Dr. Hall,
My teeth are straight with absolutely no gaps. They are a little discolored because of age. I wanted bigger and whiter teeth so my dentist recommended Lumineers. I have already had impressions and it was sent to the lab. They came back with that they could whiten the teeth but not really make them much longer or bigger. The dentist called the company again and they said they could make them no bigger. What is up? I am sitting here looking at their brochure right now and they say they can make your teeth bigger. The before and after pictures show that they can. The dentist has now suggested bonding the 6 upper teeth that she was going to use Lumineers on. I have already had 2 appointment and spent over $400. What do you think is going on??? What should I do?
– Donna in Kentucky
Dear Donna,
Big red flags here. You asked me what I think is going on. I am pretty confident that what is happening is that your dentist doesn’t know what he is doing.
What is this where the laboratory is telling the dentist that the teeth can’t be made any bigger? The dentist is supposed to be a doctor. The laboratory technician is just a technician. It’s the dentist that is supposed to give instructions to the laboratory, not the other way around. Unless, of course, the dentist doesn’t know anything. You mean to tell me that your teeth can’t be made any longer or bigger but this dentist didn’t know that when you first consulted with him?
Furthermore, the dentist is suggesting the Lumineers brand of porcelain veneers, which has a poor reputation among expert cosmetic dentists for esthetics. Check out my Lumineers page for more information on that.
Go get a second opinion from one of our Kentucky cosmetic dentists. I don’t know why the lab is saying what it is saying, and I couldn’t tell you from this distance about what can and can’t be done with your smile. If you check our smile design page, you’ll see that with porcelain veneers, such as Lumineers, there are a lot of options as far as how to shape the teeth. Maybe you have some special circumstance–an expert cosmetic dentist like the ones we recommend on our web site could tell you more.
Good luck.
Fortunately, it sounds like not too much damage has been done in your mouth so far. I’d let him keep your $400 and count yourself lucky that’s all you’ve lost.
– Dr. Hall
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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