Cosmetic dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry in Plano, planned on screen before anything changes

Dr. Tam points to a panoramic X-ray on the chairside screen

If there is one thing about your smile you keep noticing in photos, there is usually more than one way to fix it, and the smallest one is often enough. This page lays out the cosmetic treatments we offer, what each is good at and how to choose. Your first visit is a conversation and a quick digital scan, and you leave with a written, itemized quote. Nothing is decided until you feel ready.

Book a Visit 972-265-9033

What bothers you

What do you notice first when you see your own smile?

For most adults it is one thing. A tooth darker than the rest. A chip that has been there since college. Teeth that drifted after the retainer went in a drawer. It is not an emergency, and you may have lived with it for years.

Each of those has a different fix, and the fixes are not interchangeable. Whitening changes color and nothing else. Bonding repairs a small chip. Aligners move teeth. Veneers change shape and shade together. Choosing starts from what bothers you, not from a treatment name.

A consult is a conversation and a look at your teeth on the screen. You hear which options fit, including the smallest one, and then you can go home and think about it.

“I keep my lips closed in photos”You have learned to smile without showing your teeth, and it has become a habit.
“I do not know which treatment I need”You know what you dislike but not what fixes it. That is what the first visit sorts out.
“I am worried it will look obvious”So are we. The goal is a smile that looks like yours on a very good day.

A patient watches her iTero scan appear on the screen

The short answer

What does a cosmetic dentist do?

A cosmetic dentist changes how your teeth look, meaning their color, shape, length and alignment, while keeping them healthy. Here that most often means porcelain veneers, professional whitening, Invisalign or bonding, chosen after an exam and a digital scan so the plan fits your teeth, your bite and your budget. Whitening or bonding takes a visit or two, veneers a few weeks, and aligners usually a year or more.

Dr. Tam talks a patient through her scan at the desk before any treatment

Your first visitYou see your own teeth on the screen and hear every option, including the smallest one, before anything is decided.

Is cosmetic dentistry right for you?

Cosmetic work lasts best on a healthy mouth and realistic goals. An exam and a scan give the honest answer.

You may be a good fit if

You keep noticing the same chip, gap, stain or crooked tooth, and you want a result that looks like your own teeth.
Your teeth and gums are healthy, or you are willing to treat any decay or gum disease first.
You grind or clench and are willing to wear a night guard to protect new work.

What happens at your first visit

A quick iTero scan and smile photos, with no impression putty
Every option explained, starting with the smallest change that does the job
A written, itemized quote to take home
Your PPO benefits checked for you

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What we offer

Which cosmetic treatments do we offer?

Six treatments cover most of what people ask about. Each has its own page, and your consult tells you which one, or which combination, fits. Results vary from person to person.

01
Porcelain veneers
Thin, custom porcelain shells that change the shape, shade and spacing of your front teeth at once, and resist stain for years. Veneers
02
Teeth whitening
Professional-strength whitening that lifts coffee, tea, wine and age stains from natural enamel, with your teeth checked first. Teeth whitening
03
Invisalign clear aligners
Removable clear trays that straighten crowding and close gaps without brackets, planned from an iTero scan. Straight teeth can mean fewer veneers later. Invisalign
04
Cosmetic bonding
Tooth-colored composite sculpted onto a tooth to repair a chip or close a small gap, often in one visit with little or no drilling.
05
Same‑day crowns
When a front tooth needs strength as well as looks, our Glidewell mill makes the crown in the office, usually in one appointment. Crowns and bridges
06
Full smile makeovers
For worn, broken or missing teeth across the whole mouth, a staged plan combines treatments in the right order. Full mouth restoration

Compare your options

Veneers, whitening, Invisalign or crowns: which one fits?

Each treatment solves a different problem, so start from what bothers you rather than from the treatment name. Lifespans are typical ranges drawn from the Cleveland Clinic's patient guides, and yours depends on your bite and your habits.

At a glance	Most asked aboutVeneers	Option 2Whitening	Option 3Invisalign	Option 4Crowns
Fixes best	Shape, shade and small gaps together	Stained or yellowed natural teeth	Crowding, gaps and alignment	A cracked, heavily filled or root-canal-treated tooth that needs strength
Changes the tooth	Yes; a thin layer of enamel is usually removed	No	No; small attachments are bonded, then removed at the end	Yes; more than a veneer, on all sides
Typical timeline	Two to three visits over a few weeks	One visit, or one to two weeks at home	Often 12 to 18 months for adults, shorter for mild cases	Often one visit, with our Glidewell mill
Typically lasts	10 to 15 years or longer with care	Months to a few years, with touch-ups	Long term, with a retainer worn as directed	About 5 to 15 years
Reversible	No	Fades gradually	Teeth can drift back without a retainer	No
Pairs well with	Whitening first, to set the shade	Bonding or veneers afterward	Whitening or bonding after the aligners	Whitening first, so the crown matches
Relative cost	Highest per tooth	Lowest	Moderate to high overall	Higher per tooth
There is no wrong answer here, and results vary. For a single small chip, bonding is often the simplest route. The detail is on each page: veneers, teeth whitening, Invisalign and crowns and bridges. Book a Visit 972-265-9033

4.8out of 5 on Google

Google reviews

Reviewed by our own patients

Custerpoint Family Dental averages 4.8 stars across 234 public Google reviews, as of September 8, 2026, so you can read them yourself before you call. Results vary from person to person, so your consult covers what is realistic for your teeth. Every photo on this page shows our own office and team.

