FACE Dentistry in Beverly Hills: Dr. Joseph Goodman's Face-Driven Method for Recessed Jaws, Small Chins, and Overbite, Underbite, and Crossbite Correction Without Surgery
Dr. Joseph Goodman's FACE Dentistry in Beverly Hills tests a new jaw and bite position first, then holds it, to improve the chin and profile without surgery.
A New Approach to Facial Aesthetics
Dr. Joseph Goodman, DDS, DMD, is a cosmetic and restorative dentist in Beverly Hills, California. He has practiced for 27 years from his office on South Beverly Drive.
He trained in Germany and the United States. He earned his DMD from the University of Aachen in 1996, graduating magna cum laude, and later completed his DDS at the UCLA School of Dentistry after moving to the United States. His Haute MD profile also lists advanced postgraduate training at UCLA and USC.
He has placed more than 15,000 porcelain veneers and crowns, and he has served as a court-appointed dental expert. This article focuses on one part of his work, Face-Driven Dentistry, which he calls FACE Dentistry.
For decades, cosmetic dentistry has focused primarily on creating beautiful smiles. Porcelain veneers, crowns, teeth whitening, and smile makeovers have transformed the way people look and feel. But what if dentistry could accomplish something beyond improving the appearance of teeth? What if the position of the bite and jaw could influence the appearance of the entire lower face?
That is the philosophy behind FACE Dentistry, an innovative, facially driven approach developed and championed by Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist Dr. Joseph Goodman, who believes that dentistry should consider not only the smile but also the structural relationships that contribute to facial harmony.
With more than 27 years of experience in Beverly Hills and a professional background spanning Germany, the United States, and international cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Goodman has developed an approach that brings together advanced restorative dentistry, bite analysis, jaw positioning, and facial aesthetics.
His concept is both simple and ambitious: The teeth are only one part of the face. The position of the jaws, the relationship of the bite, and the support provided by the dental structures can be equally important to the overall appearance.
Beyond Cosmetic Dentistry: Treating the Face, Not Just the Teeth
Traditional cosmetic dentistry asks an important question: How can we make this smile more beautiful?
FACE Dentistry introduces another question: How can we improve the relationship between the smile, jawline, chin, and overall facial proportions?
A patient may have perfectly straight, white teeth yet still feel dissatisfied with a recessed chin, an underdeveloped-looking lower jaw, a deep bite, or a facial profile that appears out of balance.
In certain individuals, these concerns may be influenced partly by the relationship between the upper and lower teeth and the functional position of the mandible.
FACE Dentistry evaluates these relationships before determining how a smile makeover should be designed.
"Beautiful teeth are important, but they are only part of the equation," explains Dr. Goodman. "My philosophy is to look at the entire face. We evaluate how the teeth, bite, jawline, and chin work together, rather than treating the teeth in isolation."
The Method: Understanding the Relationship Between the Bite and the Face
At the center of FACE Dentistry is a comprehensive evaluation of the patient's bite, facial proportions, jaw function, and mandibular position.
The process may involve digital imaging, facial photography, bite analysis, jaw-motion evaluation, and assessment of the temporomandibular joints and surrounding muscles.
For selected patients, Dr. Goodman explores whether a different functional relationship between the upper and lower jaws can be established comfortably and predictably.
For example, an individual with a recessed lower jaw appearance and a significant overjet may have a mandibular position that can be brought forward under controlled clinical conditions.
When appropriate, a carefully designed temporary appliance, which he calls TMJtrac, or a provisional restoration may be used to evaluate the proposed position before proceeding with definitive treatment.
Dr. Goodman describes this stage as a "test drive" for the patient's new bite and facial appearance.
Rather than immediately committing to permanent dental restorations, the patient has an opportunity to experience the proposed changes while the dentist evaluates comfort, function, muscle response, and joint tolerance.
The goal is not simply to create a different appearance. It is to identify a functional position that may also produce a more balanced facial profile.
Importantly, repositioning the lower jaw through dental appliances or restorations is not the same as surgically advancing the jawbones. The extent and long-term stability of any change depend on the patient's anatomy, dental condition, joint health, and treatment plan.
The Aesthetic Impact: Chin, Jawline, and Facial Balance
The lower third of the face plays a significant role in how facial beauty is perceived.
