Cosmetic Dentistry
Your smile is often the first thing people notice about you, and when you feel self-conscious about it, it can affect everything from how you carry yourself at work to how freely you laugh with friends. Whether you’re dealing with stained, chipped, or uneven teeth, cosmetic dentistry offers solutions that go far beyond surface-level aesthetics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, oral health is connected to overall well-being, and investing in your smile is an investment in your confidence and quality of life.
At Pine Glen Dental Group in Peoria, IL, we bring together more than two decades of family dental care with a genuine commitment to craftsmanship. Our cosmetic dentistry services are provided by Dr. Lori Rice and Dr. Jacey Thelen, a UMKC graduate and Peoria-area native who joined the practice in 2026, both of whom approach every smile with care, precision, and the belief that a great smile can truly change how someone feels about themselves.
What a Cosmetic Dentist Can Do for Your Smile
Cosmetic dentistry covers a wide range of treatments designed to address the specific concerns that affect how your teeth look and feel. Some patients come to us with years of discoloration from coffee, tea, or other staining foods. Others are unhappy with the shape or size of their teeth, or have chips and cracks that have bothered them for years. Whatever your starting point, there is almost always a path toward the smile you want.
Our team takes the time to understand what you’re hoping to achieve before recommending any treatment. We believe in giving you honest, personalized guidance rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The most common cosmetic concerns we address include:
- Tooth discoloration and staining are treated with professional teeth whitening
- Chipped, cracked, or misshapen teeth are restored through composite bonding or ceramic crowns
- Minor gaps or spacing irregularities are corrected with cosmetic solutions tailored to your goals
- Old, worn dental fillings replaced with tooth-colored restorations for a more natural look
Each of these options can be used individually or combined as part of a broader smile enhancement plan, depending on what you need.
Restoring Your Smile With Cosmetic Bonding and Crowns
For patients dealing with chips, cracks, or worn enamel, cosmetic bonding and ceramic crowns offer reliable, natural-looking solutions. Composite bonding is often used for smaller repairs, where tooth-colored resin is applied directly to the tooth and sculpted to the desired shape. This is a quick, non-invasive option that can make a meaningful difference in how your teeth look.
When a tooth requires a more significant restoration, a ceramic crown may be the right choice. Our ceramic crowns are crafted to match the shade and contour of your natural teeth, making them virtually indistinguishable. Whether you need one tooth addressed or a more comprehensive smile transformation, we work carefully to ensure every result looks and feels natural.
What to Expect as a New Patient
If you’ve never pursued cosmetic dentistry before, the first step is simply a conversation. We welcome you to come in, share what’s been on your mind about your smile, and let us take a look. There’s no pressure and no judgment. We take a thorough approach to understanding your dental health and your goals, which allows us to build a clear treatment plan that makes sense for you and your budget.
We are a fee-for-service practice, meaning we don’t participate in insurance networks, which allows us to recommend the treatment that’s genuinely best for you rather than what a plan will cover. We accept cash, personal checks, Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express, and we work with established patients on a case-by-case basis for larger procedures.
Schedule a Cosmetic Consultation at Pine Glen Dental Group
Pine Glen Dental Group has brought family-centered, quality-first dental care to the Peoria community since 2002. Dr. Lori Rice is a member of the American Dental Association, the Illinois State Dental Society, and the Peoria Chapter of the Seattle Study Club, while Dr. Jacey Thelen brings her own UMKC training and deep Peoria roots to the practice, and both doctors are committed to ongoing continuing education to bring the latest techniques to every patient. The practice holds a BBB A+ rating, a 4.7-star Google rating, and has been recognized as a Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorite every year from 2018 through 2024.
If you’re ready to feel good about your smile again, we’d love to meet you. Browse our smile gallery to see real results from our patients, and when you’re ready, contact our team to schedule your cosmetic consultation. Peoria families have trusted this practice for more than two decades, and we look forward to earning your trust, too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cosmetic dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry offers solutions to improve the look of teeth that are stained, discolored, chipped, worn down, misshapen, a little gapped, or misaligned. It combines the art and science of dentistry to transform a less-than-perfect smile into one that looks naturally beautiful while at the same time enhancing overall facial aesthetics.
What's the quickest way to improve the look of my smile?
