The Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

July 12, 2009

How do I find a Lumineers expert?

Filed under: Finding a cosmetic dentist, Lumineers — iowasmiles @ 8:12 pm

Hello Dr. Hall! How do I make sure my dentist is a trusted and/or certified “Lumineer expert” I can trust? $10,000 is a lot of money to spend and be unhappy with the result…
Thank you,
Roni from San Diego

Roni,
First, on how NOT to make sure your dentist is a Lumineers expert – don’t use the Lumineers website. Dentists get listed as certified for Lumineers by paying money to the company. That’s all there is to it. It’s all a branding and marketing thing.

Here’s what the Lumineers advertisements don’t tell you – the big secret. There is nothing really unique about Lumineers. It’s just a brand of porcelain veneers. Even though their company has a training program and “certifies” dentists, all they have to do is pay them money and attend their course. There is no test, and many of the dentists who get certified do lousy work. If you find an expert and artistic cosmetic dentist, they can do Lumineers or any other brand of porcelain veneers. And there are other brands of porcelain that are as thin as Lumineers and look more beautiful.

As far as how to find an artistic and expert cosmetic dentist, that is the whole purpose of this website – why it exists. Because cosmetic dentistry isn’t a legally distinct specialty, any dentist can claim to be a cosmetic dentist without any special training. The few who take the trouble to really learn the field well, those are the ones I seek out to list on their site. We don’t list every expert cosmetic dentist, but all the ones we list are truly expert, because of our screening process. So check out our Southern California cosmetic dentists and pick one, and you can’t go wrong.

- Dr. Hall

April 11, 2009

Can I get a new smile for a reasonable price?

Filed under: Cosmetic dentistry costs, Finding a cosmetic dentist — iowasmiles @ 12:46 pm

Dr. Hall,
I just want to improve my smile. I have straight teeth. The problems that I want to correct are:

1) My teeth are kind of yellow—I’ve tried whitening through dental offices, not getting results I want
2) I would like to file down some of my teeth to make them look staighter, especially my fangs.
3) My two upper front teeth I’d like to put a little porcelain on the top because those teeth are thinning.

What do you suggest I do to improve:
a) the whiteness to the fullest
b) the filing of some teeth
c) the upper front teeth (pertaining problem #3)

I was considering Lumineers, but after considering the cost and the problems, I don’t think it would be to my best interest to do this. Are there any other options to do what I want to correct and get the best results of what I am looking for?

What I’m finding is that people are not saying how much. I thought approx. $1000 – $2000 for a group of teeth, not per tooth. …that’s insane…..

Hopefully, as I meet with dentists who proclaim they do cosmetic dentistry, they can do what I want at a reasonable price.

Any advice you can give me, would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!

Thank you sooo….much, in advance.
Diana in San Francisco

Dear Diana,
Wanting a new smile when you have the appearance issues that you have sounds reasonable. And your solution would be porcelain veneers. But a couple of things you said make me think you’re headed for trouble, and maybe you should wait and not do anything.

First of all, if you want this new smile done right, you should plan on $1000 to $2000 per tooth. That is what it costs. What worries me is that you’ll find someone who will do it for less. Only 1-2% of dentists are artistic enough and trained enough in cosmetic dentistry to create a beautiful smile, and they are all going to be up in that price range, maybe higher.

The second thing that worries me is that you said, “I meet with dentists who proclaim they do cosmetic dentistry…” If you don’t understand the difference between an artistic dentist who can create a beautiful smile and a dentist who simply proclaims that he or she does cosmetic dentistry, then you should hold off on this until you do understand. We get so much mail from people who learn this lesson the hard way. Cosmetic dentistry isn’t a legally recognized specialty, and this means that it is totally unregulated. Any dentist can proclaim they do this without any accreditation or certification. Often they are genuinely nice people who simply have no artistic sense and in their own minds they do beautiful work. That is the whole reason I run this website—to keep people out of this kind of trouble. Click here to read about this difference between a cosmetic dentist an a general dentist.

My advice is to save up your money until you can get this done right. Or, if you really don’t want to spend that much, then just adjust to the way your teeth are. They don’t sound like they really look that bad. Otherwise you may be writing to me after this is over and asking how you can get your own smile back because it was better than the new one.

Good luck,
Dr. Hall

Related links:
Read about the cost of cosmetic dentistry
Read about the cost of porcelain veneers
Click here to ask Dr. Hall a question
Click here for referral to a cosmetic dentist

January 26, 2009

Should I go to a prosthodontist or a cosmetic dentist?

