title: Developing confidence and competence in cosmetic dentistry.
abstract: When it comes to cosmetic or esthetic dentistry the old adage "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" should be a guiding principal when developing an outline of treatment for our patients. Frequently our patients come to us with requests for improving their smiles but uncertain as to exactly what they want or even worse that have expectations that we are unable to deliver. The path traveled from initial interviewing of the patient to completing each case can be fraught with pitfalls of disappointment unless a careful process of educating the patient and constant communication is followed.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Collins
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010358:Patient Participation