What is a Cosmetic Dentist?

Cosmetic Dentistry has become more and more popular because many people are focusing on esthetic and cosmetic procedures. If you think about how many people that you know that do Botox or fillers, facial cosmetics are are quickly becoming the standard. Cosmetic dentistry fits into this same category of esthetics.

A Cosmetic Dentist is not a specific degree, nor does it describe any particular training. Rather it’s an emphasis on cosmetic procedures.

To choose a cosmetic dentist you may wish to look at the style and esthetics of the practice, the expertise of the dentist, and the types of continuing education that dentist has pursued.

I’ve made a point to focus on cosmetic procedures in my practice. In the past 2 years (2023-2024) I took over 200 hours of continuing education, where the state requirement is only 40. I attended the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Symposium the past two years and have been an attendee at the annual meeting for the American Academy for Clear Aligners (an Invisalign-centered group that focuses on excellence in smiles).

We only perform cosmetic procedures at our office on Franklin Street in Bangor. We don’t do cleanings, regular fillings etc. We only do Veneers, cosmetic bonding, crowns, Invisalign and Whitening. When you’re going to have your smile improved, you want to do it once and do it right. You want someone that does that type of thing all the time, not just from time to time.

When you come in, we will scan your teeth and go over together what things concern you and what options you have available to you. In some cases, I can give you an idea digitally of what we can achieve. Dental cosmetics have improved greatly over the past years and even if you’ve explored some options before you may find that what wasn’t previously possible is now possible.

If you’ve had some cosmetic work done and it wasn’t up to your standards, we have a lot of patients that we have touched up or replaced what they had previously.

What Makes a Smile Beautiful?

Your smile is one of the first things that people see when they look at you. Your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears all contribute to facial beauty with your smile ranking among the most important facial features.

What types of things are most important in a smile?

1. Symmetry- while having your two front teeth as a mirror image of either is the most important, the symmetry of your smile from one side to the other ranks high when people evaluate the beauty of your smile. In addition, the symmetry of your smile within your face is also an important part of how people evaluate the beauty of someone’s smile.

2. Gum to tooth ratio- No one wants a “gummy smile” but there is a value to showing the right ratio of your teeth and gums. Showing no gums makes you look older, while showing too much gum tissue reduces the beauty of a smile.

3. Tooth shape and size- The size of your teeth is important, but even more important is the relative size of the teeth to one another. If some teeth are much larger than others it can create an unnatural smile. Believe it or not, there’s a mathematical formula for the ideal smile. And while there is no one perfect smile, there are things that we can do enhance the beauty of a smile by changing the proportions of teeth to one another. Bigger teeth, in general, are more pleasing than small teeth. Short teeth are less desirable than longer teeth.

4. Total smile width- Something you may not have thought about is the width of your smile as a whole. Broader smiles, or smiles that show more teeth, are consistently considered as the most beautiful. Wider smiles look whiter simply because of the volume of teeth that is exposed. Even expanding your smile by a couple of millimeters can drastically change how “big” your smile looks to other people.

5. Tooth color- Tooth whitening is a multi-billion dollar industry, and there are hundreds of products on the market. Everyone wants a whiter smile, but to get there quickly, safely, and without sensitivity is a tricky balance. Read the recent post about whitening for more in depth details, but we feel that we have found a formula to get your teeth whiter in a short amount of time, and keep them white with easy maintenance you can do at home with products that are safe, cost effective and get real results.

If, while reading this, you’ve identified some things about your smile that you’d like to improve come talk with us. You might not even know quite what you’d want to change, you just know you want to have a more beautiful smile. There’s many different things we can use to enhance your smile. Some of them you have heard of, and some of them you may not even know what they are. We can scan your teeth (there’s no charge for a consultation) and pull it up on a screen so we can look at it together! We have seen it all, and there’s lots of options that get you where you want your smile to be.

Do I Need Veneers?

Veneers are a commonly discussed part of Cosmetic Dentistry, but are they right for you?

First, let’s talk about what veneers are, and what they aren’t.

What are they made out of? Veneers are any type of thin covering that gets bonded over the front of your teeth. Veneers can be made out of different types of materials such as ceramic or resin. They can be made in a laboratory or made directly on your tooth. When someone says they are getting veneers they can be talking about quite a range of treatment.

What are veneers for? Veneers can change the color, shape, and size of your teeth while changing the position of them slightly. Doing veneers on just some of your front teeth may result in being able to tell which teeth are veneers and which are not. Veneers work best when they are planned out from the beginning with your cosmetic dentist so that you can get an idea of what they will look like before you even start.

Do you need to cut down my teeth in order to make veneers? This depends on where your teeth currently are, and where you want them to end up. There are times we need to remove some tooth structure in order to make everything straighter in the end. When you don’t remove any tooth structure there is a chance that the end result looks bulky and unnatural. You can plan all this out with your dentist ahead of time, so that there are no surprises.

