I’m feeling sick about smiling. I went to my dentist to get my teeth to not look so aged. He said he does a standard of 4 porcelain veneers when a patient wants that. I think my mouth may be bigger than most because my yellow teeth show on either side of the four veneers. To make matters worse, there is one of my veneers that has splotches of dark color. It looks like it’s coming from underneath, but now I have three colored teeth. What do I do?
Amanda N.
Dear Amanda,
There are a few things going on here that have sabotaged your efforts at a beautiful smile. But, the overall factor is your dentist. I’m going to assume he’s a decent ethical dentist who is just over his head when it comes to smile makeovers.
The first problem is the number of porcelain veneers he did. The problem isn’t your smile. Even a standard smile would require six to eight veneers. Wider smiles require more. Sometimes, a patient can only afford four veneers. In those cases, we recommend they have their teeth whitened first. Then after two weeks when the color has settled, we’ll do the four veneers. That makes any difference between the teeth almost imperceptible.
The second thing that went wrong was the bonding on the tooth which has spotting. Based on your description, you have what is called microleakage. If it had been bonded properly, nothing would have been able to get behind it.
How to Fix Poorly Done Porcelain Veneers
If you’ve had your porcelain veneers permanently bonded on, there’s not really a way to fix it without just re-doing it from scratch. If your dentist is honest, he’ll realize he didn’t give you a beautiful smile which is what you paid for and give you some form of a refund.
You’ll want to go to a dentist with more expertise in cosmetic procedures. Ideally, look for a dentist who’s reached accreditation level with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). They’ve been thoroughly tested and examined to make sure they not only have the technical skill but artistry to create a stunning smile. In fact, most (if not all) of them have a beautiful smile guarantee.
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