In a world of scammers and grifters, it can be tricky to identify who you can trust. For both necessary and cosmetic dental services, you can’t choose just anyone to work on your teeth. After all, you don’t want to turn out like recent victims of veneer techs or cosmetic dental professionals in the news. These patients expected to have beautiful smiles at a discounted price but instead now have teeth that have been permanently damaged or who have developed significant infections.
Overall, when you receive cosmetic dentistry treatment from a certified dentist, your chances of running into safety issues are minimal. How can cosmetic dentistry become unsafe and scary? Keep reading to find out!
A Provider without Qualifications
If someone offers dental services but doesn’t have DDS or DMD after their name, question their qualifications. A certified dentist has dedicated at least three additional years of training outside their bachelor’s degree focusing on oral anatomy, diagnosing issues in this area, and proper treatment and protocols. Someone who has completed dental school has proven their competency at the most basic level, but if you work with someone who is merely a “veneer tech” or a “cosmetic dental professional,” you can expect to get sub-par work that could put your teeth at risk of decay or extraction.
Poor Hygiene and Sterilization in the Clinic
To maintain their license to practice, real dentists must abide by state laws for cleanliness and sterilization in their office. Often, veneer techs operate under the radar and, therefore, don’t feel the same push to keep up the high level of hygiene in their clinic. This type of environment can be conducive to infection with seriously dangerous consequences. However, again, a dentist is required to keep their instruments and hands sterilized and clean for your protection.
No Continuing Education
Each state requires dentists to take a certain number of hours of continuing education coursework. The topics can vary based on what the dentist chooses including cosmetic dentistry, but these professionals must stay informed of innovations in technology and techniques in the field to keep working legally. While dentists can elect to take more courses than are absolutely necessary, those without the title of dentist aren’t held to any standard of quality and excellence, and the patients are the ones who suffer the consequences the most.
The risks of working with anyone other than a dentist open you up to painful and damaging results. As long as you do your research into your dentist and don’t fall for scams, you should feel more peace of mind about your safety and your smile when you get cosmetic dental work done.
About the Author
Before going to dental school, Dr. George Philip worked as a dental assistant. Then, he earned his degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine. Since 2004, he has owned and operated his own clinic and continues to serve the Sunnyvale community with high quality of care. Dr. Philip takes more than the required number of continuing education courses because he loves being educated and passing applicable knowledge to patients to enhance their experience and their smiles. If you would like to meet Dr. Philip, contact his practice online or call us at 972-285-6144 to schedule an appointment.