Dr. Hall,
I am in the process of getting a single veneer on my very front tooth and I’m starting to think that this was a mistake. My new veneer was ready today. When I went in to get it put in, I was mortified. It looked so fake next to my other front tooth. I am now very worried…
I had heard that when you’re going to get a veneer in one front tooth, you should get it on both, but after a consultation with my dentist, he seemed confident we could get it done to my satisfaction.
My teeth are very healthy. The only reason I wanted a veneer was because one of my front teeth was discolored due to a childhood accident which caused the nerve to calcify. It got worse over the years and bleaching does nothing since it’s internal.
He was understanding that I didn’t like the veneer and he even brought in the lab tech to come in and see me on a moment’s notice. They’re trying their best. They’re making a new veneer, but I’m almost thinking that I should just call them and tell them to do BOTH of my front teeth. Is this the best way to go? I can’t imagine getting this veneer to look good and then having to get it replaced in 15 years.
Please help. I’m starting to regret that I even started this.
– Susie in Iowa
Susie,
You can get a single porcelain veneer and get it to match, but you need an expert cosmetic dentist.
The trouble your dentist is having combined with the information you gave that he is calling in the lab technician to help with this–both of these lead me to believe that your dentist isn’t really good with color manipulation, which is the case with maybe most dentists.
But then your case is extra difficult, because the underlying tooth is probably quite dark. This means that even if your dentist did two porcelain veneers, they would still be quite difficult to match.
When you have this kind of cosmetic dentistry done, you need a dentist who is an artist, which is a small minority of dentists.
I really think you need to find an expert cosmetic dentist. It is so easy for dentists to just say they can do cosmetic dentistry, that very very few take the trouble to pursue the extra training they need to be good at it. There aren’t many dentists in Iowa who could do this well for you.
I would not have this dentist do the two porcelain veneers. Once they start the second one, you won’t be able to go back–you’ll forever have to have two. I would find an expert cosmetic dentist on our list of Iowa cosmetic dentists. You’ve got a difficult case, and from what you said, it appears to me that your dentist is so far off, I don’t think he’s going to make this work for you.
When I a single veneer on a dark tooth, I did a direct composite veneer with dental bonding techniques, because I could see the results immediately and could adjust the color as I went by using less or more opaquer and varying the tints and the translucency as I went. But this required a trained eye for color that most dentists don’t have.
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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