Making the Decision to Improve Your Smile
For many adults, the hesitation around cosmetic dentistry is less about the treatments themselves and more about not knowing where to start. The American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute has documented that attitudes toward improving oral health and smile appearance are consistent across income levels and age groups, meaning the desire to address dental concerns is broadly shared, even when patients delay acting on it.
At Richard Hardt’s Live Oak Dental Group, the first step is simply a conversation. Dr. Hardt takes the time to look at the full picture of a patient’s smile and explain what is achievable, at what pace, and at what cost, so patients leave the consultation with a clear plan rather than a vague sense of what might be possible. No treatment is recommended before that conversation is complete.
Cosmetic Treatments Available in Westfield
Our Porterville office is equipped to handle the full range of cosmetic concerns, and treatment is always sequenced around what matters most to the patient. The following services are among those we provide most frequently.
Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are precision-crafted ceramic shells bonded to the front face of the teeth. Each one is designed individually, matched in color, shape, and translucency to what looks right for that patient’s specific smile and face. For patients with several cosmetic concerns at once, veneers resolve them in a single phase of treatment, delivering a result that looks like the patient’s natural teeth, simply at their best.
Dental Bonding
Dental bonding applies a tooth-colored composite resin directly to the surface of a tooth to repair chips, close small gaps, smooth uneven edges, or correct minor discoloration. The material is shaped and polished chairside, typically in a single appointment with no removal of healthy enamel required. For patients with one or two specific concerns rather than a full-smile transformation in mind, bonding is one of the most efficient and conservative paths to a meaningful result.
Teeth Whitening with Custom Trays
Tooth color shifts gradually over time in ways that are easy to overlook until a photo makes them obvious. Our teeth whitening program fits each patient with custom-molded trays and a professional-strength agent calibrated for even, thorough coverage. Patients use the trays at home on their own schedule, and because the trays are theirs to keep, maintaining the result over time is simple and affordable.
Teeth Whitening with Custom Trays
For patients whose goals involve more than a single service, a smile makeover removes the guesswork from deciding where to start. Rather than approaching each concern independently, Dr. Hardt builds a single sequenced plan that accounts for how treatments interact, ensuring whitening is done before bonding, alignment is addressed before veneers, and the final result works as a whole rather than a collection of individual fixes.
What the right cosmetic treatment looks like depends entirely on the individual, and we take time at every consultation to make sure that is reflected in the plan.
Diagnostics That Support Better Cosmetic Outcomes
Cosmetic results depend as much on thorough diagnosis as on technical skill. Our practice uses Overjet AI alongside CEREC technology to support accurate, evidence-backed treatment planning. Overjet AI analyzes radiographic images to identify areas of concern that might not be visible on examination alone, ensuring cosmetic work is built on a healthy foundation. CEREC then handles the fabrication side, designing and milling ceramic restorations in-house for a precise fit and color match in a single visit.
Together, these tools give Dr. Hardt and Dr. Cruz the diagnostic picture and fabrication precision that cosmetic work requires, and patients benefit from both in every case.
Choose Richard Hardt's Live Oak Dental Group for Westfield Patients
Richard Hardt’s Live Oak Dental Group has earned the Porterville Recorder Reader’s Choice Award for Best Dentist for multiple consecutive years, a distinction that speaks to the sustained trust this community has placed in this practice. Dr. Hardt brings Loma Linda University training and more than 34 years of smile-building experience to every cosmetic case, with a particular focus on results that feel natural and hold up over time. Dr. Cruz, honored with the Excellence in Academic Achievement Award at Loma Linda University, provides bilingual care in English and Spanish and brings precise clinical judgment to every treatment plan she contributes to.
Dr. Jackson Lewis, a Porterville native who completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery at Loma Linda University, brings a personal connection to this community that goes back generations, and his commitment to the people of this area shapes how every patient is treated from the first appointment forward. CareCredit financing and an in-house membership plan are both available through our practice, keeping cosmetic care within reach regardless of insurance status. Use our contact form to schedule a consultation with Dr. Hardt, Dr. Cruz, and Dr. Jackson Lewis and start the conversation about what your smile could look like.