I’m really disappointed in my porcelain veneers. I spent a fortune and now I have three different colored teeth. My natural teeth are yellowed. Then, I have four porcelain veneers, but two of them have splotchy gray patches. They look to be from underneath the veneers and shining through. Will teeth whitening help this?

Vera

Dear Vera,

There are a few things going on here. The biggest issue is you have a dentist in over his or her head with porcelain veneers. Smile makeovers aren’t taught in dental school. In order to do it well, dentists have to invest years of post-doctoral training on their own time to become skilled.

Your dentist has made three pretty basic mistakes, which tells me they didn’t do that.

Porcelain Veneers Mistake #1

You said you were provided with four porcelain veneers. You also said that you can see your natural, yellow-stained teeth. This means you were not given enough porcelain veneers. Most smiles require six to eight porcelain veneers. Wider smiles will require ten.

Sometimes, getting fewer porcelain veneers is the choice of the patient, even though the dentist recommends more. Often, this is for budgetary reasons. When that happens, there is a good solution. This leads me to the next issue.

Porcelain Veneers Mistake #2

When you don’t have enough porcelain veneers to cover the teeth which are visible when you smile, the most affordable solution is to have your teeth whitened.

This makes the teeth white and closer to matching what your veneered teeth will look like. This would have kept your yellowed teeth from standing out against your veneers because the stains would be gone.

Porcelain Veneers Mistake #3

The two veneers you have which have splotchy gray stains sounds to me like they’re not bonded properly. This causes what is known as micro-leakage. When the veneers aren’t bonded on properly it allows things to get between the veneer and your teeth. This shows up as blotchy stains.

If this is the case, you have a very good case for a refund. This isn’t functional for you. Not because of the unattractiveness of the veneers, but because of the danger of decay. You have food and other bacteria getting trapped in there. Your teeth will develop cavities as a result.

Where to Go from Here

The first thing I want you to do is ask your dentist for a refund. If he or she refuses, then I want you to get a second opinion from another cosmetic dentist. If they confirm you have micro-leakage, then it will be easy for you to get a refund and get the case done properly.

Decide whether you want to have more porcelain veneers placed on the visible teeth or get your teeth whitened instead. If you decide on teeth whitening, get that done first.

I hope this puts your mind at ease.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.