How To Choose a Cosmetic Dentist
Believe it or not, your smile is an incredibly important part of your life. It‚Äôs the first thing, alone with your eyes, that people notice. They have a tremendous impact on your self confidence and ability to talk to people, network, and socialize. This means having a beautiful set of teeth can influence your mental health, happiness, and success in your chosen career. This is why choosing the right cosmetic dentist for you in Perry Hall MD and Hanover MD is vitally important. But how do you know who to choose? The path to becoming a dentist is an arduous one, with most dentists first completing four years of college to obtain a bachelors degree in biology, chemistry, or physics. This is followed by four more years of dental school followed by a one to two year internship. This post-graduate education focuses on an array of topics including dental anatomy, dental anesthesiology, endodontics, molecular biology, neuroscience, oral surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, radiology, and more! After multiple grueling rounds of written and clinical examinations, one can be a licensed dentist in the United States. Dentists are also held to strict education standards, being required to take a specific number of hours of continuing education for the remainder of their careers in order to maintain their license. Only after all of this, can a dentist be free to focus on cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentistry is not an area of specialization as officially defined by the American Dental Association, but rather refers to a suite of treatments performed to enhance the appearance of your smile. Any licensed dentist may perform these treatments, however that does not mean the quality or results are comparable. Creating a beautiful smile requires equal parts technical skill, biological knowledge, and an eye for beautiful aesthetics. Only a clinician that excels in all three categories can give you the results you desire. Experience is also an important aspect of a good cosmetic dentist, as over the course of one’s career we may see many patients with varying face shape, skin tone, teeth size, etc. It is only after working with these myriad patients can one gain the natural knack for developing a beautiful cosmetic smile. Another aspect is that a cosmetic smile is not just in the front of the teeth, but encompasses the entire mouth. If you are getting a filling, crown, implant, or straightening your teeth, you will want to work with your cosmetic dentist to coordinate your treatment to make sure the end result is consistent and works in harmony with each other. Dr. Nina-Cecilia Santos of Dental Designs of Maryland is a highly trained cosmetic dentist with over a decade of experience in delivering beautiful, lifelike smiles. She is the premier cosmetic dentist in the Maryland, DC, and Virginia area. If you are interested in veneers or a smile makeover, please give any of our Dental Designs of Maryland offices a call to schedule your cosmetic consultation with Dr. Nina-Cecilia Santos. You will get a chance to meet her and discuss your needs and wants in a non-judgmental atmosphere. You will get to see all of Dr. Santos‚Äô amazing work from her digital portfolio. You will get your questions answered about every aspect of making your smile beautiful, aesthetic, and long lasting. If you are still unsure, we encourage you to check consumer review sites like Google+, Angie‚Äôs List, and Yelp to find out what patients genuinely say about their treatment with Dr. Santos. Lastly, your relationship with your cosmetic dentist is one that transcends the boundaries of just teeth. You are putting your trust, time, and money in your dentists hands. Knowing that, you must ask yourself whether you ‚Äúclick‚Äù with your cosmetic dentist. Did you feel relaxed and comfortable talking to your cosmetic dentist? Did you feel rushed? Did you understand what was being explained to you? Was the dentist thorough in their explanations? Making sure your cosmetic dentist checks off all of these requirements can make all the difference between a disastrous or lackluster dental experience, and one that is fully satisfying. If you are ready to take the next step in getting the smile of your dreams, give us a call at any of our Dental Designs of Maryland locations in Perry Hall, MD, White Marsh, MD and Hanover, MD to schedule your cosmetic consult with Dr. Nina-Cecilia Santos today!