Thanks to the advent of various types of technology, and up-to-date materials that look better and last longer, cosmetic dentistry has been a steadily growing industry. And why shouldn’t it be? People who’ve long suffered from not being able to “light up a room” with their smiles can now fork over a few thousand dollars to seemingly change their lives forever.

What is it that makes a smile so important? Does it land that hard-to-get deal? Seal a future mate? Demonstrate confidence? Perhaps, but it’s also much simpler than that. “The smile is the showcase of the face,” said Dr. Doug Hinterman, who practices family and cosmetic dentistry in East Lansing.

Reality makeover shows don’t hurt business much either, showing millions of Americans what the process of a “smile overhaul” entails. Dr. Hinterman said the shows have certainly played a role in how people approach cosmetic dentistry, and has made them more aware of some of the options that are out there. He said the Internet and advertising, too, have armed people with more information about things like bonding, veneers, whitening and straightening options, and by the time they get to his chair, they know a thing or two. “Many people come to see me for the first time already educated about braces, invisible braces, whitening and veneers,” Dr. Hinterman said. “The 'dental IQ' in the United States seems to be quite high, meaning people tend to think a lot about the health and appearance of their teeth.” 

That being said, many still treat cosmetic dental work as they would any luxury item. “These procedures usually are not covered by insurance,” said Dr. Tom Vuchetich, who has practiced dentistry for the last three decades. He said he doesn’t do more cosmetic work now than he did before, but when the economy slows down as it has, people understandably don’t get as many cosmetic procedures done.

Dr. Bill Vuillemot, who with his wife owns Trillium Dental in Lansing, agreed that cosmetic dentistry has become that luxury item that people include into the family budget. “Now we’re competing with the RVs, the vacations, the new furniture,” Dr. Vuillemot explained. Sometimes it’s the dental work that wins out, if someone considers having a crooked tooth fixed to be more worthwhile than a trip to Maui. But he also adds that the variety of financing options has changed the way people pay. Basically, one can finance cosmetic dental work as they would a new car.

The desire to have good teeth doesn’t seem to affect just one type of person. “This trend of wishing teeth to be straight, bright white and healthy is quite intergenerational,” Dr. Hinterman said. “I have great-grandmothers asking me about how their teeth can be straighter and whiter.” There are baby boomers who want to grow old gracefully, young adults who need a confident and winning smile to compete, or parents who are concerned about how their child’s crooked tooth can affect self-image.

Dr. Vuillemot agreed that his client base for cosmetic work has been broad as well. “We have everything from the blue collar worker to the businessman,” he said. If a person is suffering either functionally or aesthetically, that can be reason enough to get the work done.

A big trend Dr. Vuchetich sees is whitening. “In the last several years, we’ve had the advent of bleaching systems come into play,” he explained. There are in-house and over-the-counter options available, and more and more advertising centered in that direction. “We’re certainly doing a lot more bleaching, both males and females, than we were 15 years ago,” Dr. Vuchetich said.

Dr. Hinterman said that as the cosmetic side has grown, there are a variety of procedures that have become available. Some of the more drastic work sounds anything but pleasant. “The makeover shows often show rapid transformations,” he said. “Some methods require the teeth to be ground down more or less to accomplish this.” Most dentists probably agree that clients should take the path of least resistance. “Generally, the least invasive way to get excellent, stable results is what I would suggest people pursue,” Dr. Hinterman stated.

Advances in technology, though, have made cosmetic work more attractive and more advanced than ever. “The materials we have are much better than we used to have 10 or 15 years ago,” Dr. Vuichetich said. “Restorations look better, they’re more durable, more colorfast.” He said in the old days discoloration often played a factor. Nowadays the ceramic and porcelain that are used create a brighter and cleaner look. (In fact, the days of the old “metal mouth” are getting further and further away. Dr. Vuillemot said if Trillium uses metal in someone’s mouth, gold is often the first choice.)

Many dentists agree that the ability to change someone’s life has made the work enjoyable. “We recently had a young woman come to see us who had an unsightly front tooth,” Dr. Hinterman said. Of course, she wanted everything perfect for her wedding day. “She went through a process of whitening and then had the tooth restored with in-office bonding.” He said she walked out the door beaming, and that felt good. “Technology and patients’ perceptions are creating a lot of opportunities for rewarding experiences like that in today's dental office.”

Dr. Vuchetich agreed that the job offers a chance to change a person’s life. “As funny as it sounds, it’s the satisfaction of helping people feel better about themselves,” he said. “And those who might have poor home care, if we can turn them around into taking better care of their teeth, improving the gum tissue, that’s really helping people have better health.”

Dr. Vuillemot said that educating his patients is the best part of the job, so much so that it’s a part of Trillium’s whole philosophy on dentistry. “Education, prevention, restoration,” he said. “What you’re trained in dental school to do is single-tooth dentistry and insurance–driven dentistry,” he said, “but we chose to take a different approach, to whole-person, whole-mouth dentistry.”