Aesthetic / Cosmetic Dentistry

A good cosmetic dentist is actually an artist, he knows his tools and how to use them to create a beautiful result.  There is actually a lot more to the science and art of creating a beautiful smile than the average person could imagine.

In art as well as nature, there is a proportion that is considered to be the most aesthetic one.  This is 1.618 to 1, also known as the Golden Proportion, height to width.  A good aesthetic dentist applies the beauty, harmony and balance of nature’s proportions to create natural beauty in dental aesthetics.  This porportion is used in most art forms, including painting, to help determine where to put the focal point on the canvas to create a well-composed and compelling painting.  This also holds true for aesthetic dentistry.  There are several relationships in the mouth that apply this proportion to create the most aesthetic affect.   

There are many, many principles that create what is considered an aesthetic smile.  I’m sure you’ve seen people who have spent a fortune in their mouths, yet their teeth are just not quite right, the natural, aesthetic effect they were hoping to get just didn’t happen. We have studied Aesthetic / Cosmetic Dentistry at Las Vegas Institute, a prestigious advanced dental study course. 

Dental Proportions

The six upper front teeth are called “The Social Six.”  This means they are the most prominent while smiling and talking.  The width of each of the two front teeth should be in Golden Proportion to the width of the lateral incisor (2nd from the middle, as seen from the front), which in turn is in golden proportion to the part of the canine (3rd from the middle) that is visible from the front.

This shows the vital proportions needed to create a truly aesthetic smile.

This shows the vital proportions needed to create a truly aesthetic smile.

Materials

We have found that a new material, e.max, is both biocompatible for most (this will be determined for you by testing) and superior from a cosmetic standpoint.  It is stabilized zirconium oxide with excellent strength, thus is perfect for bridges in the back of the mouth which take tremendous pressure during chewing.  It is an extremely translucent material, which give it a very natural look in the mouth.  We have found this to be the perfect material for crowns and bridges in both the front and back of  the mouth. 

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Testimonials
I have been a patient of Dr. Behm’s for about four years now. I’m 57 years old, and have lived in 5 different states, so I’ve seen several dentists over the years. I can say without a doubt that Ray Behm is the best dentist I’ve ever had. More than that, as far as I’m concerned, he sets a new, higher standard for dentists. First of all, Dr. Behm cares for people.
Richard Byrd