Dr. Hall,
I live in a small town in Georgia and have an appointment this afternoon for a consultation for Lumineers. I’ve read some of the information on your web site and quite frankly I’m apprehensive about the dentist I’m going to see. I’ve never had good teeth and long for a pretty smile. However I don’t have a lot of money. Is there anything a person who doesn’t have a lot of money but still wants a pretty smile can do. Are there any programs available to help?
– Dorothy in Georgia
Dorothy,
This is a question I get asked a lot in one form or another about the costs of cosmetic dentistry from people that have trouble affording what it costs.
Here’s what you need to understand about this issue of getting a pretty smile. A general dentist is trained to fix your teeth. And the reason almost all dentists are attracted to dentistry is because they like to fix things. It’s a technician mentality that they have.
Now if what you want is a work of beauty, in my opinion there’s no point in going to someone who’s going to do a mediocre job. Your teeth maybe already look mediocre, so why pay good money to end up with something that’s really not a lot better than what you have?
I can’t even count the number of people who have written to me and had a new smile and are so disappointed with the results that they’re paying to have it done over. Now THAT’s expensive! Sometimes their first results actually look considerably worse than before they had the procedure done. Sometimes they’ve gone back to the original dentist and insisted that they do it over, and they don’t do any better the second time, which leaves them feeling absolutely depressed.
If you can’t afford the cost of porcelain veneers or whatever else you want done, my advice is to take the money you would have spent on this and put it somewhere where it will earn some interest. Then add to it as you can. When you have enough money to do it right, then hire a true artist/dentist, such as we recommend on this web site, to do it.
I hope that’s helpful.
Dr. Hall
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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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