The relationship between the nose, lips, chin, and jawline influences the appearance of the profile. A retruded lower jaw or an excessively closed bite can sometimes contribute to a less defined lower facial appearance.
By evaluating vertical bite dimensions, tooth positioning, and the relationship between the upper and lower jaws, FACE Dentistry seeks opportunities to improve both dental function and facial aesthetics.
Depending on the individual case, treatment may help:
- Improve the appearance of a recessed chin or lower jaw.
- Create a more harmonious relationship between the lips, chin, and facial profile.
- Improve the appearance of a deep bite, excessive overjet, or certain other bite discrepancies.
- Restore lost vertical dental support in patients with worn or collapsed bites.
- Develop a broader, more proportionate smile that complements the face.
These improvements do not occur in every patient, and FACE Dentistry is not a substitute for every orthognathic surgery when significant skeletal correction is necessary.
Nevertheless, for carefully selected individuals, dental treatment may offer vast aesthetic improvements that extend beyond the teeth themselves.
A Non-Surgical Philosophy With a Surgical-Level Appreciation of Facial Proportions
Plastic surgeons have long evaluated facial beauty through the relationships between the nose, lips, chin, and jaw.
FACE Dentistry applies a similarly comprehensive aesthetic perspective to dental treatment, while working within the biological and functional limits of dentistry.
Rather than automatically focusing on isolated cosmetic concerns, Dr. Goodman considers whether the underlying dental relationships are contributing to the patient's appearance.
In some cases, patients considering a chin implant, facial filler, or other cosmetic procedures may benefit from a dental and bite evaluation before deciding on treatment.
FACE Dentistry does not claim to replace facial plastic surgery. Instead, it introduces another perspective: certain concerns about facial appearance may have a dental or functional component worth investigating.
Cosmetic Dentistry Remains the Foundation
Despite its expanded focus, FACE Dentistry remains firmly rooted in sophisticated cosmetic and restorative dentistry.
Dr. Goodman continues to provide porcelain veneers, crowns, bridges, comprehensive smile makeovers, and full-mouth rehabilitation.
The distinction is that these treatments can be designed around a broader facial plan.
A traditional smile makeover might focus on tooth color, shape, length, and symmetry.
A facially driven makeover considers those same details while also evaluating lip support, smile width, facial proportions, bite position, and the relationship of the lower jaw to the rest of the face.
In selected cases, restorations may be designed to help maintain an established therapeutic bite position. Such treatment requires careful planning, evaluation of the temporomandibular joints, and long-term consideration of the forces placed on the teeth and restorations.
For Dr. Goodman, the artistry of cosmetic dentistry lies not only in creating beautiful porcelain teeth but in understanding how those teeth belong within the architecture of the face.
From Beverly Hills to an International Vision
Dr. Goodman's approach reflects a career shaped by European dental education, advanced training in the United States, and experience with patients seeking sophisticated cosmetic treatment in Beverly Hills and internationally, including connections to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.
His experience with complex cosmetic cases has reinforced his belief that a truly exceptional result should look natural not only when the patient smiles but also when the face is at rest and viewed in profile.
"The goal is not to give everyone the same smile or the same face," says Dr. Goodman. "The goal is to understand each person's unique anatomy and create the most harmonious result possible."
The Future of Facial Aesthetics May Include the Dentist
As cosmetic medicine becomes increasingly focused on individualized, comprehensive treatment, the boundaries between dental aesthetics and facial aesthetics are receiving greater attention.
FACE Dentistry represents Dr. Goodman's vision of that evolution: an approach in which cosmetic dentistry, functional bite rehabilitation, and facial analysis are considered together.
It is a philosophy that begins with the teeth but does not end there.
Because sometimes, transforming a smile is only the beginning of transforming the way a face looks.
About Dr. Joseph Goodman
Dr. Joseph Goodman, DDS, DMD, is a Beverly Hills cosmetic and restorative dentist with more than 27 years of experience. Educated in Germany and the United States, including UCLA, he focuses on porcelain veneers, comprehensive smile makeovers, full-mouth rehabilitation, and his facially driven treatment philosophy known as FACE Dentistry, or Face-Driven Dentistry.
FACE Dentistry: The Art and Science of Face-Driven Dentistry
Dr. Joseph Goodman, DDS, DMD
241 1/2 S. Beverly Drive, Suite 201, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 860-9311
www.TopBeverlyHillsDentist.com