You’ve decided you want to improve your smile. Maybe it’s the chips you’ve learned to hide in photos, the gaps that make you self-conscious in meetings, or the staining that no amount of whitening toothpaste seems to touch. Whatever your reason, you’ve started searching and now you’re facing a different challenge: how do you actually choose the right cosmetic dentist?
In St. Louis, your options are plentiful, but not all cosmetic dentists are created equal. This guide will walk you through exactly what to look for, what questions to ask, and why the right provider makes all the difference in your results.
What Is Cosmetic Dentistry, Really?
Before evaluating providers, it helps to understand what you’re looking for. Cosmetic dentistry is the branch of dentistry focused on enhancing the appearance of your smile, including treatments like teeth whitening, dental bonding, veneers, and more. The goal is a balanced, symmetrical, aesthetically pleasing result.
What separates a great cosmetic dentist from an average one isn’t just the procedures they offer. It’s the artistry, planning, and experience behind how they execute them.
1. Look for Experience With the Procedures You Need
Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized dental specialty by the American Dental Association, which means any general dentist can legally market themselves as a cosmetic dentist. That makes your research more important, not less.
When evaluating a St. Louis cosmetic dentist, ask specifically about their experience with the procedure you’re considering:
Porcelain Veneers — These ultra-thin custom shells bond to the front of your teeth to conceal chips, gaps, stains, and misshapen teeth. According to the Cleveland Clinic, veneers can address a wide range of cosmetic concerns, but they require removing a small amount of enamel and are not reversible, which means placement precision matters enormously. Ask how many veneer cases your dentist performs each year.
Dental Implants — Whether you’re replacing a single tooth or considering a full-arch restoration, implants are one of the most technically demanding procedures in dentistry. A 2024 meta-analysis published in PubMed found strong long-term survival rates for dental implants, but outcomes are directly tied to the skill and experience of the placing dentist. Volume and longevity in the field matter here.
Teeth Whitening, Bonding and Crowns — Even simpler cosmetic treatments require a trained eye. Professional whitening, composite bonding, and crown placement should all be tailored to your natural tooth color, facial structure, and smile line, not applied generically.
At St. Louis County Dental, Dr. Tim Grayem and Dr. Jillian Bruch bring over 35 years of combined experience. Dr. Grayem’s training at the Pacific Aesthetic Continuum and his placement of over 15,000 implants position him as a leader in restorative and cosmetic solutions in the Midwest.
2. Ask to See Real Before-and-After Results
Any cosmetic dentist worth considering should be proud to show you their work. The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) recommends that patients always ask to review a dentist’s portfolio of completed cases before committing to treatment. Real patient photos help you understand the aesthetic sensibility of the provider and give you a realistic picture of what’s achievable for your own smile.
Look for results that appear natural, not overdone. Teeth that are uniformly, unnaturally white or that look like they belong to a different person can be a sign that the dentist isn’t accounting for facial proportion, gum line, and lip position when designing smiles.
Our cosmetic photo gallery and implant smile gallery showcase real transformations from real St. Louis patients. We encourage every prospective patient to review them before their consultation.
3. Prioritize Comprehensive, Whole-Mouth Planning
The best cosmetic results don’t start with a drill. They start with a conversation and a plan. A skilled cosmetic dentist evaluates far more than just your teeth. They consider:
- Tooth color, shape, and proportion
- Gum health and gum line symmetry
- Bite alignment and jaw function
- Facial structure and lip line
- Your long-term oral health
According to the AACD’s patient guidance, the most qualified cosmetic dentists treat beauty and oral health as inseparable. A great smile that damages your bite or skips underlying dental issues won’t hold up and won’t feel right either.
This is why at St. Louis County Dental, every cosmetic case begins with a thorough diagnostic consultation. We treat the whole mouth, not just the visible surface.
4. Consider the Full Range of Services Under One Roof
For patients with multiple cosmetic concerns — discoloration, alignment issues, missing teeth, and worn enamel all at once — working with a full-service cosmetic practice is a significant advantage. It eliminates the need to coordinate between multiple providers and ensures that every element of your treatment plan is designed with the final result in mind.
St. Louis County Dental offers the full spectrum of cosmetic and restorative treatments under one roof, including:
- Porcelain veneers and cosmetic crowns
- Single tooth implants
- Full arch implant smiles
- Invisalign and clear aligner treatment
- Professional teeth whitening and composite bonding
- Gum contouring
- Sedation dentistry for patients who experience dental anxiety
Whether your goals are subtle or transformative, having access to every tool in one place means your treatment can evolve as your needs do.
5. Read the Reviews and Read Between the Lines
Online reviews are one of the most honest signals of what a patient experience actually looks like. When evaluating a St. Louis cosmetic dentist, look for patterns in what patients describe:
- Do reviewers mention feeling heard and respected?
- Are there comments about the quality of results, not just the friendliness of staff?
- Do patients mention returning for multiple procedures over years?
Long-term loyalty is one of the clearest signs of a practice that delivers on its promises.
St. Louis County Dental holds a 4.9-star average across more than 600 Google reviews and was voted Best Dental Practice in the Metro St. Louis Area by the Post Dispatch in both 2024 and 2025. Those results don’t happen by accident.
6. Make Sure You Feel Comfortable, Not Judged
This one is easy to overlook when you’re focused on credentials and before-and-afters, but it matters. Cosmetic dentistry often involves patients sharing insecurities they’ve carried for years.
For many St. Louis residents, dental fear is the primary barrier to a beautiful smile. Recent data from the 2025 State of Oral Health Report suggests that over 21% of adults avoid dental care due to anxiety.
The right practice should make you feel welcomed and respected from the moment you walk in, regardless of how long it’s been since your last visit or what condition your teeth are in.
If you’ve avoided the dentist due to anxiety, know that sedation dentistry options — from nitrous oxide to IV sedation — can make even complex cosmetic procedures completely comfortable.
Ready to Take the First Step?
Choosing a cosmetic dentist is one of the most personal decisions you’ll make. You’re not just choosing a provider. You’re choosing who you trust to change something you see every single day.
At St. Louis County Dental, we combine advanced technique, genuine compassion, and years of real-world cosmetic experience to deliver results that look effortless and feel like you.
Schedule your $1 smile consultation today and let’s design the smile you’ve always wanted, together.
St. Louis County Dental is located at 469 S Kirkwood Rd, St. Louis, MO 63122. Call us at (314) 965-6503 or schedule online anytime.