How to Choose a Cosmetic Dentist in Chicago: 9 Questions Worth Asking Before You Book
You've decided you want to do something about your smile. Maybe it's veneers. Maybe Invisalign. Maybe you're not sure yet — you just know that when you look at photos, you notice your teeth first, and you don't want to notice them anymore.
The next question is bigger than any single treatment: who do you trust to do this?
Cosmetic dentistry is one of the most personal investments you'll make in how you show up in the world. Get it right, and you'll stop thinking about your smile at all. Get it wrong, and you'll notice it every single day — sometimes for a decade or more.
Here's how to tell the difference, before you sit in anyone's chair.
What "Cosmetic Dentist" Actually Means in Chicago
The first thing to understand: cosmetic dentistry isn't a formal specialty in the United States. There's no board certification for it the way there is for orthodontics or oral surgery. Any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist. That's not necessarily a red flag — some of the best cosmetic dentists in Chicago are general dentists with two decades of aesthetic training. But it does mean you have to do the vetting.
The right cosmetic dentist for you isn't just someone who can place veneers or manage an Invisalign case. It's someone who thinks about your smile the way a good stylist thinks about your hair — proportionally, personally, and with a philosophy that matches yours.
Here are the questions that separate the artists from the assembly lines.
9 Questions to Ask a Cosmetic Dentist Before You Commit
1. "Can I see your own before-and-after cases — not stock photos?"
Any dentist worth booking will have a portfolio of their own work. Not marketing images pulled from a lab catalog. Not stock veneer photos. Actual patients, actual results, ideally with permission to speak about the case. If a practice can't show you their work, that tells you something.
2. "Do you offer a smile preview before treatment begins?"
This is the biggest one. A great cosmetic dentist won't ask you to commit to a permanent change based on your imagination. Digital smile design, mock-ups, or wax-ups let you see and feel the result before anything is drilled, prepped, or placed. If you can't preview it, you can't approve it — and any dentist unwilling to show you the preview is asking you to trust them blindly on a decision that lasts a decade.
3. "Who will actually be doing the veneers — you, or a tech?"
The dentist who designs your smile should be the one placing the veneers. Not always the case in larger practices. This isn't about pointing fingers — it's about clarity. Ask directly. The right answer, in my opinion, is: "I am. Start to finish."
4. "What's your philosophy on tooth preparation?"
This is the question that separates conservative cosmetic dentists from aggressive ones. Enamel doesn't grow back. Every micron of natural tooth structure you preserve today is a micron you'll still have at 55, 65, 75. Ask specifically: "How much of my natural tooth do you typically remove for a veneer?" If the answer sounds routine and non-specific, keep looking. The right answer is thoughtful, case-by-case, and biased toward preservation.
5. "How long do you expect these to last, honestly?"
Beware inflated promises. Porcelain veneers, done well and cared for properly, typically last 10–15 years. Not 20. Not "forever." Not "a lifetime." If a dentist quotes you a lifetime guarantee, they're either overselling or misunderstanding the material. A dentist who tells you the honest range is a dentist who's planning for your smile 15 years from now — not just this quarter's revenue.
6. "Will I need a nightguard afterward?"
Yes. The answer should be yes for every veneer patient, regardless of whether you think you grind. Grinding while asleep is more common than most patients realize, and porcelain — while strong — is not indestructible. A cosmetic dentist who doesn't require a nightguard for veneer patients is either not thinking about longevity or hasn't seen enough long-term cases. Ask. Their answer will tell you a lot.
7. "What's your approach when veneers aren't the right answer?"
This is the trust question. A good cosmetic dentist will sometimes tell you that you don't need what you came in asking for. Sometimes the honest answer is Invisalign first, then a small amount of bonding. Sometimes it's professional whitening plus a single crown replacement. Sometimes it's just a hygiene reset. If every consultation ends in a full veneer treatment plan, you're at a practice that sells veneers — not a practice that designs smiles.
8. "Can I speak to a patient who's had this work done?"
Not every dentist can accommodate this, and not every patient will consent — but the willingness matters. Reviews on Google and Yelp are one signal. A dentist confident enough to connect you with an actual patient who trusted them with the same treatment? That's another level.
9. "How do you handle sensitivity, anxiety, or follow-up if something doesn't feel right?"
Cosmetic dentistry doesn't end at the final appointment. Small adjustments, sensitivity questions, an edge that catches your tongue — these things happen, even with excellent work. The right cosmetic dentist has a plan for the "what happens after" — not just the transformation phase.
A Real Conversation From My Consult Chair
A patient came in earlier this year - I'll call her M. - with a folder full of photos she'd printed from Instagram. Veneer results she loved. Some she'd screenshotted for the way the light hit the edges. Others for the shape.
"I want this smile," she told me, tapping a photo.
I asked her a question I ask most patients holding reference images: "Would this smile look like you?"
She paused. We spent the next forty minutes not talking about her teeth — we talked about her face, her jawline, the shape of her upper lip, how much of her teeth showed when she smiled fully, and what her natural incisal edges looked like at rest. By the end, the treatment plan we sketched together looked very different from the reference photos she'd walked in with.
Six weeks later she looked at the preview, cried a little, and told me: "This looks like me. It looks like the me I forgot about."
That's what "how to choose a cosmetic dentist in Chicago" actually comes down to. Not credentials on a wall. Not a specific brand of veneer. Not a hashtag on Instagram.
It's whether the dentist you're sitting across from is going to design the smile you were meant to have — or the one someone else on Instagram already has.
What to Look For in a Chicago Cosmetic Dentist Specifically
A few Chicago-specific considerations worth adding to your list:
Location that matches how you actually live. Cosmetic dentistry often takes multiple visits — consultation, prep, delivery, refinement. A practice near your neighborhood, an easy Brown Line stop away, or a lunch-hour walk from the office matters more than you'd think.
A schedule that respects your work life. Long clinical days at premium practices often mean fewer appointment slots. Ask about lunch-hour appointments, morning-before-work slots, and how far out their consultation calendar is booked.
**Reviews that mention the experience, not just the result.** Cosmetic dentistry is emotional work. Reviews that talk about how the dentist made someone feel — calm, seen, unrushed — usually predict your experience better than reviews that only mention the outcome.
When You're Ready to Compare
If you've read this far, you're not the kind of patient who books cosmetic dentistry casually. Good. That's the right instinct.
When you're ready to sit down and have this conversation — the real one, the one where a cosmetic dentist actually shows you what your smile could look like before anything is permanent — that's what a Smile Design Consultation is for.
We do them Monday through Thursday, in the Lakeview office at 3346 N. Paulina St. — right across from the Paulina Brown Line stop. It's a conversation first, a preview second, and a treatment plan only if it makes sense for you.
Learn more about the Smile Design Consultation →
Or call the office at (773) 883-1818 and we'll find a time that works.
Dr. Brittany Dickinson is the owner of Chicago Aesthetic Dentistry in Lakeview, specializing in veneers, Invisalign, and smile design. She's been practicing for 16 years and personally provides every consultation and cosmetic treatment.