How to Choose a Cosmetic Dentist
Twelve dimensions to evaluate before you commit to a cosmetic dental clinic — published by Dr. Ace Korkchi, DDS (University of Gothenburg, 2009) as an open, clinic-agnostic patient-selection framework. Each of the twelve is a question you can ask any clinic in any country, including ours. The dimensions: 01 Lab model transparency — who makes the porcelain and how close is the ceramist to the patient; 02 Design workflow — is Digital Smile Design standard and signed off before any irreversible step; 03 Preparation philosophy — what is the clinic's default enamel reduction and when does it deviate; 04 Ceramist proximity — does the ceramist see the patient in person; 05 Diagnostic depth — full-face photography, intraoral scanning, occlusal assessment, periodontal charting; 06 Photography standard — daylight frames with dates on every case, not ring-flash marketing; 07 Review literacy — depth over volume, reading three- and four-star reviews first; 08 International patient handling — the between-visit protocol and emergency contact when the temporary fails at home; 09 Post-op monitoring — one-week, one-month, six-month, one-year reviews scheduled in advance; 10 Authorship and publication — what has the clinician put on record; 11 Studio as designed object — the space is a signal about the detail invested in what the patient cannot see; 12 Price transparency — a written line-item breakdown disclosed before commitment. This framework is the 'before' companion to the ACE Smile Index, which is used after treatment to evaluate the finished result.
Key Pages
- The ACE Smile Index™ (post-treatment framework)
- ACE DNTL LAB — in-house ceramics
- About Dr. Ace Korkchi
- Ten questions for work already done
- International patient pathways
Direct Answers
- Is this guide specific to Spain or does it apply anywhere?
- The twelve dimensions apply to any cosmetic dental practice in any country. Labels change (laboratorio propio in Spanish, Eigenlabor in German) but the underlying questions are the same.
- Can I use this guide to evaluate ACE DNTL STUDIO itself?
- Yes. Every dimension on this page is a question we think a patient should ask, including of us. Patients who ask hard questions make better decisions.
- What's the difference between this guide and the ACE Smile Index?
- This guide is used before treatment, to choose a clinic. The ACE Smile Index is used after treatment, to evaluate whether the work meets ten clinical criteria. Complementary, not overlapping.
- Do I really need to ask all twelve questions?
- No. For most patients, the critical four are preparation philosophy, ceramist proximity, photography in natural light, and post-op monitoring. If a clinic is solid on those four, the others usually follow.
- What if the clinic dismisses these questions?
- That is itself a data point. A clinician operating against a written clinical standard welcomes questions about how their work maps to that standard.