Filed under: Finding a cosmetic dentist — iowasmiles @ 9:17 pm

Dr. Hall, I’m planning to get veneers on my upper teeth. I’ve seen 3 different cosmetic dentists/prosthodontist/lumineer dentists. They are Dr. —-, Dr. —- and Dr. —-. They are all dentists in San Francisco, California. Can you please help me check if they are certified cosmetic dentist. Or should I still schedule a consultation with Dr. Jerry Bellen?

Thanx for your time.
Rich in San Francisco

Rich,
I want to say this kindly. I can’t find any of the three dentists you mentioned even on the membership roles of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, which is to me usually a bare bones minimum indication of a flicker of passion for cosmetic dentistry.

Cosmetic dentistry is a lucrative field and there are many pretenders. That is why I do this website – to help people like you sort this out.

In my opinion, a prosthodontist, as a general rule, is a VERY poor choice for a smile makeover. Prosthodontists have spent years studying function and the engineering principles of tooth restoration, and as a rule, at least by my experience, have very poor artistic sense. There are a very few exceptions, and I mean very, very few. I have turned down several prosthodontists who wanted to get listed on mynewsmile.com as recommended cosmetic dentists, because I looked at their work and yes, it was solid and functional but definitely not beautiful.

You are really doing yourself a disservice in San Francisco if you don’t go to Dr. Jerry Bellen for at least an opinion on your porcelain veneers case. He does absolutely beautiful work.

Dr. Hall

Click here to read about smile makeovers. Or you can read about what Dr. Hall thinks of Lumineers.
Click here to find a cosmetic dentist.

January 19, 2009

Are Lumineers reversible?

Filed under: Finding a cosmetic dentist, Lumineers — iowasmiles @ 3:10 pm

Hi Dr. Hall,

I am seriously thinking about getting Lumineers. I am thinking about using Dr. —- from Los Angeles. I understand that he is one of the premiere Lumineers dentists. I was wondering if you could do some research on him and provide me with any feedback on his training, cosmetic dentistry background, complaints, awards, etc.

Also, would Lumineers be a good option? Are there good reviews and feedback on Lumineers looking nice and also lasting a while? I’m afraid of having my teeth shaved down and wanted to go the route of Lumineers if they are worth it.

Thanks a lot,
Ken from Pennsylvania

Dear Kenneth,
I can find no evidence of any cosmetic dentistry training that Dr. —- has. Sorry. He isn’t even a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, which to me shows a low level of commitment to cosmetic dentistry. And I can’t find his name among graduates of some of the popular cosmetic dentistry training courses that I have access to. And the other question I ask – is he an artist? I don’t know the answer to that. Most expert cosmetic dentists who are artists do post their work on the Internet, and I don’t find any of his posted. So I’m skeptical about that.

And the fact that you are telling me you are afraid of getting your teeth shaved DOWN concerns me. I think you’ve been overly influenced by the commercials. Before you go and possibly ruin your smile, I think you owe it to yourself to get some accurate information. And here are the inaccuracies I believe you have bought into:

1) For porcelain veneers, generally your teeth are shaved a little, but I don’t think it’s accurate to say they’re shaved DOWN. In many cases, from a conversational distance, you can’t even tell that the teeth are changed after they have been prepared for porcelain veneers and before the veneers are put on. That’s how small the reduction is, in many cases, if you get the beautiful porcelain veneers.

2) On the other side, I’m not so sure that Lumineers can be removed without damaging the teeth. Yes, THEORETICALLY, since the teeth aren’t shaved at all before placing the Lumineers. But it is very easy to have an ”accident” when the Lumineers are removed and to have a tooth or teeth gouged or nicked.

My advice is not to go only to a dentist who promotes himself too heavily as a “Lumineers dentist” before getting a new smile. You may not get an honest opinion about whether or not they’re good for you. Go to an expert cosmetic dentist first. Any expert cosmetic dentist listed on our website is able to do Lumineers. Just go for an opinion. Then compare what the two dentists say. Armed with more information, you are in a better position to make a good decision about whether or not to do Lumineers.

And I have not seen a really nice Lumineers smile. I’ve seen some bad ones and some okay ones. I’m sure there are some really nice ones out there, but I haven’t seen any. They make your teeth look rounded, a little bulky, and a little longer.

