Cosmetic dentistry is dental work that changes how your teeth look, done at your pace, and at Dentique Dental Care it comes with no judgment about how long you have waited.
Plenty of the people who sit in this chair have not seen a dentist in years. That gets planned for, not remarked on. One dentist, Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj, has been in practice for more than 30 years and works across both offices, in Downers Grove and Lemont, Illinois, so the same person sees you each time.
Cosmetic dentistry is not one treatment. It covers several, and which one suits you depends entirely on what is bothering you.
A cosmetic dentist is a general dentist who has trained further in treatments that change how teeth look. The American Dental Association does not list cosmetic dentistry as a dental specialty, so the difference between a regular dentist and a cosmetic dentist comes down to training and case history rather than a protected title.
That makes the useful questions simple ones. What has this dentist trained in, and what have they done?
At Dentique Dental Care one dentist does all of it. Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj, DDS, FDOCS, FICOI has been in practice for more than 30 years and rotates between both offices. FDOCS is a Fellowship of DOCS Education, which is sedation training. FICOI is a Fellowship of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, which is implant training. Neither of those is a cosmetic credential, and claiming otherwise would be exactly the sort of thing this page is trying not to do.
Dentique Dental Care offers three cosmetic treatments: porcelain veneers, dental bonding, and professional teeth whitening. Invisalign is available separately, and it is the right route when the concern is how teeth are positioned rather than their colour or shape.
Of the cosmetic dental procedures in that list, dental bonding gets the least attention locally and solves the most ordinary problems. Composite bonding is tooth-coloured resin shaped directly onto the tooth in a single visit, usually for a chip, a small gap, or a change of shape. Nothing is cut away to make room for it, which is what keeps dental bonding among the more forgiving options on the menu.
Cosmetic dentistry suits adults whose teeth are healthy but who do not like the way one or more of them looks. If a tooth hurts, or the gums bleed when you brush, that gets treated first.
Who is it for in practical terms: someone with a chipped or worn front tooth, gaps they have always noticed, teeth that have discoloured with age or staining, or an old repair that no longer matches the teeth around it. Age is not the deciding factor. Gum and bone health is.
Tooth decay and gum disease are treated before elective cosmetic work begins, which is why a checkup comes before a cosmetic plan rather than after it. At Dentique Dental Care the consultation sorts out what is health and what is appearance before anything cosmetic is planned, so nothing gets sold over the top of a problem.
Some of the people who ask about this have been coming here for 15, 20, and 25 years, across both the Downers Grove and Lemont offices. Continuity is part of why the honest answer is easier to give.
A smile makeover is a sequence of visits, not a single procedure, and it starts with a consultation you leave holding the price in writing. How many visits follow depends on which treatments end up in your treatment plan.
Dentique Dental Care has not published a visit count or a week count for cosmetic work, so this page states neither.
At the first visit, Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj examines your teeth and gums, you say what you would change, and the price is confirmed in writing before you leave. Treatment planning here runs without pressure, so the decision is yours to make in your own time.
An examination, and you say what you would change. You leave that visit with the price in writing.
How many visits this takes depends on which treatment is in the plan.
Dental anxiety is common, it is more common still among people who have put off going for a long time, and at Dentique Dental Care it is planned for rather than worked around. Two sedation options are available: nitrous oxide, which most people know as laughing gas, and oral conscious sedation, which is a pill to relax you.
If you haven’t been to a dentist in years, that is not something you have to explain or apologise for. No comment gets made about how long it has been. That is what no judgment means here, and patients say so unprompted.
[add how it is administered and how quickly it wears off]
No remark is made about how long it has been.
The cost of cosmetic dentistry depends on which treatment you have and how many teeth are involved, which is why the figure that matters is the one written down for you at the consultation and confirmed in writing before anything starts. Elective cosmetic treatment is usually not covered by dental insurance, because it is elective.
National average figures published by CareCredit on 7 March 2025, from research carried out by ASQ360 across the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2023 and 2024, put porcelain veneers at about $1,765 per tooth, dental bonding at about $431 per tooth, and teeth whitening at about $583. Every one of those is a national average. None of them is a Dentique Dental Care price.
| Treatment | What it typically costs nationally | What decides your price |
|---|---|---|
| Porcelain veneers | About $1,765 per tooth (national average) | How many teeth, and the porcelain used |
| Dental bonding | About $431 per tooth (national average) | How many teeth, and how much shaping is needed |
| Teeth whitening | About $583 (national average) | In-office or take-home trays |
Dentique Dental Care works with most major PPO plans, including Delta Dental, MetLife, Cigna, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare, Guardian, and Humana. Elective cosmetic work is usually not covered by dental insurance.
CareCredit, Cherry, and Sunbit are available if you would rather spread the cost.
