I’ve been looking into getting a smile makeover with Lumineers. While the ads look good, it seems some patients have had horrible experiences. Several have mentioned they feel like they now have horse teeth. Does this mean I’d be putting my teeth at risk with Lumineers? How do you know if you’ll be a good case or a bad one? Is there a better alternative?
Derek
Dear Derek,
I’m glad you wrote. You had some great questions. You should know up front that Lumineers are just one brand of porcelain veneers. There are many options. This particular brand has a large marketing campaign, which is why more people know about them specifically. Unfortunately, they are also highly marketed as being easy to place because they can be done without any tooth preparation. There are two problems with this.
First, some teeth need preparation, even with ultra-thin “no-prep” veneers. Without that, their teeth will end up looking bulky. These are probably the patients referring to their results as “horse teeth.” The second problem is there is a lot more knowledge, skill, and artistry necessary to make porcelain veneers look beautiful than just the tooth preparation.
Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty; nor are smile makeovers taught in dental school. What this boils down to is any dentist can call himself a cosmetic dentist, regardless of the amount of training they have (or have not) invested in. There are countless cosmetic dentistry horror stories by patients who ended up with a smile worse than the one they came in to improve.
So, what is a patient to do?
In your place, I would begin by looking at the smile gallery the dentist has on their website. This should have before and after pictures of cosmetic cases they’ve done themselves. If they don’t have a smile gallery, then they are not serious about doing cosmetic dentistry and you should look elsewhere. If you love (not like) what you see on their smile gallery, then I would take the extra precaution of calling the office to ensure that these are images of work this dentist has done and not just stock images.
Finally, I would make sure they have some type of beautiful smile guarantee. This means the veneers will be placed on your teeth with a temporary try-in paste. You should then get to look at them in a variety of lighting. If you are thrilled with the results, then they can be permanently bonded on. However, if there is something you do not like, then the dentist should send them back to the lab and make the changes you want. They should never be bonded on until you are thrilled with how they look on you.
I wouldn’t worry about which brand of porcelain veneers to use. The dentist should know each of their unique characteristics and which will fit your smile goal the best. Instead, focus on finding the right dentist to do your smile makeover.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.