I recently had porcelain veneers done. I wanted them white. At first my dentist argued with me saying it would not look natural but I knew what I wanted and suggested. When they were put on, I realized they do look fake. They are overly shiny and bright. They almost look like pieces of chicklet gum. When I talked to my dentist about changing them, he said he told me this would happen and I’d have to pay again. I’m willing to, but I’m also confused because I have seen pictures of porcelain veneers that are really white that look perfectly natural. Why are mine so fake?
Penny
Dear Penny,
I’ve got some good news for you, but I am going to tell you the bad news first. While it is your dentist’s fault that they do not look natural, it will be nearly impossible for you to get a refund. You can ask, but he said they wouldn’t look natural. You may luck out and get one, so it is always worth a try.
Let’s go over what went wrong. Look at the image above. Notice they have ridges as well as varying levels of opacity and translucency. It takes an expert cosmetic dentist to do this well. My guess is your porcelain veneers look flat. That adds to their over shiny nature. It’s also why they look fake. Believe it or not, one of the teeth in the images is fake. You can’t tell this because of the skill of the dentist who did the work.
Now for that good news that you are likely desperate for at this point. You can get the beautiful smile you want. You won’t be able to get it done with this dentist, though. Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty. It is up to the dentist whether and how much training they get. There are dentists who invest in a significant amount of training. The easiest way to find one of them is to get an AACD accredited dentist. These dentists are the top cosmetic dentists in the country.
This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.