I’ve wanted a smile makeover for a while. I had planned on getting porcelain veneers. My goal is to have a whiter, more attractive smile. I have one crooked tooth off to the side, but was under the impression that porcelain veneers could make teeth look straight. My dentist wants me to do a complete orthodontic treatment before getting the porcelain veneers. I do not think this one tooth is not worth two years of braces, Was I incorrect in how I thought porcelain veneers worked?
Adelaide
Dear Adelaide,
You are perfectly correct about the function of porcelain veneers. In the hands of a skilled cosmetic dentist, they can definitely make your teeth look straight. If you only have that one crooked tooth, I can understand your hesitancy to do braces. If the dentist is suggesting braces anyway, that tells me that he doesn’t feel confident in shaping the tooth. He must not have a lot of training with porcelain veneers. It is best you know this now because if you move forward with him, there is no guarantee that you will have a good outcome. There are countless cosmetic dentistry horror stories that testify to the fact that a cosmetic dentist needs to be chosen carefully.
However, I am thinking I can save you a ton of money and still give you the bright, white smile you want. Other than that one tooth, you didn’t mention any desire to reshape your smile; just to make it whiter. You can do that with Invisalign and teeth whitening. Invisalign is not like traditional braces. Instead of those old metal wires and brackets, Invisalign uses clear aligners. They are more comfortable and truly invisible, even at a conversational distance. In addition, they typically work in half the time as traditional braces.
Now, here is the best benefit for you. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. This means you can get that bright, white smile you want with straight teeth at a fraction of the cost. This will also prevent any porcelain veneer disaster from an inexperienced cosmetic dentist.
This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Patel.