Natural Cosmetic Dentistry in Overland Park, KS
Veneers, bonding and cosmetic crowns planned around how your bite works, hand-layered at a small ceramics studio in West Hollywood, and fitted by the same dentist who has practiced at 109th and Roe since 2004.
Overland Park Dental Design provides cosmetic dentistry in Overland Park, Kansas, including porcelain veneers, dental bonding, cosmetic crowns, teeth whitening and full smile makeovers. Dr. Patrick B. Lillis, DDS, plans every cosmetic case around bite function first, and the practice's ceramics are hand-layered at a small studio in West Hollywood, California. The practice also corrects cosmetic work done at other offices.
“We want to put the teeth in the face. A successful case for us is when someone looks at you and thinks, her teeth look gorgeous. Did she have something done? And they can't tell.”
- One dentist, one location, privately owned since 2004
- Two-year AEGD residency, UMKC School of Dentistry
- Ceramics hand-layered at a small West Hollywood studio
- Faculty for Seattle Study Club
- 5.0 on Google
- Second opinions on cosmetic work done elsewhere
Which cosmetic dental treatment do you need?
| What you see in the mirror | What usually solves it | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Teeth that look short, narrow, or worn flat at the edges | Porcelain veneers, sometimes cosmetic crowns where the tooth is weak | Porcelain veneers |
| A gap between the front teeth, or dark triangles where the gum has receded | Veneers or bonding that close the space with ceramic or composite | Porcelain veneers |
| One chipped or oddly shaped tooth on an otherwise healthy smile | Dental bonding, done in one visit | Dental bonding |
| An old crown that shows a dark line, or a front tooth crown that does not match | A cosmetic crown, hand-layered to match the teeth beside it | Cosmetic crowns |
| Teeth that are healthy and straight but dull or yellowed | Whitening, in office or at home | Teeth whitening |
| Several problems at once, or you want the whole smile redone | A planned smile makeover that combines veneers, crowns and bonding in one sequence | Smile makeover |
| Veneers or crowns from another office that chipped, look too white, or never felt right | A second opinion that starts with the diagnosis, then a redesign | Cosmetic second opinion |
| Teeth worn down across the whole mouth, with jaw or chewing problems too | Full mouth rehabilitation, which rebuilds the bite and the smile together | Full mouth rehabilitation |
Not sure which row is you? Book a consultation
What natural cosmetic dentistry means here
Teeth are sized and shaped for your face. The ceramic captures the small variations in color and translucency that real enamel has, rather than a single flat shade from a stock tab. The finished smile is one a stranger notices without being able to say what changed.
“They don't want chiclets. They want teeth that look like teeth. Pretty, but natural.”
A large share of the people who come here for cosmetic work are forty or older. Many of them have seen a friend's veneers, decided they never wanted that, and put the idea away for years. What went wrong with the friend's case was almost always the laboratory and the planning.
In most cosmetic cases, the problem is shape more than color. It might be a front tooth that looks too short because the edge has worn, or a space that opened between two teeth as the gum pulled back, or a smile that reads as narrow because the side teeth sit in shadow.
Ceramic closes those spaces and rebuilds those edges, and when the work is planned and made correctly, it looks like teeth, and it lasts.
Why our cosmetic cases start with the bite
“Function is always first. Cosmetics are a byproduct of proper function. When you reverse that, bad things happen.”
When a smile is designed for looks alone and the way the teeth meet gets ignored, two things follow. The ceramic starts chipping and cracking, because the bite is loading it in ways it was never built to take. And the teeth stop looking like they belong in the face, because they were shaped to a photograph instead of to a jaw.
Dr. Lillis took over the Overland Park practice of Bernie Williams, who lectured internationally on TMJ and occlusion, and he trained for two years under attending faculty at UMKC on complex reconstructive cases. So a cosmetic plan here starts with records: photographs, intraoral scans, and a record of how your jaw moves and how your teeth come together. The design comes after that, and it is built to survive the way you chew and clench.
