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
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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