stain removal to keep the teeth and gums healthy for the long term.
Dr Lydia Sharples will be your dentist if you are looking for cosmetic teeth straightening options such as Invisalign or discreet ceramic braces, tooth whitening, root canal treatments, and general health and wellbeing.
BDS (Lon) MFDS RCS (Edin) PgDip ClinEd (UK)
Areas of expertise: Smile makeovers using ultra-thin porcelain veneers, smile design to restore worn teeth and advanced full mouth restorative dentistry.
“A perfect, natural, or bespoke smile is possible to achieve for anyone. There is no substitute for the feeling of confidence an individual and beautiful smile can give. We have developed techniques, which we teach to dentists across the UK and abroad, to help them better their care in their clinics. I believe in comprehensively treating every patient, to bring them up to absolute health, and then put in place maintenance to avoid patients from recurrent replacements, and further treatment. It is a passion for me to deliver an unrivalled experience and end result, which stands the test of time”
