Cosmetic Dentistry that is not focused on comprehensive assessment and treatment of your dental health can be a short-lived, appearance-only experience. Before making life-altering decisions about how you look and feel, you owe it to yourself to research the following factors when selecting a Cosmetic Dentist:

• How many cosmetic/adhesive restorations do they perform a month?
• How thoroughly do they take into account: oral health, facial muscle tension, jaw and tooth function and artistic balance?
• Have they worked with all-porcelain bridges, all-porcelain crowns, resins and alternatives to crowns?
• Do they find the proper position of your jaw before they recommend treatment?
• Does the dental laboratory they work with have significant experience in this kind of dentistry?
• Do they focus on preserving and conserving your natural teeth? This can still be done with lasers, air-abrasion (no-drill) dentistry and by understanding and using the latest tooth-like materials.
• Can and/or do they routinely reshape gum tissue when needed (comfortably) to create a complete smile transformation?
• Before and After Photos of Work Performed
• You will want to look at before and after photos of cosmetic dentistry that were performed by the dentist, who you are considering. Realize that many dentists display commercially available photos and albums that only show the "possibilities" for cosmetic dentistry. You want to confirm that you are seeing actual work of the dentist you are considering and make sure that before photos you look at are also cases similar to yours.

Other Things You May want to Consider

• References from other patients.
• Do they have a Web site to preview their services.
• A tour of the office including sterilization areas.

Every Smile is different. Every expectation of perfection is different. Make sure you get the dentist that can understand and achieve your dreams and goals. Dr. Jeffrey Tocci would welcome the opportunity of discussing all these factors with you in your decision process.

Some excepts from the Kingsport Times News