I need a second opinion. I have a chipped tooth. Previously, it was repaired with dental bonding, but then I took a tumble down some stairs and it broke off. The original dentist retired so I went to her partner. He said the tooth couldn’t be repaired with bonding a second time. He wanted to do a dental crown. I didn’t want to do that because it’s just a small chip. I didn’t want to grind down my tooth, so as an alternative I suggested a porcelain veneer. He agreed. A few weeks later, the veneer was ready. He tried it on and said it looked great, then bonded it. On the way home something didn’t look right. I looked at it in my rearview mirror and it looked a tiny bit crooked plus there’s some space between it and the tooth. I turned around and returned to the dental office, but they told me it’s fine and once it’s bonded, there’s nothing which can be done. I’m truly concerned about this. Do you have a recommendation?
Laura W.
Dear Laura,
There are warning bells going off everywhere for this. First, there’s no reason dental bonding couldn’t have been done again to repair the bonding. My only guess is this dentist doesn’t know how to do dental bonding. That seems confirmed to me by the fact he suggested such a massive overtreatment as a dental crown for a chipped tooth. I have a further suspicion the dentist doesn’t know how to do porcelain veneers very well, but didn’t want to admit that.
A basic practice of cosmetic dentistry is the patient gets to look at the work before it’s permanently bonded on. However, let’s say it did look fine during the try-in. That leads me to believe it was improperly bonded on, especially with there being a gap between the porcelain veneer. This violates the protocol of treatment. A gap leaves you vulnerable to decay. Things will seep into the gap and eat away at your tooth.
While he’s right that once the veneer is bonded, it’s permanent, that doesn’t mean it can’t be re-done. The first veneer will need to be removed and the case started over from the beginning. At this point, it’s too late for dental bonding. You’ve had a veneer placed and another one will need to take its place. I do suggest you ask for a refund and get it done by a much more skilled cosmetic dentist. You’ll not only not have to worry about it getting properly bonded, but you can also be assured it will be done beautifully and naturally.
If you need help finding an expert cosmetic dentist in your area, go to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) website. Look for dentists in your area who’ve reached accreditation level. They’re the top cosmetic dentists in the country.
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