San Joaquin - Index

San Joaquin - may08 - Index

2008 TRENDS >
cosmetic trends
A reason to Smile
neW aDVanCeS in COSmeTiC DenTiSTRY
special advertising section
VerY Few PeoPle can claim to have naturally
perfect teeth—straight, white, and
cavity-free. Yet that is still the ideal, both
aesthetically-pleasing and a good indicator of
overall health and hygiene. in order to perfect
your smile, you can go through traditional
orthodontics like braces or retainers,
and use at-home whitening toothpastes or
trays. But again, if you aren’t patient enough
for such methods to be effective, you don’t
have to wait any longer.
the process of looking for the right
dentist is the same as for any other cosmetic
procedure. However, according to
todd Franklin, ddS, a cosmetic dentist
practicing in lodi, experience is what’s
truly key.
“Many dentists claim to be cosmetic dentists,
but they haven’t taken the time to be
true artists,” he says. “You want to choose a
dentist that does many cases a month, versus
just two to three cases a year.”
Keeping in line with other cosmetic
procedures, cosmetic dentistry has also
seen a surge in the number of procedures
performed. For example, in a survey conducted
last december by the American
Academy of Cosmetic dentistry (AACd),
the numbers given by queried members
projected out to $2.75 billion spent on
cosmetic dentistry procedures in 2007, a
15 percent increase over 2005 numbers.
direct bonding of both anterior and posterior
teeth, crown and bridge work, veneers,
and other inlays/onlays were the
most often requested procedures. in his
own practice, dr. Franklin has observed
that professional whitening continues to
be his most popular procedure.
Additionally, keeping with the maximization
of results approach, dr. Franklin
now promotes what’s called a “Smile
Makeover,” in which every detail of a patient’s
current smile is analyzed, including
color, facial structure, and other factors.
From there, a comprehensive plan is developed
to make the smile perfect, often including
multiple procedures to get there.
in the meantime, a “trial smile” is carefully
designed that the patient can actually
test drive before any real corrections
are made. After all, knowing the end results
makes going through the process that
much easier and less stressful. SJm
90 san joaquin magazine maY 15 - JULY 1 2008
photo courtesy CeRinaTe/VeneeRS