That is also why this practice takes on the cosmetic cases that involve worn teeth, an uneven bite, or old dental work, where a straight veneer case would be the wrong answer. If the bite is the real problem, the honest plan may be full mouth rehabilitation rather than veneers, and you will hear that at the first visit.
Where your veneers and crowns are made
Dr. Lillis has worked with the same ceramist for over a decade. The studio is in West Hollywood, California, and it is small on purpose: five or six technicians, all of them on high-end ceramic work, no advertising, no social media, and a client list the owner chooses himself.
Ceramic from this studio is built up in layers by hand, and each layer has to cool before the next one goes on. That is slower and more expensive than the pressed or milled work a high-volume laboratory turns around, and it is the reason the finished tooth has depth instead of a painted-on surface.
“My technician is two things. He's not cheap, and he's not fast. He's not fast because he builds the ceramic in layers.”
The same studio develops printing and scanning workflows with SprintRay, so the techniques used in this office tend to arrive a year or two ahead of the rest of the market. And because the finished work ships back to Kansas, patients here pay Kansas City fees for it.
How a cosmetic case works at Overland Park Dental Design
You approve your new smile on a screen, then wear it in temporary form, and the final ceramic is made to match what you already approved.
- 01
Records first
Photographs, intraoral scans, and a record of how your jaw moves and how your teeth meet. Dr. Lillis looks at the whole system, the teeth, the joints, the muscles, and the airway, rather than the six teeth that show when you smile.
- 02
A diagnosis, explained
You hear what is going on and why, in plain terms. If a veneer case is the right answer, you hear that. If it is the wrong answer, you hear that too.
- 03
Options with real numbers
Usually two or three treatment paths, each with a cost, so you decide rather than react.
- 04
Digital design
Your records go to the design team the practice works with in California, and a design file comes back, typically within about half an hour.
- 05
Printed, then in your mouth
The design is printed as models on the 3D printers in the practice's own laboratory, then transferred into temporaries you wear and live with. You leave with the smile you saw on the screen.
- 06
You approve it, then it gets made
If something about the temporaries isn't right, the design changes at this stage. Once you sign off, the ceramist builds the final restorations to match the temporaries you have already worn.
“They leave with the same design that they saw on the computer. The final restorations are a replica of the temporaries.”
Nothing at the end of a case catches you off guard. The patient who sees the finished veneers and says “this is different from what I approved” is the thing this process exists to prevent.
Cosmetic dental treatments in Overland Park
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Porcelain veneers
Thin ceramic shells bonded to the front of the teeth to change their shape, length, and color. Most veneer cases here are minimal-prep, meaning far less tooth is removed than when Dr. Lillis started practicing, and the planning is what decides whether they look like teeth or like a set.
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Dental bonding
Tooth-colored composite shaped directly on the tooth in a single visit, used for a chip, a small gap, or one tooth that never matched the others. It costs less than a veneer and needs touching up sooner, and the skill of the person shaping it matters more than the material.
Dental bonding in Overland Park
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Cosmetic crowns
A crown covers the whole tooth, so it is the answer when a front tooth is cracked, heavily filled, or too weak for a veneer. Crowns here are made at the same West Hollywood studio as the veneers, layered to match the teeth next to them so the dark line and the flat color of an older crown do not show up.
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Teeth whitening
For teeth that are healthy and well-shaped but have dulled, whitening is the simplest cosmetic treatment there is. It is also the first step in a bigger case, because ceramic is matched to the color of the teeth around it.
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Smile makeover
When several things need changing at once, the treatments get planned together as one sequence rather than tooth by tooth. A smile makeover here can combine veneers, crowns, bonding, and whitening, and it follows the same design-and-approve process as every other case.
Fixing cosmetic dentistry done somewhere else
“Every case I fix goes right back to the diagnosis. The diagnosis wasn't correct, and that's a domino effect.”
