I don’t have any big problems with my teeth, but I’ve always wanted to have a really stunning smile. For this reason, I’ve decided to do 10 porcelain veneers on my top teeth. A couple of the teeth are a little crooked, but mostly I want that beautiful, white, bright smile you see on Hollywood celebrities. I really “after” pictures they show in the Lumineers ads, but my dentist says he doesn’t want to use those, since they will make my teeth look bulky.
My dentist is all for doing the veneers (he’s going to make plenty of money on me!), but he wants me to undergo treatment with Invisalign first. I looked up Invisalign, and found out they were invisible braces. I don’t understand why he wants to do this. My teeth aren’t that crooked, and anyway I thought porcelain veneers were supposed to be the ultimate quick fix for crooked or ugly teeth.
He said the Invisalign treatment would take like 9 months to complete! I don’t want to wait that long to get my veneers, plus the extra expense. All my dentist really said about it was that after treating with Invisalign, the drilling to place my veneers would be minimal. I don’t really understand what he means by that.
Can you tell me what to do?
Marissa in Orlando
Dear Marissa,
You need a second opinion. It is quite unusual for a dentist to recommend BOTH porcelain veneers and Invisalign. Of course, without seeing the condition of your teeth, it is impossible to say why your dentist might be making this recommendation, so it is imperative that you get another opinion who is unaware of the recommendations of the first dentist. Perhaps you have a serious bite problem, or a crowding issue. These kinds of issues might not be readily apparent to a lay person, but your dentist should have explained to you in detail why he was recommending this unusual dual treatment.
It is true that porcelain veneers can mask crooked teeth so that they look straight, so there must be some other reason he wants to do the Invisalign. Though you could get nice results from using Invisalign to straighten your teeth and then doing a teeth whitening treatment, it sounds as if you are eager to get this accomplished.
I do like that your current dentist was up front with you about the results with Lumineers. The “drilling” he is referring to likely means the shaving that is necessary to place most porcelain veneers. Lumineers are a “no prep” veneers, so the shaving is supposedly not necessary, but often the results are bulky, exactly as your dentist states.
In either case, you really need to talk to a dentist that will give you thorough, detailed information about your options so you can make an informed decision.