I’m really disappointed right now. I’d been looking forward to getting my teeth re-done for a while. I’ve always wanted a pretty smile. I’d been saving up for four years. When I finally was sure I had enough, I went to my dentist. He said porcelain veneers don’t work and what I should get is dental crowns. I don’t want to get those. I have perfectly healthy teeth. Plus, I’ve seen some patients who’ve had crowns at my clinic and I’ve never been impressed with how they’ve looked. It’s not what I was hoping for with my new smile. Do porcelain veneers work?
Lucy
Dear Lucy,
Your dentist is wrong. Porcelain veneers work. In fact, they are the go-to procedure when you want a beautiful smile makeover. My suspicion is the reason your dentist is trying to steer you away from this is his lack of experience.
Doing smile makeovers isn’t something taught in dental school. Instead, a dentist needs to invest post-doctoral time studying them. In fact, the best dentists will always keep up with their field. You definitely don’t want a dentist who does the bare minimum of their required continuing education. You want a dentist who is passionate about their field and keeps up with the latest developments.
Getting Your Smile Makeover
If you want a beautiful smile, you’re going to have to go to a different dentist– one who has invested time studying cosmetic dentistry.
The trick here is there isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry, so anyone who calls themselves a cosmetic dentist is simply a general dentist who offers cosmetic services.
So, how do you separate the ones who do a good job from those who just get average (or worse) results? I’d start by looking at their smile gallery. This should be a page on their website which has before and after pictures of cases they’ve done. You may want to call and double check they’re showing cases the dentist has done and not just stock photos, though.
If you don’t like what you see there, move on. If you do like the type of results they get, take one additional step. Check their reviews. It’s always helpful to see what patients who have actually been to their practice think of the experience.
This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.
