Why Are Smile Makeovers So Expensive?

Bear with me here.  Smile Makeovers generally are replacing the natural enamel of teeth you see when smiling fully with an artificial but flawless material made up in a dental lab.  They may be full caps or other coverings that are less than full.  Some Smile Makeovers may involve the front and side teeth and others all the teeth. The results can be stunning. Costs vary depending on the extent of the restorative work.

Now the other option:  The New Orthodontics, which includes Functional Facial Orthopedics can give that full "Movie Star" smile with your natural teeth and without the "Makeover" cost.  Many people wanting a Makeover have a narrow upper jaw causing crowding of teeth and overbites.  The Functional Facial Orthopedic approach is to widen the narrow upper jaw, and correct facial imbalances all without surgery and then straighten the teeth (braces or Invisalign) without any extractions to give a full Move Star Smile.  If interested in seeing results, then view several of my before and after photos. Then if there are flaws in the teeth shape, size or color, they can generally be handled much easier with the total cost being a fraction of the $30,000 you quoted.  Caution, not all orthodontists or dentists know how to do this work.  Good luck to you.

A Smile Makeover  may cost over $50,000 if  it involves a Full Mouth Reconstructions but some smile makeovers may not require much work and hence the cost is a lot lower.  Treatment such as  Full mouth reconstruction involves a lot of steps and is very complex.  Other than the actual work that is done in the mouth there is a lot of planing and thought that goes into such cases.   It is always important that you find a dentist that has done such cases especially if they involve a lot of treatment.  If a case is planned properly the results are great and well worth the investment.  It is not uncommon to buy an expensive car knowing that we will only keep it for a few years but we tend to forget that our teeth will be with us for the long haul.  So just remember that your teeth, your mouth and your health are a worth while investment.

I know it's difficult for dental patients to understand why advanced procedures can cost so much. There are so many things that need to be considered. The details can be endless. The training, qualifications, experience and skill of the treating dentist is certainly a big factor. The same applies to the dental laboratory selected. When taking a step as big as this most patients want a Master Level Dentist and Dental Ceramist. Your mouth is no place for on-the-job training. Too many things can go wrong in the process if the dentist isn't fully trained and prepared. These advanced skills are not taught to the undergraduate dental students in dental schools. It's also important to understand there are significant costs to the dentist that need to be paid. The bigger the case, the more it costs the dentist to do it. This is called overhead and it encompasses everything that goes into building, supplying, running and staffing a dental clinic. And don't forget the taxman. He always gets his. This all comes out of dental fees.