Veneers have become an easy procedure to advertise and a hard one to do well. A growing share of the cosmetic work that comes through this practice was done first at another office: veneers that chipped within a couple of years, a front crown that never matched, or a set of teeth that look too white and too uniform for the face they are in.
When Dr. Lillis takes one of these cases apart, the material is rarely the problem. The plan misread how the bite worked, or the ceramic was made to a stock shade, or both. So a redo starts where the first attempt should have started, with records, a diagnosis, and a design you approve in temporary form. That might mean replacing two veneers, or it might mean finding out the case was never a veneer case at all.
General dentists across Kansas City send patients here when a case falls outside what they want to take on, and some of the patients in this practice are dentists themselves.
How long cosmetic dentistry lasts
“If you bought a Porsche 911, you still change the oil, and at some point the engine needs work. Veneers are the same. You bought a really nice luxury good, and eventually that luxury good needs service.”
Patients sometimes arrive believing a set of veneers placed at thirty will last the rest of their life. That is not how ceramic bonded to a living tooth behaves, and you will hear that here at the first visit rather than at year twelve.
A systematic review in the International Journal of Prosthodontics found porcelain veneers survive at about 96% after five years, with ten-year results ranging from 64% to 95% across studies. The material is the same everywhere, so that spread in the ten-year numbers comes down to the planning, the bite, and the laboratory.
Bonding wears faster. A large practice-based study in the Journal of Dental Research put the annual failure rate of composite bonding on front teeth at about 4.6%, and found that the dentist doing the work changed that figure more than the material did.
Keeping cosmetic work in good shape is part of the normal hygiene visit here. Every hygiene appointment includes an intraoral scan that gets stored, so a chip, a change at the gumline, or wear on an edge gets caught while it is still a small repair.
“Layering expectations is vital to those cases. That doesn't mean we talk people out of it. Just the opposite. Go for it. But know what you're buying.”
The dentist behind the cosmetic work
Dr. Patrick B. Lillis was in his grandfather's dental laboratory at thirteen, waxing and casting. He still reads a lab case the way a technician does.
He earned his DDS at Creighton University and completed a two-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at the UMKC School of Dentistry, treating complex implant, cosmetic, and reconstructive cases under attending faculty. One of those attendings, Frank Gardner, helped develop the bonding techniques that made porcelain veneers predictable. Through him, Dr. Lillis joined the Overland Park practice of Bernie Williams, an international lecturer on TMJ and occlusion, and later took it over. This practice beta-tested the porcelain veneer cement now used worldwide.
He opened Overland Park Dental Design in July 2004, has practiced in Johnson County ever since, and teaches full arch treatment planning and digital workflows to other dentists as faculty for Seattle Study Club.
What our patients say
5.0 on Google · 32 reviews
A very professional doctor and staff. They also deliver very caring and compassionate care. I highly recommend this great cosmetic doctor with his great team!😀
I've been to a number of dentists over the years. This past year I had to have some major work done. Since it affected my smile, I really wanted a top-level dentist on the job. I also have extreme anxiety about having impressions made like when you need a crown.
First let me say that all the staff at Overland Park Dental Design. are friendly and helpful. Dr. Lillas is truly a top-tier highly skilled dentist with a support team to match. They also have some type of 3d scanning software that means I didn't have to have traditional impressions which was incredible.
My teeth look perfect and the process was super smooth and painless!
I highly recommend Overland Park Dental Design!
Dr. Lillis and his team are beyond amazing! From my first consultation to the end result I couldn't have asked for a better experience. They take care of you from the moment you walk in the door. Truly impressed with their concierge approach to dental care. Can't thank them enough!
What cosmetic dentistry costs in Overland Park
Cost depends on how many teeth are involved, whether the fix is bonding, veneers, or crowns, and whether the bite needs work first. So there is no single figure, and any office that quotes one over the phone is guessing.
