Finding the Best Cosmetic Dentist on Yelp!

I’m trying to find an excellent cosmetic dentist to do a smile makeover. I’ve looked on Yelp! and have narrowed it down to three dentists. I’ve got some color charts for what I’m hoping for. Is there a way to narrow this down. All three of them have great ratings. Do I just see all of then and go by who is the cheapest?

Elaine

Dear Elaine,

I want to caution you against the approach that you are taking to find the best dentist to do your smile makeover. While Yelp! is fantastic for finding things such as a plumber or other type of repairman, I would not look at it as a means of finding a cosmetic dentist. While you may have dentists that have five stars, you won’t really know what got them those rankings. Patients could be giving them the high rating simply because they are friendly or get them in and out quickly. Yelp! does not divide up the rating based on procedures. They could be a decent, friendly general dentist but a horrible cosmetic dentist.

As an example, I looked up “Best Cosmetic Dentist” on Yelp! in a midsized city, just to see what I get. Of the top five results, only two of them actually do cosmetic dentistry. The other three are strictly general dental work. Then, I looked at the two who were listed as doing cosmetic dentistry. One of them does not appear to have any post-doctoral cosmetic dentistry training, which is a bit of a red flag. The other did not even have a smile gallery, which is a HUGE red flag.

What I’d like you to do is look at the websites of some local dentists. See if they do porcelain veneers, which is the standard for a smile makeover. Then, look at their bio to see if they post-doctoral training. A couple of places to look for would be the Dawson Academy or the Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies. Then, look at their smile gallery. Are their results what you’re hoping your smile will look like or are they disappointing?

This blog is brought to you by Nashville Cosmetic Dentist Dr. David Wickness.