Cosmetic Dentist in Beverly Hills CA
Medically reviewed by Dr. Kayla Lebeau, DDS
Cosmetic dentistry, planned around your face
Cosmetic work goes wrong when it is treated as a shopping list. Teeth get whiter, straighter and more uniform, and end up looking like someone else’s.
We start from the opposite end: what your face already does when you smile, how much tooth actually shows when you talk, and how you bite. The treatment follows from that. Often the honest answer is that you need less than you came in asking for.
- ConsultationPhotos, scan, written plan
- Whitening1 to 2 visits
- Veneers3 to 4 visits
- ImplantsMonths, because bone has to heal
Worth booking a consultation if
- You dislike your smile in photographs but cannot say exactly why
- Your teeth are healthy but worn, chipped, uneven or discolored
- Whitening has stopped making a difference
- You have been quoted for veneers elsewhere and want a second opinion
- You want a change nobody can point to as dental work
Where to start
Most people arrive asking for one procedure and leave with a different plan. Here is what each option actually does, so you can see which conversation you want to have.
Teeth whitening
Removes nothing and changes nothing permanently, which is why we try it first. It lifts stains inside the enamel. It will not change the shape of a tooth, close a gap, or lighten an existing crown or veneer. Those keep the color they were made in.
Invisalign
Moves your own teeth rather than covering them. If crowding or a gap is the real complaint, this treats the cause and keeps your enamel intact. Slower than veneers, months rather than weeks, and it does not change tooth color.
Porcelain veneers
Thin porcelain bonded to the front of a tooth, changing color, shape and apparent alignment at once. The trade-off is honest: a small amount of enamel is usually reduced, and that part is permanent. Best when several front teeth need changing together.
Crowns and bridges
Structural, not decorative. A crown rebuilds a tooth that is cracked or mostly filling. A bridge replaces a missing tooth by anchoring to the two beside it, which means cutting down two healthy teeth, so we will always compare it with an implant first.
Dental implants
Replaces the root as well as the visible tooth, so the bone underneath keeps its job and the teeth either side are left alone. It is the longest route, months, because bone has to heal, and the most durable.
Smile makeover
Not a procedure. It is several of the above sequenced in the right order, usually whitening and alignment before anything permanent is made, so the final work is matched to teeth that have stopped changing.
Composite bonding
Tooth-colored composite shaped straight onto the tooth to repair a chip, close a small gap or even an edge. One visit, little or nothing removed, and the option we try before veneers.
How a cosmetic plan is put together
The order matters more than the technique. Permanent work is made last, once the things that are still changing have stopped changing.
- Health firstDecay, gum inflammation and a failing filling get treated before anything cosmetic. Porcelain bonded to an unhealthy tooth fails early.
- Photographs and a scanWe record how much tooth shows at rest, when you speak and when you smile broadly. This is what stops the result looking generic.
- The reversible optionsWhitening and alignment come before anything permanent, because they change the shade and position that the porcelain has to match.
- A written planItemized, with costs and a sequence, before a single tooth is prepared. You take it away and think about it.
- A preview you can seeFor veneers and makeovers you approve a mock-up of the shape and length before the final restorations are made.
- The permanent workMade by one ceramist we have used for years, then fitted, adjusted and checked against your bite.
What decides whether it looks real
Three things, and none of them are the brand of porcelain. Whether the length and width suit your face. Whether the edges catch light the way enamel does, which is down to the ceramist. And whether your bite lets the new surfaces sit where they were designed to sit. Front teeth that fight the bite chip.
If veneers are not the right answer for you, we will say so at the consultation rather than after you have paid a deposit.
Will it look obvious?
Not if it is planned properly. The give-aways are teeth that are too white, too uniform and too long for the face. We design to your proportions and you see a preview before anything permanent is made.
Do I have to have my teeth filed down?
It depends which route you take. Whitening and Invisalign remove nothing. Veneers usually need a small amount of enamel reduced, and that part cannot be undone. Some cases suit minimal-prep veneers instead. We tell you which applies to you before you commit.
How long does the work last?
Well-made porcelain veneers commonly last 10 to 15 years and sometimes longer, but they are restorations, not a permanent fix. They can chip, and the gum line moves over decades. Grinding shortens that considerably, which is why we check for it.
What does it cost?
It depends entirely on how many teeth are involved. You get a written, itemized plan at the consultation. We do not quote numbers before we have looked, and cosmetic treatment is not usually covered by insurance. See financing.
Can I whiten my existing crowns or veneers?
No. Porcelain and composite keep the shade they were made in. If you plan to whiten, whiten first, then match the new work to the lighter shade.
Can I see cases first?
Yes. Ask at the consultation and we will show you cases similar to yours, and you can read what patients have said on our reviews page.
One visit, one chipped tooth
A chipped front tooth restored with composite bonding. The edge was rebuilt and the tooth brought back into proportion in a single appointment, with no laboratory stage and nothing permanent removed.
Start with a conversation
- (310) 860-6969Someone here answers.
- Request a visitWe will call to confirm.
- Pick a time onlineChoose your own slot.