Is Cosmetic Dentistry Right for you? Watch our video.

Columbus Dentist explains what veneers, Lumineers, and DuraThin Veneers are:

A veneer is a generic term for a thin piece of porcelain that a dentist artistically designs for your specific needs and smile. Generic term as in tissue versus the brand name Kleenex.

Veneers can be used to fixed chipped, stained, and crooked teeth.  They are sometimes described as instant orthodontics because they can be used to straighten your teeth in a matter of weeks instead of months or years.

Lumineers and DuraThin Veneers are brand names for veneers.  They use a specific brand of porcelain and are marketed with their brand name.  These 2 brands of veneers have 2 main points that they market to:

• That they are are painless veneers or shot free veneers
• That they don’t remove painful or healthy tooth structure

These 2 statements in some smile makeovers are true but before you make a decision on which Columbus Cosmetic Dentist you want to do your smile makeover, think about this.

   What the marketing material doesn’t tell you:

• The amount of  tooth structure that is removed in any type of veneer is  minimal
• The majority of veneers are “contact lens thin”
• If you have protruding teeth, you slap on a veneer no matter how thin, your teeth are going to stick out more and it will be obvious that you have  a veneer sticking on your teeth.   
• Depending on your threshold for pain, sometimes you want  the quick “pin prick” pain of a numbing shot over the 15 – 30 minutes of mildly uncomforable  shot free veneer prep time.  In other words, being a shot-free veneer isn’t always a good thing.

We are a Columbus dentist that does traditional veneers and also Lumineers.  A certain type of veneer is not the right veneer for every smile makeover.  That is why we have Fee Free Smile Consultations so that you can meet the dentist, see a collection of our Smile Makeovers, ask your questions and get Dr. Thompson’s or Dr. Hoellrich’s  opinion on what would be the best Smile Makeover solution for you.

Read our previous post About the cost of veneers.

 Columbus, Ohio Lumineers

When people are considering a smile makeover we encourage them to investigate all their options.  Some smile makeovers can cost a considerable amount of money so it’s important to do your research.   It’s important to visit a dentist that has experience with all sorts of dental procedures so that between the 2 of you, you can come up with the solution that is best for your smile, goals, and budget. 

Keep in mind that getting a better smile doesn’t have to be an “Extreme Makeover” to be life changing.  It can be as simple as teeth whitening or as complicated as a full mouth rehabilitation, and anywhere in between.

At our Columbus Ohio Dental Office we use Veneers and Lumineers to give our patients a better Smile in a very short period of time from 1 day to 2 weeks depending on what the patient needs and wants.

I’m not going to lead you to believe that lumineers or veneers are inexpensive, they aren’t but neither is any form of cosmetic improvement. 

As of the writing of this blog post, the cost of a single veneer in our office is $935.  The range of veneer prices in the Columbus market is between $700 – $1500 per veneer. 

Typically a patient will opt for, 4 – 6 veneers for their Smile Makeover.  So this is a $3740 – $5610 investment in something that will change your life and last for years to come. Only you can decide if it is worth it to you because it’s your hard earned cash.

In order to take the first step in you Smile Makeover we offer a free Smile Consultation with the doctor.  At this appointment you can ask all your questions, get to know the doctor, and decide if you are ready to take the next step.  Dr. Thompson or Dr. Hoellrich can also do cosmetic imaging to give you an idea what you would look like with a new smile.  You can also see examples of other Smile Makeovers the doctors have done.

The inspiration for parts of this blog post came from the following blog post on the average-cost-of-lumineers.  Check it out for another dentist’s opinion.

Did you know that only 50% of adults are satisfied with the appearance of their Smile?  Cosmetic Dentistry can help people improve their smile boosting self image and making people more confident in everyday situations. 

In a survey conducted by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, 74% of adult Americans who responded believed an unattractive smile could hurt a person’s chances for career success.

Cosmetic dentistry is the Art and Science of designing and creating a natural looking beautiful smile that fits your personality, facial features, and appearance goals.  It can be as simple or Extreme as you want it to be.   

The benefits of cosmetic dentistry go beyond just having a beautiful smile.  Typically when a person makes the investment to improve their smile they begin to take better care of their teeth.  They want to keep that great smile they worked so hard for, healthy and beautiful.

It’s also interesting to note that when a person decides to improve their smile, other great things happen in their life too.  Dr. T has had several patients that do Invisalign, or Veneers, or dental implants and 12 months later they are engaged, have stopped smoking or lost weight because they want to take better care of themselves, or have finally been motivated to get out of a unhealthy job situation and take the next step in their careers.

Maintaining an appealing smile is a major part of a person’s desire to stay fit, healthy and attractive.

What does Cosmetic Dentistry help fix?

• Yellow or discolored teeth
• Crooked or irregularly shaped teeth
• Spaces or gaps between teeth
• Boomers wanting a more youthful appearance
• A teenager left with a broken tooth after and accident
• Missing teeth
• People recovering from auto accidents or other head trauma

There are a variety of cosmetic dental procedures.

