Last Updated: April 2026 | Written by: Dr. Charles Sutera, DMD, FAGD | Reading time: 12 minutes Preventive dentistry is the system of clinical interventions designed to interrupt dental disease before it requires treatment. It is not a cleaning. It [...]
Last Updated: April 2026 | Written by: Dr. Charles Sutera, DMD, FAGD Dental insurance is not designed to cover dental care. It is designed to cap what the insurer pays. Most plans carry annual maximums of $1,000 to $1,500. These [...]
Veneers and crowns serve different purposes. Veneers are thin shells (0.5-0.7mm) bonded to the front of structurally healthy teeth to improve appearance. Crowns are full-coverage caps (1.5-2mm thick) that protect and reinforce teeth with large fillings, cracks, or root canals. [...]
Few things are more disappointing in my Boston practice than seeing a patient who spent thousands on veneers, only to end up with a smile that looks… well, fake. They point to their teeth and say, "Something just feels off." [...]
If you're considering cosmetic dentistry, you're probably thinking about color, shape, and symmetry. That's natural. However, in my Boston practice, I spend more time talking to patients about something they can't see in the mirror—their bite problems. Here's what I [...]
If you're considering whitening your teeth, your first question shouldn't be "How white can I get?" It should be "Is teeth whitening safe for me?" In my Boston practice, I see patients every week who are confused by conflicting advice—from over-the-counter promises to [...]
In my Boston practice, I see patients every week who are confused, disappointed, or facing unexpected problems after cosmetic dentistry. When we trace the issue back, it almost always starts with a misunderstanding—a pervasive myth that sounded too good to [...]
When a patient sits in my Boston consultation chair and says they want a "smile makeover," I know they're picturing a final result. They've seen the stunning before-and-after photos. But here's what I explain in our Waltham practice: A smile makeover [...]
NexMost people approach their cosmetic dentistry decisions by picking a procedure first. They see a friend's veneers or an ad for "instant smiles" and think, "That's what I want." But that's actually backwards. The right starting point for any cosmetic dentistry decision isn't [...]
When patients in my Boston practice begin exploring a smile transformation, one of the first questions they ask is: "Dr. Sutera, should I get veneers or bonding?" Sometimes they add crowns to the mix: "What about veneers vs crowns?" My [...]
