Cosmetic Dentist vs General Dentist: What's the difference?
While they may seem similar on the surface, there’s a big difference between general and cosmetic dentistry. Both dental specialties are important, but serve very different goals and purposes.
General dentistry helps prevent and treat common oral health issues like tooth decay, gum disease, and missing teeth. On the other hand, cosmetic dentistry is primarily focused on enhancing the appearance of healthy teeth.
Want more information about the differences between these two dentistry specializations? In this guide from Grove City Smiles, we’ll get into the details and help you decide whether you should see a general dentist or a cosmetic dentist for your treatment.
There are no special qualifications or licenses needed to be called a “general dentist.” Any dental professional who graduates from dental school with a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) or DMD (Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry) can call themselves a general dentist.
A general dentist is any dental professional who primarily focuses on maintaining and restoring oral health. Broadly speaking, the treatments offered by a general dentist can be split into two categories: preventive dentistry and restorative dentistry.
As the name suggests, preventive dentistry is focused on preventing common oral health issues like gum disease and tooth decay (cavities). Six-month oral exams and teeth cleanings are the most important part of preventive care, along with yearly X-rays. General dentists may also offer specialized periodontal care for patients who have gum disease.
Fluoride treatments and dental sealants are also common preventive treatments. Fluoride treatments involve painting the teeth with a fluoride-rich solution to strengthen them. Dental sealants use clear resin to create a strong barrier on the rear teeth in order to prevent the formation of cavities.
Along with preventive care, general dentists also focus on restorative dentistry to help restore damaged or missing teeth. Tooth fillings and dental crowns, for example, are used to repair teeth that have been damaged by cavities.
Root canal therapy is also a common treatment that’s used for teeth that have become infected due to dental trauma or severe, untreated cavities. In cases where a tooth cannot be saved with a root canal or a similar treatment, a tooth extraction may be recommended instead.
If a tooth is lost or extracted, general dentists also focus on replacing the missing tooth to restore the natural function and appearance of your smile. They typically offer treatments such as dentures, dental bridges, or even dental implants to replace missing teeth.
Also sometimes called “esthetic dentistry,” cosmetic dentistry is not concerned with treating oral health issues or preventing them from recurring in the future. Rather, cosmetic dentistry focuses on enhancing the appearance, balance, and overall beauty of your smile. Cosmetic dentists typically have experience providing a wide variety of different treatments such as:
If you’re interested in a comprehensive smile makeover, a cosmetic dentist can help you transform your teeth with one or more of the above treatments. During your visit with a cosmetic dentist, you can have an open and honest discussion about what makes you self-conscious about your teeth, your smile goals, and your budget.
However, it’s important to note that, unlike some other dentistry specializations like orthodontics or pediatrics, dental health professionals do not have to go through a board certification process to call themselves “cosmetic dentists.”
This means that if you’re looking to work with a cosmetic dentist to enhance your smile, it’s important to check the dentist’s qualifications, see some photos and examples of their past results, and ask about their experience with the specific cosmetic treatments you’re interested in.
Still not totally sure what the difference is between cosmetic dentistry and general dentistry? Let’s break things down a little bit further and discuss what sets these two dental specialties apart from each other:
As mentioned above, general dentists are concerned with treating common oral health problems like gum disease, tooth decay, and oral infections. Their goal is to protect your oral health as much as possible, and to take steps to restore it if your smile is affected by a cavity, infection, tooth loss, or a similar functional issue.
In contrast, cosmetic dentists primarily focus on enhancing the appearance of your smile. Rather than treating functional issues like cavities, cosmetic dentists treat aesthetic concerns like tooth stains, small chips in teeth, misshapen teeth, uneven teeth, and even slightly crooked or crowded teeth.
The result is a straight, beautiful, and confident smile. And though it may not be necessary for oral health purposes, cosmetic dentistry can be life-changing. A bright, brilliant smile can boost your self-confidence, make you feel younger, and eliminate the anxiety and self-consciousness caused by common cosmetic concerns like stains, misshapen teeth, or an imbalanced smile.
Since it’s a type of elective treatment, cosmetic dentistry is not covered by dental insurance plans. The costs for cosmetic treatments like teeth whitening, veneers, and dental bonding must typically be paid for out-of-pocket by patients.
On the other hand, general dentistry is usually covered by dental insurance plans up to applicable policy limits. This is because treatments like fillings, root canals, crowns, and tooth extractions are considered to be “medically necessary” procedures, unlike cosmetic dentistry.
General dentistry and cosmetic dentistry are not opposites. Most dentists practice both types of dentistry, and they can often be combined to ensure the best possible outcome for your treatment. For example, let’s say you want to get a smile makeover to treat stained and chipped teeth, but you also have multiple cavities and a missing tooth.
In this case, your treatment plan would start with some general dentistry procedures, such as fillings to repair your decayed teeth and a dental implant to replace your missing tooth. Then, once your mouth is healthy, you would be able to get cosmetic treatment with a set of veneers. The result? A healthy, beautiful, and confident smile!
When it comes to choosing between cosmetic dentistry and general dentistry, there are only two questions you need to ask yourself:
We hope that this guide has helped you learn a little bit more about the differences and similarities between general and cosmetic dentistry. To recap, general dentistry is primarily concerned with preventing and treating common oral health issues like tooth decay and gum disease, while cosmetic dentistry focuses on enhancing and improving the appearance of healthy teeth and gums.
At Grove City Smiles, we provide the top-notch care you need for both oral health issues and aesthetic concerns. Whether you’re dealing with cosmetic problems like stained and chipped teeth or you have serious oral health concerns like cavities, missing teeth, or gum disease, our dental team is here to help in Grove City.
Led by Dr. Michael Pappas, our team of dentists has decades of combined experience in both general dentistry and cosmetic treatment. Give us a call at (614) 350-5300 or book your visit online to learn more and get the expert dental care you need.
We look forward to meeting you. Call (614) 350-5300 or request an appointment online to set up your first visit. We’ll be in touch soon.