How long do veneers last? A great (and difficult) question to answer. Longevity depends on so many factors, that it would be hard to give one specific number. You can plan on having to refresh the veneers and have them remade at least once every 15 years.

I don’t like the idea of cutting down my teeth, what are some other alternatives? If you already like the shape and size of your teeth and you just want them to be straighter and whiter, Invisalign and professional teeth whitening may be a better answer. This may cost you less, last longer and have less side effects. You may also be a candidate for cosmetic bonding (much like veneers in some cases, but with some distinct differences). Or, you may be the perfect candidate for veneers and discussing the process step by step may help you realize that it is the best choice for you! This is one of the reasons that it’s important to see a dentist that has all the cosmetic dental procedures available at their office so that you can get a customized plan that is best for your specific scenario. . S

About Tooth Whitening

Whitening your teeth is one of the best and easiest ways to improve your smile. Teeth whitening is an almost 7 Billion dollar market, and most people have tried whitening their teeth at least once. There are a lot of misconceptions about whitening, so read on to learn some basics about teeth whitening and how you can get the best results with the least amount of sensitivity when you whiten.

Tooth “whitening” can describe one of two different things. One changes how your teeth look by removing stains, and the second actually changes the color of the underlying tooth. Let’s look at each of these two kinds of whitening.

1. External Whitening: I sometimes will give patients this example. If I have a white wall, and I put some mud on the wall, and then I take a sponge and wipe the mud off the wall making it look whiter again… would you say it’s fair to call that sponge a “whitening sponge”? After all, it did make the wall look whiter. Almost all whitening toothpaste, whitening mouthrinse, whitening gum, (banana peels - Thanks TikTok) etc. use this marketing technique to be able to promote a “whitening” product. It doesn’t really make anything whiter, but it does expose the natural brightness that’s already there underneath.
So is this kind of whitening even real? Almost every “whitening” toothpaste on the market uses abrasives to remove stain (like sponging the mud off the wall). And in fact, if you look at the back of the toothpaste box, it will likely have a disclaimer saying “can remove extrinsic stain” or some similar wording.

But what if you don’t have stain on your teeth to begin with? If you don’t have any stains, there’s nothing to remove and that toothpaste will not make your teeth look whiter, but it could make your teeth more sensitive because of the extra abrasives that they added.

What’s the best way to keep my teeth stain free? You might be disappointed with this answer: Brushing your teeth with a high-quality, low abrasive toothpaste, cleaning in between your teeth with something like floss, and seeing your dentist regularly to remove the stubborn stains is the best way to keep stain off your teeth. Those 3 things will make sure your teeth stay stain free. Plus, the added abrasives in many whitening toothpastes could damage the outer covering (enamel) of your teeth. Read on for tips to actually make your teeth whiter…

2. Internal Whitening: Internal whitening actually changes the color of your teeth. The ingredient that whitens teeth is peroxide. Peroxide comes in 2 different formulations, carbamide peroxide, and hydrogen peroxide.

So can’t I just use over the counter peroxide? Yes, you could. The kind you get in a brown bottle from the grocery store is typically 3% hydrogen peroxide and that would whiten your teeth over time. However because it’s a rinse it will target both your teeth and gums and most people find it very irritating to their gums if they use it frequently. Your teeth may become sensitive and your gums may revolt. Using it at less than full strength (like adding water or mouthrinse) severely limits the whitening ability of over the counter peroxide.

What about other over the counter products? As long as they have peroxide in them and it hasn’t been sitting around for too long they will work given enough time. The problem with over the counter whitening products is that the percentage of peroxide is limited. So, they either are not very effective, or you have to wear them for an extended period of time. If you’re reading this, you probably have used over the counter products and have been frustrated.

What’s the difference between hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide? 10% Carbamide peroxide is equivalent to about 3.5% hydrogen peroxide. So, hydrogen peroxide is about 3 times as powerful as the same strength carbamide peroxide. Most of the over the counter products are going to be made out of carbamide peroxide because they can sit out on a shelf for months at room temperature and still maintain some of their whitening capabilities. Most professional products are made out of hydrogen peroxide but they need to be kept fresh, because light and heat degrade hydrogen peroxide quickly.

So what’s the best whitening products to use? We have found that higher concentrations (think, hydrogen peroxide) for shorter periods of time yields the best results. With higher concentrations of peroxide, you need to protect sensitive gum tissue and make sure the whitening products don’t get throughout your mouth. Currently, we use a product that is 35% Hydrogen Peroxide for four, 8 minute treatments. We have found that it’s the best way to get your teeth the whitest with the least risk for sensitivity.

Yeah… so, about that sensitivity, my teeth get sensitive! You’re not alone, it’s common. There are some tricks we can use and we find that even those who have been too sensitive for other whitening treatments do well with minimal sensitivity if they follow our protocol.

A few more general things about whitening, if done correctly the chances of damaging your teeth with peroxide is very small. You have a greater chance of damaging your teeth with overly-abrasive products that don’t change the color of your teeth anyway.

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