Dr. Hall!
I cannot believe a member of my profession could possibly act as unprofessional as you have in putting down Lumineers. I just finished a course on Lumineers yesterday and in searching the ‘net last night I happened on your website.
Cosmetic Dentistry is not a recognized specialty, it’s an area of interest. You mention that ferric sulphate might have caused discoloration of a veneer. If a dentist was using Viscogel, he didn’t learn that from Denmat. We were told to not even consider doing veneers if there was marginal gingivitis. And Lumineer preps do not require gingival margin preparation, so where did the blood come from?
If you really think you expert cosmetologists are so hot, have a look at Peter Rinaldi’s videotape from the Chicago Midwinter Convention where he chops the teeth all to hell – right into dentin. This is endorsed by “powers that be” for continuing education points. And you have the unmitigated gall to criticize a non-invasive method of placing veneers?
I’m awaiting your feeble defence [sic], my friend. Because whatever you are going to say is not going to be evidence based, only the opinion of someone who has a lot of time on his hands and might think about taking a Lumineers course to see what it’s really all about.
– Dr. H – a 68 year old dentist. I’ve been around as long as you have, buddy. And I don’t criticize other dentists’ work, especially in a public forum.
My friend and fellow professional, Dr. H,
My web site is intended to benefit patients. And for their benefit, I say forthrightly what I think. I do understand that some dentists don’t like what I say, but I believe the highest professionalism comes not in circling the wagons in defense of fellow professionals, but in honestly answering the needs of the patients.
I believe that cosmetic dentistry is a specialty, though not a recognized specialty. 🙂 It sounds like you disagree. I think of those who have taken the pains to become accredited, after their eyes are fully open to all there is to learn, that probably all of them would agree with me. Those that haven’t taken the discipline to that extent, many of them don’t think cosmetic dentistry is that difficult and think that it is just an “area of interest” as you say. But those who are swimming in the pool have a better understanding of what the water is like than those who are sitting in the lawn chairs just looking on, in my opinion.
In the Lumineers case you’re referring to (see post: porcelain veneers turning gray), I think you need to read it more carefully. It wasn’t a veneer that was discolored, it was a crown. I think emotions are getting in the way of clarity here.
And to those of us who are passionate about appearance-related dentistry, if the patient, after the seating of the case, says that her teeth look a little gray and they had lost translucency, to us that case is a failure. It maybe looks ok to the dentist, but it isn’t beautiful. But I know that many dentists think that “a little gray” and “lost a lot of the translucency” is not a big deal.
I think that a no-prep technique for porcelain veneers, as the Lumineers people recommend, can be appropriate in some circumstances. I think that’s what I say on my web site. I think that generally a light-prep technique is ideal, and I think most cosmetic dentists would agree. I don’t know any cosmetic dentist who advocates “chopping the teeth all to h-.”
I do have a Lumineers case posted on my web site, done by Vancouver cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Drance. But I’m getting a lot of e-mail from unhappy Lumineers patients.
– Dr. David 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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