By Jonathan Widran

After nearly 25 successful years as a dentist, Dr. Michael Zuk is a DDS dichotomy, finding himself in the unique double edged position of giving his peers incredibly productive marketing advice while also, as he likes to whimsically say, “slapping them in the face.” While he maintains a thriving practice of “conservative cosmetic dentistry,” he recently published a hard hitting tell all industry expose called Confessions of a Former Cosmetic Dentist that has made him one of the world’s leading outspoken critics of the cosmetic dental industry.

How to explain the apparent contradictions? In the late 90s, after taking advanced cosmetic training courses at UCLA and segueing from being a general practitioner to a cosmetic oriented business, he began an aggressive radio marketing campaign that drew new patients in with the promise of instant makeovers. The idea was that he could quickly fix clients’ teeth and save them years of wearing braces and conventional orthodontics. But Dr. Zuk had a crisis of conscience when a gorgeous patient, who looked like Penelope Cruz, came to him and wanted a quick fix via a complete porcelain veneer over all her front teeth. Based on the simple flaw she came in with, he realized it would be something of a crime to do something so unnecessary and suggested regular orthodontic work.

“As dentists,” he says, “we are supposed to do for our patients what is best for them, as if we were treating our own family. Veneers are not bad, but they are overused. I actually judge myself now on how few veneers I do, not how many. When I started my cosmetic training I could see there was definitely abuse going on. Teeth that were crooked but otherwise healthy were being drilled down because patients were not given any other options besides long term braces or instant veneers. I was trained to do this kind of work and had the skills but found it harder and harder to sell it to patients when I didn’t believe in it. I’m still a cosmetic dentist, but I practice a less aggressive form of it. Everyone wants to look better so I came up with a way to do it more conservatively, combining different, less radical styles of treatment.

“I call myself the ‘un-cosmetic dentist,” Zuk adds. “If your general idea of a cosmetic dentist is one that does a ton of veneers, that’s not what I am. I make them look better without a heavy reliance on porcelain. Too many dentists lose respect for healthy tooth structure. I prefer to do procedures that are reversible. If a tooth is chipped, I will add composite bonding filling to it to re-tip it, rather than reshape it for a veneer. All of this attention to abusive cosmetic treatment makes many of my colleagues nervous.”

In his chapter entitled “Defensive Business Practices Prevent Decay” in The Next Big Thing, a compilation by successful business owners devoted to contemporary marketing techniques and thriving in the fast paced 21st Century, Dr. Zuk puts it this way: “The dental profession is supposed to be looking out for the patient’s best interest and this becomes almost impossible when their treatment planning process is contaminated with distorted information. As an example, porcelain veneers have become a treatment not only for damaged teeth but also as a quick fix for crooked teeth, facial wrinkles and even headaches. When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail and veneers seemed to be a “cure-all.”

Since becoming the first dentist to go public with a comprehensive book on the subject, Dr. Zuk has also gone public with how his business has been attacked and sabotaged by bad former employees and vindictive competitors who are often outraged by his marketing which ruthlessly exploits weaknesses. Because his techniques are quicker, more efficient and less costly than conventional orthodontics, he’s also been getting trouble from orthodontists in his region who fear a loss of business. Dr. Zuk helps dental professionals across the world with alternative business strategies and is excited about the possibilities the dental profession offers to those who stay nimble.

More than simply a harsh critique of questionable practices and ethics in his chosen industry, Confessions of a Former Cosmetic Dentist is a chronicle of Dr. Zuk’s own disillusionment and a sensible, comprehensive guide for consumers whom he hopes will not fall for the high pressure sales tactics and glitzy presentations that hide the truth. The book gives the person seeking help with their cosmetic flaws everything they need to know to help avoid an extreme makeover disaster. When the young dentist began training to become a “cosmetic dentist,” he had hopes of helping people have the smile of their dreams. What he discovered was promotion of aggressive treatment that was often in the best interest of the dental labs and the dentist. The unsuspecting patient was a sitting duck for these tactics. While the majority of cosmetic dentists offer excellent treatment, a segment of this high profile group can cause more harm than they are worth. The dental profession has so many conflicting ideas and prefers to hide the problem from the public rather than admit there is reason for concern.

