The Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

Dear Dr. Hall,
I read your respose to Lesly [sic] (A Bad Experience with Lumineers) and was very shocked and disappointed that you without seeing the patient jumped to the conclusion that the treating dentist made an error and that his skills as a a cosmetic dentist are not up to the standards. As someone who claim that you try to educate and help the public you should be very objective and avoid judging your peers without knowing the whole truth…shame on you.

Dear Anonymous,
Shame on me? Before you talk to me about shame, I think you should have the decency to identify yourself. But your message came with no e-mail address, phone number, or first name. People who make comments behind a cloak of anonymity don’t have much credibility with me.

I am proud of what I write. So much so that I put my name on it, my address, my phone number, and all about the company I run. And I think Lesley is very glad that I didn’t pull any punches when I answered her question.

Lesley’s case was pretty clear cut – she had three crowns and three Lumineers placed on her front teeth and within a week, one of the crowns started turning dark. I think that any decent, self-respecting dentist would take responsibility for that. I certain would, if that happened with a case that I just inserted, and I don’t think it is out of line to expect that from her dentist. Do you think that is within the standard of care, to give a patient a dark crown on a front tooth?
Dr. David Hall
Phoenix, Arizona
Putting my name on everything I write.

You are illusionists if your feel that only the “real cosmetic dentist” can achieve wonderful results. It would seem that you all are trying to promote the idea that only you all are “masters” of the art. As I see all the promotional articles it would appear that you all are masters of “hard sell.” I feel sad for the mentality that now pervades our once great profession. You may reply.
- Dr. Bob in California

Dr. Bob,
On the contrary, a good cosmetic dentist is very much a soft-sell person who tries hard to please the patient and who knows that any cosmetic dental treatment must be driven by the patient. If the patient is unhappy with his or her smile, then the case needs to be done. If the patient is happy with how they look, then no treatment is indicated. That’s what I was taught in my cosmetic dentistry courses. And a good cosmetic dentist knows that the case is a success only when the patient is happy with the results.

There is a distinct mental attitude difference between a technician-oriented dentist who is very good at what he or she does, and an artistically-oriented dentist who loves creating beautiful smiles and is very good at it.

Imagine yourself trying to convince Julia Roberts, for example, if she wants a new smile, that the dentist on the corner can do that just as well as say Dr. Debra Gray King in Atlanta, or Dr. Jerry Bellen in San Francisco. You’ll never convince her that there aren’t certain dentists that are excellent artists and many that aren’t. You and I know that she’s going to be very fussy about who she lets do that for her.

But I understand the sensitivity that many dentists feel when we discuss the differences in abilities between dentists. Every dentist wants to be an expert, and it takes a big person to admit that others, who have the same advanced degree that they do, are better at certain things. And the general public who visit this web site are very appreciative for our pointing out who are the great artists in this profession.

There is a philosophy of professionalism that wants to uphold the “status” of the professional and is hyper-sensitive to criticism. But I adhere to the philosophy that the greatest professionalism is to be of service to the public.

Dr. Dave Hall