June 2022 - Arnold Dental

I had four porcelain veneers placed on my upper front teeth. I was so excited about the prospect of having a pretty smile and now it seems like my smile is even worse than it was before. First, I have my yellow, natural teeth that are next to the porcelain veneers. Then, I have the two white veneers. Finally, there are my two front teeth where one of the veneers has turned gray. My dentist said we can fix that by making that tooth thicker, but I’m worried that not only will I have tri-colored teeth, as I do now, but one of them will look like a donkey tooth it will be so thick. This is not the smile makeover I was hoping for.

Kristin

Hi Kristin,

It sounds like you went to your average family dentist to have this smile makeover done. She probably had the best of intentions but does appear to be in over her head. Smile makeovers are not adequately taught in dental school. Unless your dentist invests in a significant amount of post-doctoral training. It doesn’t sound like she has done that.

You paid for a beautiful smile and I’m not convinced she can give you one. Whatever you do, do not allow her to thicken that one tooth. Your instincts are correct. It will look stupid. Plus, If it has turned gray, it is either because the glazing was damaged, which will just keep getting worse, or there is some microleakage which is getting bacteria between your porcelain veneers and your tooth. This will lead to decay.

My recommendation is you ask for a refund and then have this case redone by a skilled cosmetic dentist. The top cosmetic dentists in the country are AACD accredited, so I would start there. It is very likely that he or she will want to start the case over, which is to your benefit. They will likely start with some teeth whitening, which your dentist should have done to begin with. You want the adjacent teeth that do not receive porcelain veneers to blend in color with the veneered teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

I have chemical sensitivities. My husband recently had dental implants placed in his lower jaw. His dentist used the metal type of implants. He has the temporary acrylic dentures fitted to them but will be soon having the permanent ones. I am thinking he needs to switch to the metal-free ones before the permanent dentures are placed because I am certain there is some type of chemical reaction going on in his mouth. His breath smells like rubber all the time and I have a hard time sleeping next to him as a result. This can’t be good for our health. His dentist thinks I’m being ridiculous but I’m thinking it has more to do with the fact that he doesn’t want to admit he should have used metal-free implants to begin with knowing my chemical sensitivity, which I made clear to him in the beginning. What can I say that will convince him he is wrong?

Tiffany

Dear Tiffany,

You mentioned his mouth smelled like rubber and it was causing you problems. Aside from the smell, are you having any reaction? Is he? Because titanium dental implants have been used for decades, we have a great deal of data on them. Titanium itself, though metal, is inert. This means it will not have a smell. I bet if you asked your husband’s dentist to allow you to smell one, he would. They are also extraordinarily biocompatible. While it is never wise to say no one has a reaction to them, it would be incredibly rare.

While I do not doubt there is an unpleasant odor, it probably has more to do with his dentures than his dental implants. The first thing I would look into is whether or not there is food and other bacteria getting trapped around or in his dentures. He may need to use something like a WaterPik to help him get everything out of there. This would be the safest and least invasive thing to try.

Why You Don’t Want to Remove Dental Implants Prematurely

If his dental implants are removed, they will take some bone structure with them. This means in order to get the zirconia implants you want him to get he will need some bone grafting done. After that has healed, he will have to have yet another surgery to place the new implants. That is three additional (and unecessary) surgeries. Plus, there is no guarantee that his second implant procedure will succeed.

I wouldn’t risk a successful case unless I had to.
This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

After My Porcelain Veneers I Have Tri-Colored Teeth

I Can Smell My Husband’s Dental Implants

Why You Don’t Want to Remove Dental Implants Prematurely

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Why You Don’t Want to Remove Dental Implants Prematurely