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
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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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