Read the reviews on Google

The waiting room at Custerpoint Family Dental, with a sofa and armchairs

No surprisesNothing is booked until you have a written quote and you feel ready.

Cost

How much does cosmetic dentistry cost in Plano?

It depends on which treatment fits and how many teeth it involves, so nobody can give you a firm number before an exam and a scan. A single bonded chip and a full set of veneers sit at opposite ends of the range. A low advertised per-tooth price can leave out the exam, the preview, the temporaries or the follow-up. The most cost-effective plan is often a combination, such as whitening plus two veneers instead of eight.

What moves the number

Which treatment fits: whitening, bonding, Invisalign, veneers or crowns
How many teeth show when you smile, and how many need work
Whether decay or gum disease needs treatment first
The material, custom shading, and a night guard if you grind

Good to knowMost insurance plans treat purely cosmetic work as elective. When a treatment also repairs damage, such as a crown on a broken tooth, part of it may be covered, and we check first.

The waiting room looking toward the reception desk

After your consult you get a written, itemized quote that lists every visit and every part, so there is nothing to discover later.

Want the detail first? Our guide walks through what veneers cost and what changes the price.

Insurance, financing and monthly payments

Insurance and financing

PPO claims filed for youWe check your benefits first, show your share in the quote and file any claim that applies.
CareCredit monthly paymentsSpread the cost over monthly payments, with approved credit, instead of paying all at once.
Phased when it helpsWhitening first, aligners next, veneers last, so each step fits a budget and supports the one after it.

Your dentists and the technology

Who plans your cosmetic work, and how do they do it?

Cosmetic work is measured in fractions of a millimeter. Dr. Tam and Dr. Chiem plan it on a digital scan and show you the options on the screen beside the chair.

Dr. Larry TamGeneral dentist and ownerA Plano native and Texas A&M Baylor College of Dentistry graduate, caring for Dallas-area patients for more than ten years.

Dr. Johnny ChiemGeneral dentistYears of clinical experience and a gentle, compassionate approach; he walks you through your X‑rays on the screen before anything is decided.

Nervous? Please tell us

Whitening and a scan involve no needles. Where a tooth is shaped, for a veneer or a crown, it is numbed first, so most people feel pressure rather than pain. We explain each step first and go at your pace.

An iTero digital scan in progress, the 3D model building on screen

The in-office 3D printer with a freshly printed model

Dr. Tam talks a patient through her treatment in the operatory

iTero digital scanner01 / 04

01
iTero digital scanner
Replaces goopy impressions with a 3D model built in a few minutes. The same scan starts veneers, aligners and whitening trays.
02
In-office 3D printing
Prints models, provisionals and appliances here, so for veneers and crowns you can see and feel the new shape before anything is final.
03
Glidewell crown mill
Mills crowns in the office, so most crowns are designed, made and placed in one appointment.
04
Chairside screens
Your scan and photos appear on the screen beside you, so you see what the dentist sees while you decide.

Questions

Cosmetic dentistry questions Plano patients ask us

Have one we have not covered? Call 972-265-9033 during office hours and you will reach the front desk.

Dr. Chiem points to a panoramic X-ray while a patient looks on from the chair

Teeth whitening is generally the most requested, because it is quick, involves no drilling and is one of the least expensive options. It only changes color, though. If what bothers you is a chip, a short edge or a gap, bonding or veneers do more, and if teeth are crowded, aligners fix the position that whitening cannot. Your consult starts from what you notice. See teeth whitening.

Usually not. Most dental plans treat purely cosmetic work as elective, so whitening and veneers are typically paid for without insurance. When a treatment also repairs damage, such as a crown on a broken tooth or a filling that comes before veneers, part of it may be covered. We check your plan first, show your share in the written quote and file any claim that applies. See insurance and financing.

They should not. A natural result comes from matching shade, translucency and shape to your face and your other teeth, which is why we plan from photos and a scan rather than from a shade chart alone. Results vary, and for veneers and crowns you see a preview before anything is permanent, so you can ask for changes while they are still easy. Fewer changes usually look better than more.

Anywhere from one visit to over a year, depending on what is in the plan. Whitening or bonding can typically be done in a day. Veneers take two to three visits over a few weeks. Invisalign often runs 12 to 18 months for adults. When treatments are combined, they are staged in an order that makes sense, so you are never without a finished-looking smile for long.

Yes, if you want your other teeth brighter. Porcelain keeps the shade it was made in and does not respond to whitening gel, so we usually whiten first and then match the veneers to your new color. Waiting a week or two after whitening lets the shade settle before it is matched. The same order applies to bonding and crowns. See porcelain veneers.

Not until it is treated. Cosmetic work placed on unhealthy gums tends to fail sooner and look worse at the gum line, because inflamed gums shrink back as they heal and expose the edge of the new work. In most cases a deep cleaning and a few weeks of healing come first, then the cosmetic plan picks up where it left off. See periodontal care.

It depends on the size of the chip and how many teeth are involved. A small chip on one tooth is often repaired with bonding in a single visit, with little or no drilling, and bonding can be touched up later. If several teeth need a new shape or shade, or the chip is large, veneers usually last longer and resist stain better. We will tell you which fits at your consult.

Yes. Custerpoint Family Dental has a Chinese-speaking dentist, so you can talk through shade, shape, timeline and cost in the language you prefer, and ask every question without translating in your head. Mention it when you book, and the front desk will schedule you with the right doctor and enough time for your questions. See our Chinese-speaking dentist page for details.

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