The great thing about cosmetic dentistry is that it offers multiple solutions to quickly improve the look of one’s smile. It all depends on your specific dental needs and cosmetic smile goals. While procedures such as teeth-whitening, tooth-colored fillings, and dental bonding typically provide dramatic improvements in just a single visit, others such as dental veneers only take a couple of visits.
What's the best way to improve the look of dull, drab, or discolored teeth? -
A teeth whitening procedure provided by our office is often the simplest, quickest, and most effective way to significantly lighten and brighten your smile.
How can dental veneers improve the look of my smile?
Porcelain veneers are capable of concealing a range of imperfections, dramatically improving the look of teeth that are misshapen, have minor chips, enamel defects, or stains. They also provide an excellent solution for closing small gaps as well as addressing other minor alignment issues. While teeth whitening procedures can effectively treat many cases of dental stains or discolorations to produce cosmetically pleasing results, darker stains, as well as specific issues involving the size, shape, and alignment of the teeth, are better addressed with porcelain veneers.
What type of cosmetic restoration is possible for a back tooth?
How a back tooth is repaired and restored depends on the extent of the cavity or damage it has sustained. In many cases, a tooth-colored filling is often sufficient to restore the form and function of a back tooth. However, when a significant amount of tooth structure is damaged, or the tooth has had a root canal, it’s often necessary to fabricate a full coverage crown. In this way, the remaining tooth structure is protected from further damage while full function and a natural-looking smile is restored.
Does a tooth that is chipped require a crown?
Whether or not a chipped or fractured tooth requires a dental crown depends on the extent of the damage. Some minor chips can be addressed with a dental bonding procedure or a veneer. When a significant amount of tooth structure is lost, rebuilding the form and function of the involved tooth may require a full coverage crown.
What's the most cosmetic solution for replacing missing teeth?
While conventional dental bridges and dentures offer effective and satisfying ways to rebuild a complete and attractive smile, dental implants represent the most advanced solutions for replacing missing teeth. With dental implants, our office can replace a single tooth or multiple ones to give you a smile that feels, looks, and functions like a natural one. Dental implants behave in much the same way as the root of an actual tooth, providing stable, secure, and long-lasting results of care.
How long does a tooth whitening last?
How long your teeth whitening lasts depends on your lifestyle. Eating, drinking, and smoking habits can have a big impact on maintaining your result. Our office will inform you which food, beverages, or habits can stain your newly whitened smile. As needed, we’ll also help you maintain a white and vibrant smile with a periodic, safe, and effective touch-up whitening procedure.
How much do cosmetic dental procedures cost?
At the office of Pine Glen Dental Group, we strive to provide the highest quality of care to address all your dental needs. Once we’ve had the opportunity to examine your smile, we can give you a clear picture of any dental issues that are present, along with a quote for what the cost of treatment will be. The cost of care all depends upon the extent and complexity of issues affecting the health or appearance of your smile and the types of procedures that are required. Our goal is to make dental care more affordable so that you can begin treatment without any additional stress or delay.
Keep in mind that with routine dental checkups and periodic care, we can help prevent dental disease while treating emerging problems early in their onset to avoid larger issues and more expensive care down the road.
Why choose the office of Pine Glen Dental Group? -
Although achieving aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting results of care requires knowledge, experience, and technical proficiency, it also calls for a professional with an artistic eye and awareness of facial aesthetics. At the office of Pine Glen Dental Group, we successfully combine the art and science of dentistry to create smiles that are as beautiful as they are healthy. From performing professional teeth whitening procedures, fabricating custom dental veneers or crowns to rebuilding complete and beautiful smiles with dental implants and much more, we’re well equipped to transform less-than-perfect smiles into ones that look good and feel great.
Get in Touch with Pine Glen Dental Group Today
Ready to schedule your next dental appointment or have questions about our services?
Contacting Pine Glen Dental Group is easy! Our friendly staff is available to assist you with scheduling appointments, answering inquiries about treatment options, and addressing any concerns you may have. Whether you prefer to give us a call, send us an email, or fill out our convenient online contact form, we’re here to help. Don’t wait to take the first step towards achieving the smile of your dreams – reach out to us today and discover the difference personalized dental care can make.