How can you tell the difference between a good cosmetic dentist and a great cosmetic dentist?
Easy, just ask him who does his porcelain veneer work.
By Brian Benko
Jason Kim, a master ceramist with more than 29 years of experience, works closely with about a dozen cosmetic dentists to make high quality porcelain veneers out of his ceramics lab, Oral Design International, in midtown Manhattan. Jason has worked on celebrities, politicians and professional athletes from across the country and around the world.
Oral Design International was founded by Willi Geller, a pioneering ceramist responsible for reinventing the field of dental ceramics by combining the science of dentistry with the art of ceramics. Geller's technique incorporates the ceramist as part of a key design team behind each custom smile by creating a unique blend of ceramic powders for each client, resulting in veneers that are as natural-looking as the real thing.
Geller continues to teach and train ceramists around the world. "We have [Oral Design] members across the world," explains Kim. "The powders and design are special to Oral Design. Our veneers cost more but they are completely customized to each individual face and mouth," he says.
"We consider the patient's facial expressions and how their teeth should be shaped to blend with their facial features. Sometimes nature makes mistakes, but we blend the shapes and colors to enhance the natural look and enhance the look of the face and the smile. The entire look of a patient's face and features are taken into consideration," explains Kim.
Many ceramists simply act as technicians, mixing and creating veneers sight unseen, based on a dentist's prescription for the color and shape. "The technician doesn't even have one piece of information about what the patient looks like, how the teeth belong in the face, and so on," says Kim. "Then, when the dentist puts the veneers in the patient's mouth it's a total surprise."
The Oral Design method, on the other hand, has a complete system and methodology. The ceramist works closely with both the dentist and the patient, taking full records, photos, casts, and taking an active part in all patient consultations. The ceramist incorporates "not just artistic part but also the scientific part into account, considering how the teeth should function, the comfort, fit; and then we do the design," Kim explains.
A close client of Kim's, Manhattan cosmetic dentist, Dr. Thomas Connelly will fit a new design by Kim in the patient's mouth for a test design run. "The patient will wear the new design of the teeth; so there are intermediate phases of the design where they will speak, eat, etc." The fitting process helps the patient adjust to the design, and help the dentist and ceramist evaluate how the new teeth affect the patient's muscles and surrounding facial structure. The process enables the patient to evaluate the new veneers, and the team can make changes. "That way, when the patient sees and experiences it themselves, they get the best restoration possible," Kim says.
Kim enjoys working with Connelly. "It's really a pleasure to work with Dr. Connelly. He's a well experienced, young doctor, and he takes many steps to educate himself. His communication skills are excellent, which is crucial for working with a ceramist. If a dentist can't communicate well, they can't work well for the patients," he says.
What makes Kim's veneers so life-like? Natural teeth are very complex and difficult to copy, because of the non-uniform way light transmits off of a natural veneer. A natural tooth is made up of many different layers, which is where the secret process of Kim's artistry comes into the picture. Each Oral Design veneer is completely custom made for a patient's mouth, tooth by tooth. "We layer many different ceramics to mimic how the light transmits and is diffused off the teeth," Kim says.
"We make it very deep looking so the teeth don't look artificial. The process that we do mimics nature. Each tooth is really custom made -- we do ten teeth at once; it's a long process, building teeth from scratch. We build with brushes, ceramic powders and layers, each one takes at least five to six hours. We have to bake the teeth, shave and shape the tooth form, and then do additional bakes, glazing the veneer each time to make it shiny, and then there is the fitting process. Altogether, it takes three to four days to make ten teeth," Kim said.
All of this work is worth the hefty price tag to Connelly and Kim's loyal patients. "Teeth are a focal point. When you look at a person's face, the only moving objects are the eyes and the mouth, so that's where your focus goes when you talk to someone. No matter how perfectly put together you are, if you have ugly teeth, that's all someone will notice!" says Kim.
To learn more about Dr. Tom Connelly (One of New Yorks Finest Cosmetic Dentists) please visit his page on Findadentist.com or go to his website at www.drconnelly.com
To learn more about Jason Kim please visit www.jasonjkim.com