As far as long-lasting, Lumineers are excellent in that department. They’re durable—probably better than average in that department.
- Dr. Hall

Related information:
Click here to find a cosmetic dentist, screened for artistic ability and training in cosmetic dentistry.
Read more about smile design and smile makeover.

January 10, 2009

An example of the esthetic sense of many dentists

Filed under: Finding a cosmetic dentist — iowasmiles @ 8:03 pm

I frequently read a popular implant dentistry forum. I thought I’d re-post this one question, asked by one of the participating dentists, to illustrate a point about many dentists’ esthetic sense:

“Dr. M. asks:
“I have a patient who is a beautiful woman with this huge diastema between her maxillary central incisors. I think if I placed an implant between them I could fit in a crown that would add harmony and balance to her smile line. Have any of you tried to solve this particular aesthetic problem with an implant solution like this?”

This dentist was proposing sticking an extra tooth in the middle of this beautiful woman’s smile, simply because she had a space large enough to accommodate one. There followed a serious discussion of the pros and cons of this question, whether or not there would be enough bone to support the implant, and how predictable various options would be. I saw eight replies to this question when I discovered it. Not one of the eight voiced what your average person would think of this suggestion: that it was absolutely ridiculous – maybe appropriate for a hillbilly, but absolutely atrocious for a beautiful woman.

The midline of your teeth should correspond to the midline of your face. And people expect a smile to show two central incisors in the middle, two smaller lateral incisors on the sides of those, and two slightly larger canines on the sides of those.

I repeat – don’t have a new smile from any dentist unless that dentist has strong artistic inclinations. These professionals, most of whom are very ethical and have the best interests of their patients at heart, simply do not understand esthetics. They went into dentistry because they are technical types who love to fix things that are broken. Go to a recognized artist for your smile makeover.

Read more about the difference between a general dentist and a cosmetic dentist.
Read about all the subtleties of smile design.
Read about dental bonding and porcelain veneers, two of the smile design tools of your cosmetic dentist.
And click here to find a cosmetic dentist with the artistic touch and training to create beautiful smiles.

December 20, 2008

I have a lisp now with my porcelain veneers

Filed under: Cosmetic dentistry mistakes, Finding a cosmetic dentist, Porcelain veneers — iowasmiles @ 10:22 am

Dr. Hall,
I had porcelain venners on my four front teeth #7,8,9,10. My teeth were very healthy but slightly unattractive. They all started to crumble and break within week. After failed attempts to glue them back together, I saw another dentist, who did six veneers, including my canines, #6 and 11. However this second set fractured the next day. I was told they were baked too long and the cracks did not appear until they were wet in my mouth. 

These were replaced, however this third set is much longer and I now lisp. Also # 7 and #10 are rotated and stick out beyond #8 & 9. I never had misalignment before this. The second Dentist said he would replace the four front if I am not happy. I am not happy having over $6000. on my charge card. I wish I HAD MY TEETH BACK – THEY WEREN’T THAT BAD! I plan to have this done for the fourth time in Jan. Any advice? Also why do I lisp now – I never did before. Will it go away?

Thank You, Marilyn
a dental hygienist in New York

Dear Marilyn,
There has to be a reason that you keep ending up getting porcelain veneers from dentists who don’t know how to do them. Maybe someone has given you the idea that these are easy to do and any dentist can do them. Well, you’ve proven that wrong, haven’t you?

Even if a porcelain veneer cracks, none of the pieces will come off the tooth unless there is a problem in the bonding of them. They are very thin and aren’t strong at all by themselves. You can crush one in your fingers. It is the bond to the tooth that gives them their strength. I’ve seen cracked porcelain veneers stay on the teeth for months.

And you would never end up with porcelain veneers that are too long if you went to an expert cosmetic dentist. Dentists that love doing smile makeovers always have some mechanism for making sure that the appearance of porcelain veneers is pleasing to you before they are ever bonded on. Many of them will make a prototype set of veneers and place them before making the final ones. Others will use computer imaging combined with a try-in, or wax-ups, or other tools to make sure that you have a full chance to evaluate the appearance and feel of the veneers before they are finally bonded.

Yes, porcelain veneers that are too long, besides looking funny, could cause you to lisp. Also if they’re too thick.

And’s what’s this with four porcelain veneers and then six? A smile includes either eight or ten upper teeth. I hope you at least bleached your other teeth.

