The Educated Patient

What would the average consumer do when confronted with the news that he or she needs four, or maybe even six, anterior crowns? First thoughts: "Oh no, how much is it gonna set me back? I don't want to destroy good teeth so how many do I really need? How long do I have to walk around with temporaries? Will everyone know I have fake teeth when I smile? Can I trust this doctor to do a good job?"

These days, though, many patients are somewhat dentally educated: they have heard about cosmetic dentistry and know there are specialists who market themselves as more expert than the average GP in providing natural-looking restorations.

A few months ago, when my husband, Andy, was told exactly the above, the first thing I did, in fact, was log into the AACD's website to see who is an accredited fellow of the AACD in our area. But then, after checking out several dentists' websites, looking at photo galleries and other credentials, I took off my "somewhat dentally educated" hat and...