Thursday, August 13, 2015

Cosmetic Dentists, what?

Dentist Sandy Springs:

The trend these days is dentists calling themselves cosmetic dentists when there is no such specialty in dentistry.   Contrary of this trend, all dentistry is cosmetic.   I don’t know anyone who took the ‘ugly’ teeth class in dental school.  Regardless, the fact remains that the majority of dentists are general dentists and marketing themselves as ‘cosmetic dentists’ is an ethics violation of the ADA[1].  Not one of them has a ‘cosmetic specialty’ in dentistry because it doesn’t exist.[2]   The ADA only has recognized nine (9) post dental degree specialties and cosmetic dentistry is not one of them.  These specialties range in one to six years of advance training beyond dental school that results in additional certifications considered experts within their fields of dentistry.  These ADA specialties are:
Dental Public Heath, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology and Surgery, Orthodontics, Endodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, and the least known, but the closest to what would be considered a cosmetic dentist, Prosthodontics.
Prosthodontics: (crown, bridge, and implants) A Prosthodontist is the ‘holy grail’ of dentistry and has a specialty license pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes. Most dentists are not trained prosthodontic graduates of a dental school - rather they take short continuing education and utilize trial and error experience to be able to understand how size, shape, color and symmetry all work together to create what a prosthodontists is trained in their post graduate work.   On the other hand, the prosthodontist is trained at a university to create the smile that implements the use of veneers, crowns, bridges and the increasingly more common procedure of dental implants to ensure that the right smile is achieved, both functionally and aesthetically beautiful.  If anyone has a specialty in cosmetic dentistry, it would be the prosthodontist.  So when you are seriously looking for a cosmetic dentist, look for a prosthodontist.
If you are in need of a cosmetic dentist[3], we are here to serve you.
ZoAnna Scheinfeld, MS, DMD
290 Carpenter Drive, 200A
Atlanta (Sandy Springs), GA 30328

404-256-3620
www.rightsmilecenter.com
info@rightsmilecenter.com
Related articles
·    Prosthodontist (therightsmile.wordpress.com)


[1] ADA is the American Dental Association
[2] And yet we advertise as a cosmetic dentist because we have a prosthodontist in our practice.
[3] Cosmetic dentist equals Prosthodontist.

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