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
Dorothy,
This is a question I get asked a lot in one form or another. Here’s what you need to understand about this issue of getting a pretty smile and the cost of cosmetic dentistry.
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. A cosmetic dentist is an artist and has a different personality and an entirely different approach to his or her work.
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? And from having been immersed in cosmetic dentistry, I can tell you that after a dentist goes through all the training and travel required to master this field, they are all inclined to want to charge extra for their work, not less, to compensate them for that. Many of them have strong charitable inclinations, but if you want a gorgeous smile, they feel you should pay for it–they don’t feel that qualifies as a charity case.
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!
If you can’t afford this, 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 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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