I frequently read a popular implant dentistry forum. I thought I’d re-post this one question, asked by one of the participating dentists, to illustrate a point about many dentists’ esthetic sense:
“Dr. M. asks:
“I have a patient who is a beautiful woman with this huge diastema between her maxillary central incisors. I think if I placed an implant between them I could fit in a crown that would add harmony and balance to her smile line. Have any of you tried to solve this particular aesthetic problem with an implant solution like this?”
This dentist was proposing sticking an extra tooth in the middle of this beautiful woman’s smile, simply because she had a space large enough to accommodate one. There followed a serious discussion of the pros and cons of this question, whether or not there would be enough bone to support the implant, and how predictable various options would be. I saw eight replies to this question when I discovered it. Not one of the eight voiced what your average person would think of this suggestion: that it was absolutely ridiculous – maybe appropriate for a hillbilly, but absolutely atrocious for a beautiful woman.
The midline of your teeth should correspond to the midline of your face. And people expect a smile to show two central incisors in the middle, two smaller lateral incisors on the sides of those, and two slightly larger canines on the sides of those.
I repeat – don’t have a new smile from any dentist unless that dentist has strong artistic inclinations. These professionals, most of whom are very ethical and have the best interests of their patients at heart, simply do not understand esthetics. They went into dentistry because they are technical types who love to fix things that are broken. Go to a recognized artist for your smile makeover.
Read more about the difference between a general dentist and a cosmetic dentist.
Read about all the subtleties of smile design.
Read about dental bonding and porcelain veneers, two of the smile design tools of your cosmetic dentist.
And click here to find a cosmetic dentist with the artistic touch and training to create beautiful smiles.
About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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