Dentist Ruined My Lumineers

I need some help. I asked my dentist to recommend a cosmetic dentist. He said there aren’t actually cosmetic dentists, that all dentists are cosmetic dentists. That surprised me, but I took him at his word. Now I’m wondering if that was a mistake. I wanted a smile makeover. We discussed what I was looking for. One of the features I said was quite important to me was to have a very white smile. When I got my Lumineers he bonded them on before I could look at them. I was so disappointed to find they weren’t white. When I asked him about it he said he put a stain on them so they’d look natural. I was so upset because we’d discussed this ahead of time. I reminded him of our agreement. I mean, if I wanted a stained “natural” looking smile, why would I have spent all this money on a smile makeover? He said he could fix it. But his fix was to drill off the stain. Now my teeth look really dull. What do I do? I’m worried he ruined them.

Tina

Dear Tina,

Lumineers advertisement containing a woman smiling, a Lumineer being held up with a dental tool, and one compared with a contact lens.

First, Let’s go over what your dentist meant by there are no cosmetic dentists. In a way he’s right. There isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry with the American Dental Association. That means that every general dentist can technically call themselves a cosmetic dentist if they practice cosmetic procedures. However, that doesn’t mean they all have the same skills. It’s obvious your dentist doesn’t. Lumineers are often marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place. That gives many dentists a confidence they shouldn’t have.

What Your Lumineers Dentist Did Wrong

The fact that your dentist made so many mistakes is actually going to work in your favor, especially his last mistake. You see, the standard for cosmetic dentistry is that it’s functional. Yours would have been until he took the glazing off. That saved you. Once he removed the glazing, they were ruined. Now you get to get a refund. He made two other mistakes too, but those wouldn’t have given you a refund.

First, he shouldn’t have put a stain on them. That went against your specific instructions. I know why he did it, though. He was trained as a general dentist and apparently hasn’t had hardly any training in cosmetic work. In general dental school, students are taught they know better than the patient. So, your dentist thought your teeth needed to look “natural”. He was sure he knew better than you. That’s not how a dentist who’s invested a lot of time training in cosmetic work would behave. They know it’s about the patient and how they want their smile.

The second thing he did wrong was bond them on before letting you get a good look at them. In fact, he should have had you try them on with a temporary try-in paste so you could see how exactly they looked and given your approval. This way you would have been able to say, “No. They’re stained.” and had him fix them before they were bonded.

The third we’ve already talked about. With the glaze removed, your Lumineers will quickly begin to pick up stains. They need to be replaced. In your case, I’d get a refund instead of having the same dentist redo the Lumineers. However, be aware another dentist may suggest a different brand of porcelain veneers they think will look more beautiful with the type of smile you want. Also, make sure you go to a cosmetic dentist who has a beautiful smile guarantee.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Steven Collins.