What you get here is a written plan after the diagnostic visit, usually with more than one option at different price points, so you can choose what fits. The ceramics come from a studio whose work is priced at a premium in Los Angeles, and patients here pay Kansas fees for it.
Cosmetic dentist near Leawood, Prairie Village and Kansas City
The office is in the Foxhill Medical Building at 109th and Roe, on the line between Overland Park and Leawood. Cosmetic patients come from Leawood, Prairie Village, Mission Hills, Olathe, Lenexa and across the Kansas City metro, and a number of them are referred by their own dentist.
Overland Park Dental Design, Patrick B. Lillis, DDS4601 West 109th Street, Suite 318, Overland Park, KS 66211
(913) 451-7330
Cosmetic dentistry FAQs
What is natural cosmetic dentistry?
Natural cosmetic dentistry is cosmetic work planned so the finished teeth fit the patient's face and bite rather than a standard shade and shape. At Overland Park Dental Design that means hand-layered ceramic with the color variation of real enamel, teeth sized to the face, and a design built around how the jaw functions so the result looks like the patient's own teeth and holds up.
What is the difference between a cosmetic dentist and a regular dentist?
Cosmetic dentist is a description rather than a credential. Any licensed dentist can use it, which is why training and the laboratory matter more than the label. Dr. Lillis is a general dentist who completed a two-year AEGD residency at UMKC focused on complex restorative and cosmetic cases, has practiced in Overland Park since 2004, and teaches other dentists as faculty for Seattle Study Club.
How do I choose a cosmetic dentist in Overland Park?
Ask who makes the ceramic and where, whether the plan starts with records of your bite or with a shade guide, and whether you will see and wear the design in temporary form ahead of the final teeth. Those three answers tell you most of what you need to know.
How long do porcelain veneers last?
Well-planned porcelain veneers commonly last ten years and often longer, with published survival around 96% at five years and a wide range at ten. The bite, the laboratory, and the patient's habits decide where a case lands in that range. Veneers eventually need service the way any well-made object does, and that is part of the conversation at the first visit here.
Will my veneers look fake?
Not if they are planned for your face and made by hand. Veneers look fake when they come in one flat shade, when they are too white or too uniform for the face, and when they were designed for a photograph instead of a bite. The ceramics used here are layered by hand at a small studio in West Hollywood so each tooth carries the color variation and translucency of real enamel.
Can you fix veneers or bonding done at another office?
Yes. A growing share of the cosmetic work at this practice is correcting veneers, crowns and bonding placed elsewhere. The process starts with a fresh diagnosis and a design you approve in temporary form rather than remaking the same restoration.
Are veneers bad for your teeth?
A veneer that is well planned and bonded properly protects the tooth surface it covers. Most veneer cases here are minimal-prep, which removes far less enamel than older techniques. The damage people associate with veneers usually comes from heavy preparation, poor bonding, or a bite that was never checked, all of which are planning problems rather than a problem with veneers themselves.
What is the difference between veneers and bonding?
Bonding is composite resin shaped directly on the tooth in one visit, and it suits a single chip or small gap. Veneers are ceramic shells made in a laboratory and bonded to the tooth, and they suit changes in shape, length, and color across several teeth. Bonding costs less and wears sooner, while veneers cost more and last longer.
How much does cosmetic dentistry cost in Overland Park?
It depends on the number of teeth and whether the treatment is bonding, veneers, or crowns, so there is no single figure. After the diagnostic visit, you receive a written plan with costs, usually with more than one option.
Do you offer Invisalign or Botox?
No. The practice focuses on restorative and cosmetic dentistry, including veneers, bonding, cosmetic crowns, whitening, and full mouth rehabilitation. Patients who need orthodontics first are referred to an orthodontist Dr. Lillis works with, and the cosmetic plan is built around the result.
Book a cosmetic consultation in Overland Park
If there is something about your smile you have been putting off, or cosmetic work you paid for has not held up, the consultation gets you a diagnosis, a design, and real numbers. You decide from there.