Cosmetic Dentist?

We are, thankfully, building our new practice in Saratoga which means that we see many new patients. I am starting to see patients from one or two dentists who market themselves as 'cosmetic dentists' and from what I see of their recent work, they are anything but a 'cosmetic dentist.' Patients that seek esthetic dentistry have a very clear idea of what they expect to look like after their treatment is completed. They are not expecting to be a movie star but they understand esthetic principles and have expectations that are very high. These patients show up at my consultation appointment very angry, frustrated and disapointed because their results are nothing what they expected and, in fact, the results reminded me of the work that we used to see in the 1980s that passed for 'cosmetic dentistry' because our profession had not yet formulated principles of esthetic dentistry.

Part of the problem is that the dentist has not bothered to master the very demanding and rigorous area of dentistry that is called cosmentic dentistry and as such, has almost no chance of meeting the expectations that some patients have. On the other hand, the patients that arrive at the office of a 'cosmetic dentist' must understand that their insurance will cover little if any of this kind of dentistry and if they do have high expectations, they cannot expect to pay the fees of the average dentist. The more luxurious or performance oriented a car is, the higher the cost of the car and the same concept is true in dentistry.

Every dentist advertises that they are a 'cosmetic dentist' and that is because all of our licenses give us the ability to do 'cosmetic dentistry.'

The New York State Board of Rengents has certified that fewer than 40 dentists in New York State can legally and ethically state that, "they are a general dentist with a specialty in Esthetic Dentistry. All of those dentists have earned a CERTIFICATE OF PROFICIENCY IN ESTHETIC DENTISTRY from the School of Dental Medicine at SUNY/Buffalo.

I am one of those few dentists.

You have a greater chance that you WILL be disappointed in your esthetic dentistry if you select a dentist without a Certificate of Proficiency in Esthetic Dentistry.
And that is a fact.

Let's be perfectly clear about one thing. It is illegal and unethical for a dentist to advertise or claim that they are THE BEST. Earning a Certificate of Proficiency does not mean that you will do the best when you treat patients. It DOES mean that you have been TAUGHT what you need to know but whether that translates into excellence speaks to the integrity of the individual.