I’ve been looking at both DuraThin and Lumineers. I like the pictures I’ve seen of DuraThin a little better, so I guess it is down to price. Do you know which one will cost me less money?

Joanne

Dear Joanne,

While I like the fact that you are doing research, I want to redirect the way you are going about it. If you are going to purchase something like a pair of Prada shoes, as long as they are truly Prada, the quality will be the same no matter where you get them. The same is not true of porcelain veneers or most other types of cosmetic dentistry. The way to think about it would be commissioning a piece of art. 

If you had a beginning art student as well as Michelangelo, and gave them identical tools and materials to work with, the sculptures would still end up vastly different even if you commissioned them to sculpt the exact same subject. This is because the results depend mostly on the skill and artistic eye of the dentist. Picking the brand will not give you the best results, and there are a LOT more brands than just Durathin or Veneers. You have to pick the dentist. Then, tell them the type of smile you want. They’ll know the best porcelain veneers to give the results you want.

Smile makeovers are not really taught in dental school. In order to do beautiful work, it really requires serious post-doctoral cosmetic training. The problem most patients face is that there is not a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry. That means any general dentist can do cosmetic work regardless of how little training they’ve had. So, how do you go about finding the artist you need to do your smile makeover?

The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) recognized the problem patients faced. As a solution to help both dentists and patients, they developed an accreditation program. In order to get accredited, dentists have to pass stringent exams to prove their technical knowledge, as well as show a specific and large number of actual cases they have done to an examination board in order to demonstrate their artistry. My recommendation is that you look for an AACD accredited dentist. These are in the top 3% of cosmetic dentists in the world. They will give you a stunning smile no matter what the brand. 

Don’t be surprised if they recommend something other than Lumineers. This particular brand of porcelain veneers is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place. Unfortunately, the company that owns Lumineers insists that dentists use their lab. Most expert cosmetic dentists find their lab to produce sub par results. 

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