My advice to you? Bite the bullet and go to a true cosmetic dentist – one who makes his or her living doing smile makeovers and not one who does this as a sideline. Someone who has done this enough to be able to work out all the bugs. Someone who has such a passion for creating a beautiful smile that he or she will fly to courses all around the country to learn the best techniques from the masters in the field. These are the kinds of cosmetic dentists we have listed on our New York cosmetic dentists page.

When you go to such a cosmetic dentist to have these fixed, you will end up ecstatic about how your smile looks, so much so that you may smile continuously for about a week, so amazed at how beautiful your teeth look that you’ll be looking at them in your rear view mirror as you drive. That’s what we see with new smiles that are done right.

Dr. Hall

Related links:
Read about Invisalign invisible braces.
Be wary of Lumineers and GlamSmile.

November 21, 2008

Help in picking a dentist and wanting Lumineers

Filed under: Finding a cosmetic dentist, Lumineers — iowasmiles @ 5:32 pm

Dr. Hall,
My daughter wants to get the lumineers by cerinate – she has visited with a dentist in Lubbock, Texas, Dr. Jones (not the real name), who has quoted her a price of $900 per tooth.

She is needing to have six teeth done.

There is a 5 year warranty and they are estimated to last 20 years. Can you verify if this is a reputable dentist and any information you can provide on the Lumineers by cerinate. Thanks in advance for your reply.
- Betty in west Texas

Dear Betty,
Whether or not the dentist is reputable isn’t the right question. You want to know if the dentist is artistic, and if he or she is trained in cosmetic dentistry.

It is not illegal to advertise as a cosmetic dentist, even if you have absolutely no training in cosmetic dentistry, and that is because cosmetic dentistry isn’t a legally recognized specialty.

I checked my sources about the dentist you mentioned. He may be very reputable, but I don’t see him on any of my lists for cosmetic dentistry training. And from what I did see on the Internet about him, I strongly suspect he is not an artistically inclined dentist.

You spoke about your daughter needing six Lumineers, as if there are teeth broken and they need to be fixed. I suspect that the situation is that she wants a beautiful smile. I would recommend against this dentist you mentioned, and I would recommend against Lumineers. Lumineers will likely make her teeth longer and bulkier, and especially if the dentist only does six, they will look funny. Lumineers work well for people with short teeth that are set back in the mouth a little. So if she wants a beautiful smile, that seems like an awful lot of money to throw at the problem and then not come away with a beautiful smile. That’s why you want an artist to do this.

Reputable dentists fix teeth so that they are functional, and they do work that lasts a long time. But unless your dentist is an artist, you may come away from the office hoping that it wears out or breaks quickly.

I would suggest a second opinion from a Texas cosmetic dentist on our referral list, before you spend all this money.

Good luck,
Dr. Hall

Click here to find a cosmetic dentist
Click here for information about porcelain veneers

October 24, 2008

Looking for inexpensive porcelain veneers

Filed under: Cosmetic dentistry costs, Finding a cosmetic dentist — iowasmiles @ 9:28 am

Dr. Hall
I had porcelain veneers put on my teeth over 10 years ago. They have shifted a bit and I would like to get them redone as well as adding some on my bottom teeth. However, as this is not covered by my insurance I was wondering if I could find a less expensive way to accomplish this by serving as a patient to a graduate student. Do you know if this is possible? I am willing to travel if the price difference is significant. Any information you could provide would be appreciated. Thank you.
- Jennifer in Pennsylvania

Jennifer,
The idea of traveling to find a lower fee for porcelain veneers is a possibility. When you get into smaller cities or different states you can get into lower fee areas and still have beautiful cosmetic dentistry. But be sure you go to an expert cosmetic dentist. Most of the dentists who advertise as cosmetic dentists aren’t really what I would call cosmetic dentists. They don’t have the artistic talent to be able to create a beautiful smile. But the idea of getting a new smile done for a lesser cost at a dental school is a very bad idea and won’t work, and I’ll explain why.

You need to understand that dentistry and cosmetic dentistry are two different things. Dentistry is a profession that fixes broken teeth. Cosmetic dentistry is a profession that creates beautiful smiles. They are two very different fields. Only one or two percent of dentists have the artistic inclinations to be cosmetic dentists. I would no sooner go to a dental school and ask them to create a beautiful set of porcelain veneers than I would pay my plumber to decorate the inside of my house. Even if he’s a really good plumber.

