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What REALLY Needs to be Done Before Porcelain Veneers?

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I plan on getting a smile makeover with porcelain veneers. I told my dentist I want a very white smile and I want my two front teeth straight. Right now one of them slightly overlaps the other. He wants me to have both teeth whitening and Invisalign done before getting the porcelain veneers. Is this really necessary? I was under the impression porcelain veneers can whiten and straighten. What is really necessary to do?

Avery

Dear Avery,

a single porcelain veneer being placed

Porcelain veneers are a remarkable way to obtain a gorgeous smile makeover. These tiny wafers of porcelain can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously. While I agree with some of most of your dentist’s recommendations, the Invisalign should be unnecessary unless you have something severe wrong. The veneers themselves can make your crooked front teeth look straight.

That being said, it may be your dentist is not an experienced cosmetic dentist. He may only know how to do something like Lumineers. This is a brand of porcelain veneers that is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place because they can be done with no preparation. That won’t work for your teeth because of the front teeth. This may be why he’s suggesting you get Invisalign.

If that’s the case, I am going to highly suggest you get a different dentist to do your smile makeover. This is a skill not taught in dental school. A dentist has to invest in post-doctoral training to really become skilled and artistic. I am not convinced your dentist has that yet. We’ll talk about how to find another one in a moment.

The teeth whitening is usually a good idea and will save you money in the long run. You don’t want to spend money unnecessarily by veneering every tooth. You don’t need to place veneers on the bottom teeth at all. You’ll want enough veneers to cover the teeth which are fully visible when you smile. The others will look quite close to the whitening.

Finding a Cosmetic Dentist to do Your Porcelain Veneers

Before you settle on a cosmetic dentist, I want you to check two things. The first is his smile gallery. If they don’t have a smile gallery, don’t even consider them. If they do, make sure you love the results they get. I don’t mean like. I mean love. If so, that is when you can move onto the second thing to check.

I’d like you to check their reviews. You want to find out what other patients have experienced. Did the dentist listen to them? Was he pleasant to deal with? Did the work hold up?

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Imam. Ask about our Digital Smile Design.

Crooked & Discolored Teeth

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I have severely discolored teeth and several of them are crooked. I’m looking for a recommendations.

Dan

Dear Dan,

Woman with a beautiful smile

When it comes to cosmetic dentistry, you have two paths you can go with this.

Cosmetic Dentistry Path One: Invisalign and Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening is a simple procedure which just about any dentist can do. Invisalign requires a dentist who has the equipment. It’s sometimes called clear braces. They aren’t your traditional type of braces with metal wires and brackets. Instead, they use clear aligners that are milled in conjunction with a sophisticated software program.

You wear the aligners for two weeks, while they gently move your teeth into the next position. Then, you’ll switch to the next pair. A benefit of the aligners is your teeth can double as teeth whitening trays. This allows you to whiten and straighten your teeth at the same time.

Cosmetic Dentistry Path Two: Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain veneers are tiny wafers of porcelain which can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously. While they won’t straighten your teeth, like Invisalign, they will make them look straight. This is an advanced skill which requires advanced training in cosmetic dentistry. These skills aren’t taught in dental school. and a dentist who is interested in these skills needs to invest time in post-doctoral training.

However, it requires more than technical knowledge. It requires an artistic eye. So how are you to know whether or not your cosmetic dentist has what it takes? One thing I’d do is look at their smile gallery, which gives before and after images of work the dentist completed. This will give you an idea of what type of results he or she gets.

If you aren’t thrilled with what you see, look for a different dentist. However, if you do like the results, the next step will be to check their reviews. You will want to make sure they’re the type of dentist who is good with patients and listens to their goals for their smile.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Imam. Ask about our digital smile design.