Gauging the Risk Factors in the Search for a Perfect Face
By Susan Gilbert (excerpts)
It has never been easier, or more tempting, to have cosmetic surgery and other beauty-enhancing procedures than now. More cosmetic surgeons and "esthetic" dentists are setting up shop as baby boomers are looking longer in the mirror and seeing sags, wrinkles and discolored teeth.
"Esthetic dentistry, which includes tooth bleaching and bonding (closing gaps between teeth and fixing chipped ones, generally), is the fastest-growing field in the dental profession now that fluoride has made cavities relatively rare and people are ever-more obsessed about appearance", said Dr. Irwin Smigel, the president of the New York-based American Society for Dental Aesthetics.
"Poorly done cosmetic dentistry can ruin a person's smile by making it look unnatural", Dr. Smigel, the esthetic dentist, said, adding, "At least 25 percent of the work I do is redoing cases." He recently treated a young woman whose family dentist had applied porcelain veneers, the most popular type of tooth bonding. "The veneers were overbuilt and overwhite," Dr. Smigel said. "Her teeth looked false."
To find a qualified esthetic dentist, Dr. Smigel recommended that people consider only members of an esthetic dentistry organization. To be accepted by the American Society for Dental Aesthetics, for example, a dentist must be practicing for five years and demonstrate proficiency in tooth bonding and bleaching with five patients.
When meeting with a doctor or a dentist, potential patients should ask what they can expect - not only how the work can improve their looks, but the chances that they will need a second procedure to achieve acceptable results.