When I was young I fell while skating and chipped my front tooth. I have a small filling in the left corner that has been there for many years. As I have gotten older (57) my front tooth is getting darker. I have talked to my regular dentist and he feels is could be risky to do a crown as the tooth is dead and the canal has calcified. I felt Lumineers was a great solution to this is problem but he said I would be unhappy with this procedure, and there have been problems with this. My tooth is getting darker and it makes me not want to smile. Any suggestions?
\n– Sally from California<\/p>\n
Sally, I am getting the feeling from what you’re telling me that your dentist is uncomfortable with these cosmetic procedures. Porcelain veneers are usually not taught in dental school, and, while they work great for dentists who know how to do them, they can be intimidating for dentists who don’t. I think this is where your dentist is coming from.<\/p>\n One firm rule I always tell people is to not ever push your dentist out of his or her comfort zone. I have received so many e-mails from people who have really gotten burned trying to do this. Dentists are trained not to let you know when they are uncomfortable because it makes patients nervous. You’re lucky that your dentist is giving you these clues. He feels you would be unhappy with the result, and in his hands, you may well be unhappy. But porcelain veneers are a very beautiful restoration when done right.<\/p>\n So my advice is to stay with your regular dentist for your cleanings, checkups, and general dental work, but to find an expert cosmetic dentist to solve this particular problem.<\/p>\n If you otherwise love your smile and the only problem is this one dark tooth, then if it were me doing it, I would just do either direct bonding or one porcelain veneer over this tooth. If there are other things you don’t like about other teeth, then a full set of porcelain veneers may be in order. But find a true dentist\/artist for this. Go to our list of recommended cosmetic dentists. If you’re not convinced you need an expert, please, for your own sake, take the time to read through some of the cosmetic dentistry horror stories<\/a> that people have told me, and then you’ll be convinced that the average dentist on the corner is no place to go for this appearance-related work.
\nLumineers<\/a> is just a particular brand of porcelain veneers<\/a>, so I will answer your question by talking about porcelain veneers in general.<\/p>\n
\n– Dr. Hall<\/p>\n