By Christian Coachman
⋅ 5 min read
⋅ 19 Jul 2024
As a society, we tend towards immediate gratification and the superficial. This trend is common in dentistry too; many patients want quick cosmetic results and don't understand the health benefits of natural-looking smiles.
And can we blame them? Thanks to social media, influencer-culture and celebrities, ‘perfect’ smiles are seen everywhere. And it is assumed that you can have a perfect smile quickly.
At the same time, dentists have a business to run. So how do we navigate this as a profession? I believe there are two types of dentistry that are competing with each other: the instant quick-fix cosmetic dentistry and a more health-focused approach that we have termed ‘Longevity Dentistry’ here at DSD. In this article I will compare the two approaches and discuss solutions.
Do we have our priorities wrong in dentistry?
Don't get me wrong, I am not here to judge anyone. When DSD company first started out, now over 15 years ago, there was a perception among some that we were only focused on esthetic results and that our systems helped dentists to 'sell' esthetic treatment plans at any cost. I believe since then we have proven ourselves to be comprehensive to the core, but I understand how this perception may have arisen. Today I only want to raise awareness of this trend and for us all to reflect more humbly about the kind of work we are doing for our patients.
After starting a conversation on Instagram recently about what I call ‘camouflage’ dentistry, I saw how many of you share my opinion that destroying natural dentition or extracting teeth unnecessarily in the name of ‘giving back confidence’ has gone too far:
“Function, form, biology and as a result, esthetics…”
“Why is conservative/minimally invasive dentistry cheaper than replacing a tooth?”
“The less we intervene, the better…”
I believe this happens far too often with treatments like full-arch veneers or All-on-X, and that these cases can provide short-term satisfaction for the patient but a long-term disastrous result. It’s a trend we shouldn’t be continuing.
One of my Instagram posts that sparked the conversation around the topic of instant cosmetic ‘camouflage’ dentistry.
Instant cosmetic vs longevity dentistry: a comparison
So what should we be doing instead? In my opinion, our focus should be on high level diagnosis and prevention, with a minimally invasive approach that promotes the health of the patient in addition to the esthetics of a smile. This is what I refer to as ‘longevity’ dentistry.
I am a firm believer that in dentistry, esthetics shouldn't be the priority but rather, the beautiful consequence of the right treatment. (Please read this again: I am not saying smiles should not have any esthetic qualities. The difference lies in how they are achieved).
In the table below I explain what I believe to be the main differences between instant cosmetic dentistry and longevity dentistry when it comes to areas such as diagnosis, types of treatments, health, esthetics, financial gain and recognition.
| Instant cosmetic | Longevity | |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis | Biased & superficial diagnosis to fit patients into same ‘box’ | Comprehensive first appointment and systemic diagnosis |
| Treatment types | Veneers, crowns, implants. Invasive restorative treatments in the name of esthetics. | Comprehensive, interdisciplinary, functional, conservative, regenerative, biological, airway, wellness |
| Health | Esthetics over health. Destroy or reduce tooth longevity. | Health over esthetics. Preventive and minimally invasive. Maximize tooth longevity. |
| ‘Death’ cycle of the tooth | Initiates and/or accelerates ‘death cycle’ in the name of esthetics | Avoid, postpone and slow down the ‘death cycle’ |
| Esthetics | Short-term esthetic reward. Esthetics camouflages underlying issues | Esthetics as consequence not as priority. Natural beauty; not symmetry or ‘perfection’ |
| Financial gain | Easier to convince the patient. Higher earning potential | Harder to convince the patient. Not as financially ‘rewarded’ |
| Recognition | Well-known and popular dentists are focused on esthetics | Best treatment planners, preventive dentists and diagnosticians are less recognized |
| Patient perception | Unaware of issues, may believe it is improving health. Value on short-term esthetics. | Requires ethical communication and long-term relationship building for patient to trust. |
DSD Provider teaches our proven techniques that help dentists to provide comprehensive health-focused solutions for every patient.
When might we lean towards cosmetics over health?
Don't get me wrong – I know that the vast majority of dentists do the best for their patients. I also know that there are many reasons that may cause a dentist to choose the quick cosmetic route. It might be because you are burned out and overwhelmed with your own health taking a back seat, making you more likely to lean on ‘shortcut’ approaches. It could also be that your patients constantly demand short-term esthetics over long-term health and you don’t have the tools to educate them differently.
This can also be a consequence that arises with the best of intentions, by practitioners who don’t yet understand the long-term harm that today’s procedures can be doing to their patients’ health.
However, I believe that as healthcare professionals we have a responsibility to ourselves and to our patients to deliver health-focused solutions. The best dentistry is preventive and can even sometimes mean no dentistry at all.
I have always believed that esthetics should be the consequence, not the priority of dental treatment.
How DSD advocates for longevity dentistry
I’m proud to say that DSD has always been focused on promoting and teaching comprehensive care, interdisciplinary treatment planning, prevention and diagnosis, and becoming a ‘big picture doctor’ who sees beyond the mouth.
Over the last 15 years we have created systems to help our clients to take a comprehensive, health-first approach and provide this type of dentistry for their patients. One of the main challenges we’ve faced? Encouraging dentists to change their mindset – and helping patients to see why health always takes priority over esthetics.
DSD can help you to:
1. Switch to this way of doing dentistry through our training, working with the DSD Planning Center or becoming a DSD Clinic.
2. Communicate the value of this type of dentistry to your patients through important DSD moments such as the comprehensive first appointment and the Smile Test Drive, which give patients an understanding of the issues they’re facing with their smile and the value of a comprehensive treatment plan that restores their health.
3. Promote and position your clinic to the public. Lean on us in your comprehensive cases and build up your portfolio to attract more of the right type of patient with what you can do.
4. Implement efficient workflows and systems and empower your team to run with them.
Learn proven solutions
Having recently turned 50, I am more aware than ever of placing my health and wellbeing at the center of all my activities. Thankfully, there is an abundance of anti-aging research, resources and information widely available to support me on making good decisions. I would love to see this extend to dentistry because great dentistry supports long term health.
I believe that the more we can move away from quick-fix, superficial esthetically driven decisions, the more we will provide real long-term benefits to our patients, including healthy and long-lasting esthetic outcomes as a consequence.
If you agree with me, and you want to solidify your approach as a longevity dentist, we can help you with proven techniques that are already being used by clinics globally. Get started with our DSD Provider course.