For Dr. Zuk, who is currently planning two follow up books (Ruthless Dental Marketing and Extreme Makeover Orthodontics), there is a difference between knowing your options and accepting some compromises and being intentionally misinformed. The profession has a black sheep in its flock and so far has been powerless to stop the damage to patient’s teeth and their pocketbooks by an elite group the controversial author refers to as the “Veneer Nazis.” After partial brainwashing and indoctrination, the author managed to escape the cosmetic dental revolution with enough common sense to look for a better way. You will not believe the myths that continue to dominate the thinking of many of the smile doctors in this nation. While embarrassing for the profession, the book aims to shed light on the minds of those trying to control what is literally put in a prospective patient’s mouth and snatched from his or her bank account.

“I’m not the only one in the dental profession worried about the fact that some cosmetic dentists have strayed out of line and have been doing things that are barbaric,” says Dr. Zuk. “Compared to primitive societies who chiseled and cracked pieces of enamel off for ornamental reasons modern dentists can be much more brutal. Pound for pound cosmetic dentists probably drill their own weight of healthy enamel away each year. It makes me shudder when patients still ask me if they can’t just veneer their teeth.”

“Patients should be informed about better alternatives,” he continues, “even if it means there will be a drop in our profession’s credibility from admitting we’ve been doing some pretty crazy things. It’s better to admit publicly that cosmetic dentistry has the potential to be very abusive than to keep pretending that it doesn’t happen. It’s amazing how long this has gone on with very little attention from the media. I guess it may be because patients rarely die from the effects of abusive cosmetic dentistry…even BAD cosmetic dental work can look OK from a layperson’s standpoint. A natural smile is something that has lost its meaning in North America, and nature has been replaced by an artificial looking facade that is, in fact, ugly in many ways.”

Within the Confessions book and together with insider e-reports designed specifically for readers, they will discover how to save hundreds and often tens of thousands of dollars at the dentist; a simple trick that can help you side-step an extreme makeover; why many cosmetic dentists can’t be believed regardless of their accreditation status; what cosmetic dentists would say about your smile and the smiles of your favorite movie stars; a hot tip that will freak out your cosmetic dentist and make his ears blow steam; crazy dental gadgets that are used to fool patients into thinking they need to spend a fortune on their teeth; rarely diagnosed medical problems that your dentist and doctor often miss even when your teeth are screaming out in protest; true stories about cosmetic dentistry gone wrong; and new breakthroughs that your cosmetic dentist either doesn’t know about or pretends not to know about so he/she can keep doing “old school” cosmetic dentistry.

Beyond his activism and success as a cosmetic whistle blower, Dr. Zuk has helped dentists throughout North America in other key areas of their practices. One of the biggest is cross training, whereby dentists and specialists have several skill sets so that if something happens to one (for example, a disability/death), another can serve as backup for his or her patients. If a practice only has one orthodontist and that person dies or is incapacitated, there would be no one to serve those clients—and the finances of the business would decline. More than one doctor or dentist should be able to do the same procedure; in another benefit if one practitioner can do the work of two or three, the patient can also save both time and money.

Dr. Zuk is also excited about the possibilities afforded through online consultations via www.rateyoursmile.com. Those concerned about potential cosmetic issues can upload images and video to participating dentists and receive a free smile critique. In this internet driven culture where people like to do so much of their business on the computer, it makes sense to have a site where prospective patients can seek second opinions.

“I like to say dentists are keeners…almost ‘idiot savant’ types who regurgitate the things were told in dental school,” Zuk says wistfully. “We have good retention abilities and get good marks and we often believe what our professors tell us as truth. But as I’ve learned much of the information we were taught were myths and we need to be more critical about what we are told, I am enjoying upsetting the proverbial apple cart, messing with those up on their pedestals and pointing out the shortcomings of their business practices and ethics. Despite all the challenges of staying in this business, I still love what I do. I love that moment when patients look at themselves in the mirror for the first time with their new smiles. It’s rewarding to give them more confidence and make them feel attractive without gouging their bank accounts at the same time.”