Are you looking for a way to turn your stained, cracked, chipped, or misaligned smile into one of your greatest assets? With porcelain veneers, you can.
Porcelain veneers are handcrafted from durable dental porcelain and placed on the front of your teeth by Dr. Heap. The whole process takes only two visits and the finished results look completely natural, meaning that you can finally have the dazzling smile you’ve been dreaming of.
Visit our main website at: www.LakesideSmiles.com
Perhaps a cosmetic dentist is not given credit for learning everything needed to be able to do a good job. There are many different subjects in cosmetic dentistry that require a lot of study on the part of the dentist. Incorporated into that are: 
Each one of these different procedures has its own steps that a good dentist must follow in order to do a good job.
Teeth cleaning and filling cavities are the most basic of the procedures. The other ones require a lot more expertise.
Dentists can use veneers to take care of your chips and stains, and under some circumstances are used to fill in large gaps between teeth. Veneers — or they are sometimes called porcelain veneers — cover your natural teeth and thus hide blemishes. This Gilbert cosmetic dentist is well skilled in the placement of veneers.
The dentist can whiten your teeth in order to restore the fresh white look on teeth that have been neglected. Whitening can also be the first step toward restorative dental procedures.
A dentist needs to know about orthodontics if you want your crooked teeth aligned. That’s normally when you make an appointment to have braces put on. Cosmetic dentists in Gilbert can give you the amazing Invisalign invisible braces.
With conventional braces, you would probably have to see the orthodontist several times in order for him to monitor you. As you will find with Invisalign invisible braces, fewer visits are necessary. You’ll get a tray or retainer that will be used and then replaced while you’re going through the realigning process. The tray can be removed whenever you want, whenever you need. Using Invisalign is quicker than if you go to an orthodontist for conventional braces. Depending on how much work your teeth need, your treatment may be longer than others. Commonly, when people get Invisalign, their overall treatment time is done in less than a year.
Finally, crowns and bridges are manufactured especially to fill in a gap left by a tooth that came out or be placed over a chipped tooth. When that’s the case, the dentist has to be very careful about taking precise specifications and teeth must be properly prepared.
We always offer free consultations for those interested in improving the appearance of their smile.
Give us a call at 480-892-1711 or visit our website for more information at www.LakesideSmiles.com
With the recent popularity of television shows such as “Extreme Makeover” and “The Swan” there is a heightened awareness in cosmetic dentistry and how it can change a person’s life. Coincidentally, there has also been a skyrocket in the number of “cosmetic dentists”. In fact, from what I have seen, most dentists will claim to be a cosmetic dentist.
But what does that mean?
Typically those that name themselves cosmetic dentists are basically general dentists doing cosmetic procedures. And whether they have done one cosmetic case or one hundred, they will accept the title of “cosmetic dentist” or even “cosmetic specialist.”
But here’s the scoop…
Everyone that graduates from dental school is a general dentist, and a majority of them also claim to be cosmetic dentists. But there is a big difference, which we will explain here.
The problem: Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty. This means there is no restriction on a dentist saying they are a cosmetic dentist. So, many dentists claim to be cosmetic dentists. Are they lying? I don’t think so. They feel that because they know how to do tooth-colored fillings and white crowns they are capable of addressing the cosmetic concerns of most patients.
However, doing cosmetic dentistry properly requires extra training and a heavy commitment of time, money, and energy for the dentist. And, if dentists can announce themselves as cosmetic dentists without this training, why should they go through all of that expense, travel, and time away from the office?
So What’s the Big Difference?
Honestly, there is a very different approach to dentistry by a true cosmetic dentist. Here are some of the differences:
A cosmetic dentist is passionate about the appearance of the work and getting it to look as beautiful as possible. Many general dentists have a much lower expectation of “beauty” in dental work. Have you ever seen someone who had veneers and it was very obvious? They look like square chiclets gum instead of teeth. This is a result of a dentist who is dabbling in cosmetic dentistry without the extra training, or who hasn’t taken the time to customize the veneers to that patient’s face and smile.
Have you ever been to a dentist that had the attitude that they know what is best for you? Cosmetic dentistry is the art of addressing the self-perception of the patient. A cosmetic dentist knows that if the patient is not pleased with the appearance of the work, the case is a failure. It is not uncommon, when a patient addresses cosmetic concerns with a general dentist, that the dentist will say that there is nothing wrong with the patient’s teeth. This is because they really do not understand the depth of the patient’s concerns.
Someone once said, “General dentists are trained to fix things. Cosmetic dentists are trained to create things.” I have found this to be extremely true. In general dentistry we learn to become experts at form and function of the teeth. But through cosmetic training, a dentist must develop that added spark of creativity and attention to beauty. It’s like the difference between a building contractor and an architect—it takes a completely different personality type to succeed with each dimension.
Cosmetic dentists must dedicate themselves to extensive hours of education after dental school, knowing that it isn’t required, but simply for the passion of being able to create smiles of beauty. Is there any special degree or accolade that comes with all of the extra cosmetic training? Nope. It is just an inherent desire to become better at improving people’s lives.
“Less than 3% Should Probably Call Themselves Cosmetic Dentists!”
How many of the dentists who claim to be cosmetic dentists actually are? It’s tough to say because it is a subbjective observation. But if I had to guess from what I have seen, I would say that less than 3% have the experience, training, and passion to be in that category. I attend a lot of cosmetic lectures, training and study clubs and I always see the exact same dentists every time. They are those few who have dedicated themselves to the art of cosmetic dentistry and improving their technique. Out of the hundreds of dentists in the Valley, the same few are always there.
So, in conclusion to this very long post, just remember that every dentist will tell you he is a “cosmetic dentist”. I’m pretty sure that I called myself a cosmetic dentist the day I left dental school. Because I didn’t know that there was a whole other level of cosmetic training out there that I would need to seek out before I could feel good about advertising myself as such. I knew that I loved creating beautiful smiles and I’ve been fortunate to study with some of the great cosmetic dentists in the country so I could develop the skills to provide my patients with the smile they’ve always dreamed of.
Please visit our home page www.LakesideSmiles.com to see some of our favorite cosmetic cases
Kris Heap DDS
Dr. Heap is a true cosmetic dentist in Gilbert and Mesa, Arizona. He and his team pride themselves on helping people to have a beautiful and healthy smile by utilizing the latest advances in technology while maintaining a relaxed and friendly environment.