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GlamSmile
I have recently heard of a new porcelain veneers
technique called GlamSmile. It looks like Lumineers except that they are
made by a Belgian company and they say it only requires one hour to bond
to the teeth, and that's why they're so inexpensive. Would you recommend
this product?
Thank you,
- Grace from California
Dear Grace,
GlamSmile is pretty new, and it's generally a good idea to be cautious
about these new techniques. Often techniques will look good in theory, but
unexpected problems show up when they are implemented.
But I'll give you my ideas on GlamSmile. And I see several potential
problems.
First, the system is being marketed to dentists who don't know anything
about cosmetic dentistry, and the dentists are being told that the lab
will pretty much do everything. This is similar to what the
Lumineers
people say, and it doesn't work. You need a dentist who is an artist if
you want a beautiful smile. And only one or two percent of dentists are
really artistic enough to pull off creating a beautiful smile. Adding to
the serious problems you could have with this technique, they have no
mechanism that I could see to try on your GlamSmile before it is
permanently bonded. This could spell real trouble. You have to
be able to see the new smile before it is put on permanently. You have
to. Blind faith is not smart when you're dealing with a
smile makeover.
Second, it is marketed to the dentist as a way to
make a whole lot of money in just an hour. They tell dentists that they
can make five times their usual rate of production. So beware of the
dentist who advertises himself as a "GlamSmile Dentist." He or she may
just be looking for a quick buck, and may be tempted to get in over his or
her head. It's a recipe for trouble.
Third, I have real
questions about their bonding technique, and if an hour is a
realistic time for your regular dentist to get these on and properly
clean up and polish. When I was in practice, I put porcelain veneers
in with a technique that fixed the veneer solidly in place but left
the excess luting cement soft, so it could be cleaned up easily.
With that technique, I could completely place and polish eight or
ten veneers in an hour or an hour and a half. But if the luting
cement is hardened before it is cleaned up, as it is with the
GlamSmile technique, it can easily double or even quadruple the
seating time. And getting that all cleaned off without damaging the
teeth or the veneers is very hard work.
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The GlamSmile web site hints that this may be a problem, and recommends to
the dentist rescheduling the patient for a second appointment to
completely remove the excess cement, if necessary. But they seem to me to
downplay it.
And fourth, and this to me is the biggest issue, it is a very bad idea to
go to a cosmetic dentist and ask for a particular technique or material.
Would you commission an artist for a painting and tell him or her what
kind of brush and what brand of paint to use? No. You pick the artist and
let them use the materials and techniques that work best in their hands.
Cosmetic dentistry is art, and my strong advice is to pick the artist, the
cosmetic dentist, and not go demanding a particular technique. I have a
whole file of bad experiences from patients who tried that backwards
technique. Pick a cosmetic dentist who has the proper training and
artistic ability, one you can trust, and let them take it from there.
The upside is that these may indeed end up being
considerably less expensive than traditional
porcelain veneers. But here
again, you have to be very wary. Don't look for a "bargain dentist" to do
these, because you have no legal recourse if you don't like how they look.
Look for an expert cosmetic dentist who does beautiful traditional veneers
and offers this as a lower-cost option.
—Dr. Hall
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