What’s the point of doing new porcelain veneers if they aren’t beautiful? If you don’t have the money, then I’d leave things alone. Your teeth probably work okay and this is something that can wait.
- Dr. Hall

Related links:
Read more about the cost of porcelain veneers, the cost of Lumineers, and the cost of cosmetic dentistry in general.
GlamSmile is offered as a low-cost option for porcelain veneers. But Dr. Hall has some grave reservations about the results.
Click here to ask Dr. Hall a question.
Click here to find a cosmetic dentist.

October 11, 2008

My dentist tells ME that my porcelain veneers feel comfortable!

Filed under: Finding a cosmetic dentist, Porcelain veneers — iowasmiles @ 8:04 am

Dear Dr Hall,

I had 6 porcelain veneers fitted and am extremely disappointed with them. I am currently trying to negotiate a partial refund from the dentist, as they need to be re-done. The dentist maintains that the veneers were perfect, yet they were so bulky and uncomfortable. When I told her this, she disagreed, saying “yes they are comfortable.” I don’t know what gives her the right to make such a statement. She refused to make any adjustments, and I had to see another dentist to get the bulk trimmed down. However the veneers are not aesthetically pleasing, and the work needs to be re-done.

Can you please give me any advice or suggestions, as I feel it is not appropriate for her to make such statements that my veneers are comfortable or that I am too obsessed with them.

I would be grateful for any advice. Thank you
- Alice in London

Alice,
I laughed when I read about your experience. I know you’re exasperated, and to you I’m sure it’s not funny, but this is SO much the attitude of general dentists who try to do cosmetic dentistry. Let me help you understand this. I get many e-mails of patients who complain that their dentist says their new smile looks just fine, in spite of what the patient thinks of it. But this is the first where the dentist contradicts the patient and insists that they FEEL comfortable. That is SO funny!

Dentists are taught in dental school that THEY know best, and not to listen too much to the patient. This is what makes it so hard for them to do good cosmetic dentistry. A good cosmetic dentist, on the other hand, is very attuned to the preferences and feedback of his or her patients. It’s a different personality type.

Dentists decide to be dentists because they like to fix things. But cosmetic dentists need to be passionate about CREATING things. It’s very different. It’s only about one or two percent of dentists that are really good at creating a new smile.

If you want a new smile, you need an expert cosmetic dentist. We’re working on getting one in London. If you’d like us to let you know when we have someone to list, e-mail me back. But that’s what you need – a dentist with a true artistic temperament who really cares how they look and that you’re happy with them.

About dealing with the dentist that did them, my advice is to be as pleasant as possible. You can also try to enlist the support of your new, expert cosmetic dentist. These dentists tend to be very dismissive of the patient, but they may listen better to another dentist.
- Dr. Hall

Related links:
Find a cosmetic dentist
Taking care of porcelain veneers
Cost of porcelain veneers
Read about GlamSmile low-cost veneers

July 10, 2008

Porcelain crowns are now rough/dentist on our insurance list

Filed under: Crowns for front teeth, Dental insurance, Finding a cosmetic dentist — iowasmiles @ 12:02 am

Dr. Hall,
My wife recently had porcelain crowns on front upper teeth. At a follow-up appointment, the dentist attempted to “buff” the crowns to make the color match color of surrounding teeth. Now her color is still off and the crowns have no shiny appearance. The dental assistant who says she was present during buffing says the color is as close a match as possible with what was available and that porcelain won’t be shiny like natural teeth. Unfortunately, the dentist is not a cosmetic dentist. We are seeing him because he’s on our insurance approved list.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated-
- Charlie from Indiana

Charlie,
A couple of points.

First, yes, you are right, the porcelain should be shiny. But it’s worse than you think. Besides looking dull, when the dentist buffed off the glaze on the porcelain, he or she made them so that now they will stain, so they will look even worse as time goes on. But a cosmetic dentist can bring the shine back with a diamond polish.

Second, you have to decide if you just want your teeth “fixed” so they are functional, or if you want them to look nice, because if you want them to look nice, you will have to pay for it. You will not get a beautiful result from a dentist that is on any insurance company approved list. Dental insurance companies make these approved lists by finding dentists who are willing to cut corners and thus cut costs. That approach is simply incompatible with good cosmetic dentistry.

My advice would be to find a cosmetic dentist near you from our list of Indiana cosmetic dentists, and have that dentist bring back the shine and make these look as good as possible. The dentist you are going to may be a good “fixer,” but does not appear to even understand the esthetic problem he or she has created.
- Dr. Hall

Related links:
Read about Cerec crowns

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