Porcelain veneers are permanent, because a thin layer of enamel is removed so the veneer can be fitted and enamel does not grow back. Dental bonding is the repairable option, since composite is added to the tooth rather than cutting enamel away to make room, and teeth whitening changes nothing about the tooth structurally.
No year figure appears on this page until one can be sourced from a named clinical body and cited.
Porcelain veneers are permanent, because a thin layer of enamel is removed so the veneer can be fitted and enamel does not grow back, which is why this decision deserves more thought than the price does. Veneers get replaced eventually, and how long any one set lasts depends on the bite and on the care it gets.
Some people do regret veneers. The part worth weighing before you agree to anything is that the enamel removed to fit a veneer does not come back, so choosing veneers is also choosing to keep replacing them. No-pressure treatment planning exists at this practice for precisely that reason.
Tooth decay can still start at the margin, where the veneer meets the tooth, which is why routine checkups carry on after cosmetic work rather than stopping.
Normal eating and drinking carry on after cosmetic work, with the usual care about staining and about biting hard things with the front teeth.
Dentique Dental Care runs on one dentist. Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj, DDS, FDOCS, FICOI has been in practice for more than 30 years and rotates between the Downers Grove and Lemont offices, so the person who plans your cosmetic work is the person who carries it out. Some patients here have been with him 15, 20, and 25 years.
Patients volunteer, unprompted, that they were not upsold, which is what no-pressure treatment planning looks like from the chair rather than on a page.
The person who plans the work does the work.
Across both offices.
Patients say so unprompted.
Before anything starts.
A cosmetic dentist is a general dentist who has trained further in treatments that change how teeth look. The American Dental Association does not list cosmetic dentistry as a dental specialty, so training and case history tell you more than the title does.
It depends on which treatments are involved and how many teeth, so no total is published here. As national averages, CareCredit puts porcelain veneers at about $1,765 per tooth, dental bonding at about $431 per tooth, and teeth whitening at about $583. Your own figure is confirmed in writing at the consultation.
Porcelain veneers are replaced eventually and dental bonding can be repaired, so the answer is measured in years rather than permanence. No year figure is published on this page until one can be sourced from a named clinical body and cited.
Age is not the deciding factor. Gum and bone health is, and that gets assessed at the consultation before any cosmetic plan is made.
Some people do. The enamel removed to fit a veneer does not grow back, so choosing porcelain veneers is also choosing to keep replacing them, and that is the part to weigh before agreeing to anything.
Elective cosmetic work is usually not covered by dental insurance. Dentique Dental Care works with most major PPO plans, including Delta Dental, MetLife, Cigna, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare, Guardian, and Humana, and CareCredit, Cherry, and Sunbit are available if you would rather pay over time.
Yes. Nitrous oxide, which most people call laughing gas, and oral conscious sedation, which is a pill to relax you, are both available at the Downers Grove and Lemont offices, and nobody comments on how long it has been since your last visit.
Invisalign, yes. Dentique Dental Care offers Invisalign clear aligners, and whether they suit your case is assessed at the consultation.
A cosmetic dentist is a general dentist who has trained further in treatments that change how teeth look. The American Dental Association does not list cosmetic dentistry as a dental specialty, so training and case history tell you more than the title does.
It depends on which treatments are involved and how many teeth, so no total is published here. As national averages, CareCredit puts porcelain veneers at about $1,765 per tooth, dental bonding at about $431 per tooth, and teeth whitening at about $583. Your own figure is confirmed in writing at the consultation.
Porcelain veneers are replaced eventually and dental bonding can be repaired, so the answer is measured in years rather than permanence. No year figure is published on this page until one can be sourced from a named clinical body and cited.
Age is not the deciding factor. Gum and bone health is, and that gets assessed at the consultation before any cosmetic plan is made.
Some people do. The enamel removed to fit a veneer does not grow back, so choosing porcelain veneers is also choosing to keep replacing them, and that is the part to weigh before agreeing to anything.
Elective cosmetic work is usually not covered by dental insurance. Dentique Dental Care works with most major PPO plans, including Delta Dental, MetLife, Cigna, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare, Guardian, and Humana, and CareCredit, Cherry, and Sunbit are available if you would rather pay over time.
Yes. Nitrous oxide, which most people call laughing gas, and oral conscious sedation, which is a pill to relax you, are both available at the Downers Grove and Lemont offices, and nobody comments on how long it has been since your last visit.
Invisalign, yes. Dentique Dental Care offers Invisalign clear aligners, and whether they suit your case is assessed at the consultation.
Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj DDS FDOCS FICOI is the dentist at Dentique Dental Care, and he wrote and reviewed this page. He has been in practice for more than 30 years and works across both offices, in Downers Grove and Lemont.
DDS is his dental degree. FDOCS is a Fellowship of DOCS Education, the sedation-focused fellowship. FICOI is a Fellowship of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.
Get the smile you deserve today!