I’m about to cry. I paid a fortune to get a beautiful smile with porcelain veneers and I’ve got anything but. I have four veneers and three different colored teeth. My original teeth are yellowish. Then, there are the four porcelain veneers. The two front teeth were fine at first, but now have turned a grayish color and it hasn’t even been that long since they were placed. The other two have stayed their original color but one of them is crooked. She (my dentist) said she’s going to fix that one. Great! But, when I mentioned the graying teeth she said she’d thicken those veneers for me. I’m worried about that. Won’t my teeth look even more different from one another? What do I do?
Elaine
Dear Elaine,
The biggest thing you are up against here is a dentist who is in over her head. Doing smile makeovers aren’t taught in dental school. I’m sure she had good intentions, but to be skilled in these procedures takes years of post-doctoral training and practice. She doesn’t seem to have invested in this training. This is obvious to me from a few factors in how she handled your porcelain veneers case.
Let’s start with the visible original teeth. You said they’re yellowish, which I’m assuming is their regular color. You obviously want any teeth which are visible when you smile to match the color of your porcelain veneers otherwise your smile will look ridiculous.
To accomplish this, some dentists will put six to ten veneers, depending on the width of the patient’s smile. However, not every person can afford that. A second option is to still get four veneers, but whiten your teeth before having the porcelain veneers done. At least that way, they’ll be the same color and will blend much better. This can be done in one appointment with Zoom Whitening.
Next, you said one of them is crooked. It seems to me that you had to point that out to her and now she’s going to fix it. Why didn’t your dentist notice one was crooked and fix it on the spot? Why send you home with a crooked veneer? Was she just hoping you wouldn’t notice?
The graying teeth could be dangerous. Whatever you do, DON’T allow her to add bulk to your veneers. If it were underlying color showing through, they wouldn’t have looked fine at first. Even if it was underlying color, adding bulk is the wrong solution. In that case, you prepare the tooth slightly deeper and then add an opaquer to make them the same depth and equal in color.
Yours weren’t originally gray looking, but turned that way. What I think you have going on here is some microleakage. It sounds to me as if the bonding isn’t strong and some things are getting between your veneer and your natural teeth. This is going to lead to decay.
Fixing a Disastrous Smile Makeover
I don’t think your dentist can handle this. I’m going to suggest you ask for a refund and go to a true cosmetic dentist. Go to aacd.com and see if there is an accredited cosmetic dentist in a reasonable distance from you. The accredited part is important. These are the top cosmetic dentists in their field and can give you a stunning smile.
If you can’t find one at a reasonable distance, you can also try mynewsmile.com This site doesn’t allow dentists to just pay to be listed. Instead, they check the cosmetic training of the dentists, as well as ask to see some of their work to ensure they achieve beautiful results.
The dentists they list are highly skilled with an artistic eye and can also give you a gorgeous smile you’ll be proud to share.
Best of luck to you!
This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.