• Bleaching or Whitening – Whether you choose to do this at home or in a dentist office, bleaching is an effective method of whitening stained, discolored teeth
• Veneers  are about as thick as a contact lens custom made porcelain that is shaped, fitted, and adhered to the tooth.  Veneers can be used to fix gaps between teeth, and teeth that are crooked, chipped, discolored and worn teeth.  Veneers are sometimes referred to as “instant orthodontics”
• Invisalignis a clear, comfortable, removable way to straighten teeth using custom made plastic “aligners” .  Invisalign is the non-metal alternative to braces
• Bonding and tooth-colored fillings use a tooth colored resin that can be color matched to your adjacent teeth. 
• All Porcelain Crowns are strong a beautiful and fix teeth that are broken, cracked, or damaged
• Dental Implants are a natural looking and functioning way to replace 1 or many missing teeth

Columbus, Ohio Cosmetic Dentist

When people are considering a smile makeover we encourage them to investigate all their options.  Some smile makeovers can cost a considerable amount of money so it’s important to do your research.   It’s important to visit a dentist that has experience with all sorts of dental procedures so that between the 2 of you, you can come up with the solution that is best for your smile, goals, and budget.  If you live or work in Columbus Ohio we invite you to schedule a complimentary smile consultation with one of our experienced and friendly cosmetic dentists at Grandview Dental Care.

Keep in mind that getting a better smile doesn’t have to be an “Extreme Makeover” to be life changing.  It can be as simple as teeth whitening or as complicated as a full mouth rehabilitation, and anywhere in between.

We encourage you to Google and find out as much as you can about the different types of dental procedures used to improve smiles.  Search for things like Lumineers, Invisalign, tooth bonding, tooth whitening, cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, and dental implants.

You should also ask some friends and family members what dentist they would recommend or if you are the outgoing type, if you see a beautiful smile, ask the person about it.  People typically love to talk about their successes and also help others out! 

Below are some questions to ask before and during your smile consultation with your dentist. 

1) What do you want to improve about your smile?  We have a survey that steps you through the process.

2) Ask the cosmetic dentist what they recommend.  You should get more than one option. 

3) What are the alternatives and costs of the different recommendations?

4) Ask the dentist to see before and after pictures of some of their patients.  Ask the dentist what the patient was trying to acheive, what was done, and how much it cost.

5) Evaluate this purchase like you evaluate other major purchases.  Experience, cost, quality, value.  If you are looking for the least expensive cosmetic dentist in town make sure you understand what that means.  They may not have the experience, expertise, or they may use cheap material to acheive an inexpensive price.

6) Do you like the dentist?  Do they spend enough time with you answering your questions.  What about the office appearance and the staff?   

Get the smile you want by talking to a cosmetic dentist today! 

We are having a Smile Extravaganza and offering special pricing and financing on cosmetic dentistry.  Find out all the details on our Smile Extravaganza page!

Your Smile is the first thing people typically see when the meet you.  Everyone has their own feelings about what kind of a smile they want and that is great.  But if you would like to understand the possibilities and cost of improving your smile, just ask your dentist.

And if you don’t like what you hear, ask another dentist. What I am saying here is that not every dentist has the same kind of style or philosophy so you need to find a dentist that matches your style and desire.  A friend of mine came to our office about 4 years ago.  She is/was a mid twenties professional and she had some staining on her front teeth.  Her old dentist had told her the staining “wasn’t a big deal”  and “was just part of her smile”  That is not the answer she wanted to hear so at her first appointment she asked Dr. Thompson what she could do about the staining.

It was a quick, pain free, polish to get the stains off and it didn’t cost her anything beyond her routine cleaning cost.  Bonus!

So, you might have something you’d like to change with your smile right now but you have been putting it off figuring it would cost a fortune.  Just ask.  You are an adult.  Get the scoop and then decide if it’s something you want for your smile.  Asking the question isn’t a commitment to treatment…. we all know that!

Top Questions to ask your dentist at a Smile Consultation.

Columbus Ohio Invisalign Dentist

Dr. Thompson has been an Invisalign certified provider since 2002 and has treated over 150 patients with Invisalign since then.  We really do see Invisalign patients in our office everyday.

If you are curious about Invisalign there are a lot of Invisalign Dentists to chose from in the Columbus Ohio area.  But how experienced is the Invisalign Dentist you are choosing to visit?  Here are some questions to ask that will help you to determine if this is the dentist you want taking care of your Invisalign Smile.

1. How long have you been certified as an Invisalign Dentist?
2. How many Invisalign cases have you done?  How many in the last 6 months?
3. Can I talk to some of your Invisalign patients about their experience with Invisalign and with you as their dentist?
4. Can I see some before and after pictures of some of your Invisalign Patients that have the same situation as me?
5. Can I see a Clincheck movie of one of your patients and compare the clincheck with the actual end results?
6. Are there any alternatives for my smile?  Do you offer those alternatives?  Sometimes Veneers are an alternative to Invisalign.  If a dentist doesn’t do both types of procedures, are you really getting the best solution for your smile?
7. Beware of dental professionals that claim that, their way is the only way you can have a straighter smile.  Typically with dentistry you have options.  It all depends on what you want.
8. How many Invisalign patients are on your schedule this week?  If they say anything less than 10 you might consider a second opinion at another Invisalign dentist.
9. Do you offer any sort of warranty or guarantee? In our office we stand behind our work 100%.  We want you to be happy with the level of care, service, and dentistry that we provide and will work with you until you are satisfied.
10. Is the dentist passionate about dentistry or are they just showing up for a J.O.B. ?  The enthusiasm a dentist and staff has for his/her work will be evident throughout your entire smile consultation. Don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve.

Take the Invisalign Smile Assessment Survey to discover if Invisalign will work for you and your lifestyle.