porcelain veneers Archives

Solution for a HUGE Tooth Gap

Posted on December 9, 2023 by writeradmin.

I have a large tooth gap. I think my dentist said it was about 8-10 millimeters between my front two teeth. I didn’t want braces, so he suggested snap-on smile. I paid for the x-rays and the dentist sent everything in to the company. I received a call this week telling me I’m not really a good candidate for that procedure. He said we could look into Lumineers. These cost a whole lot more than the snap-on smile. If it is my only option, I will bite the bullet. Before I did, though, I wanted to get another opinion on how to handle this.

Mike

Dear Mike,

I am glad you wrote. Please, please don’t move forward with the Lumineers plan. First, the gap between your two front teeth is substantial. This is large enough to fit another tooth in. It would take one of the top cosmetic dentists in the country to do this correctly. Your dentist said he would “look into” Lumineers. This tells me that he is not trained in cosmetic dentistry. Lumineers is just one brand of porcelain veneers. While the Lumineers brand is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place, most expert cosmetic dentists find the Lumineers brand inferior. Plus, being easy to put on the teeth has nothing to do with the skill required to make them beautiful and natural looking.

You don’t have to have braces to get the gap closed. I would look into getting Invisalign. These use clear aligners to straighten your teeth instead of the metal wires and brackets that are used with traditional braces. Even at a conversational distance, noone would know that you are straightening your teeth.

Invisalign has another hidden benefit. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. Your dentist can provide you with whitening gel that you can wear in the aligners at a time that is convenient to you. This allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth simultaneously.

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

How Can I Get My Porcelain Veneers White Again?

Posted on October 11, 2023 by writeradmin.

When I first got my porcelain veneers they were really white. Lately, they’ve been picking up my coffee stains. I don’t want to give up coffee, but I’d like to get them as white as they were again. I know that over the counter whitening won’t work, because I tried it, but would the whitening from my dentist work?

Greta

Dear Greta,

I am glad you wrote. How you handle this will depend on the reason for the stains. The glaze on your porcelain veneers is extremely stain resistant. In fact, they are more stain resistant than even your natural teeth. This would repel even coffee stains, except maybe for temporary surface stains. The solution to that would be to get Supersmile toothpaste. This uses a chemical enzyme which safely removes surface stains from both natural teeth and cosmetic dental work. Never use the type of whitening toothpastes that are commonly sold. Most of them contain abrasives that will damage both your natural teeth and your dental work.

However, if the glaze has been removed from your porcelain veneers, this will not work. Unfortnately, neither will teeth whitening, which only works on natural tooth structure. There are a few things that can damage the glazing on your porcelain veneers. Two of them can happen at your dentist’s office, so I will start with those.
1. The use of a Power Prophy Jet. Don’t allow your hygienist to use this on your cosmetic work, or even dental crowns. This will completely remove the glazing on your dental work and it will not take long for the veneers to pick up stains.
2. Acidulated fluoride. This won’t completely remove the glaze, but will etch it, giving you pockets of stains.

One thing you can do that will damage the veneers is using the type of whitening toothpastes that are commonly sold. Most of them contain abrasives that will damage both your natural teeth and your dental work.

If the glazing has been removed or damaged you have a couple of options. The first is to replace them. If your dentist damaged them because of one of the things mentioned above they should help with that cost. A second option is to see an expert cosmetic dentist who has the skills and equipment to polish them back to their original shine. It will not be the same as the glaze, but it will remove the stains as well as help them to avoid stains a bit better. From there, Supersmile toothpaste will really help keep the stains off.

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

New Lumineers Over Old

Posted on November 22, 2022 by writeradmin.

I wonder if you can tell me what you think of the new Lumineers over old technique. My dentist originally gave me Lumineers that were not nearly as white as I wanted. At the time, the technology did not exist to make them as white as I wanted. I’ve tried whitening them with teeth whitening, but it’s never worked. My dentist did some research and learned the nature of Lumineers means that teeth whitening won’t work on them. Now, the technology has advanced that I can get my Lumineers whiter. I was thinking of having new ones placed on top of my old ones, which my dentist said is possible. I just don’t want to waste money if it is not a good idea, like the whitening we tried.

Callie

Dear Callie,

I’m going to tell you up front that your dentist is not qualified to redo your smile makeover. You should know that the technology was always available to make your Lumineers white. Your dentist probably just didn’t know how to do it. That doesn’t surprise me because the Lumineers brand is highly marketed to untrained and inexperienced cosmetic dentists. He should also have known that teeth whitening wouldn’t work. In fact, the whitening will only work on natural tooth structure. It is not limited to Lumineers. It will not whiten any type of dental work.

New Lumineers Over Old

While technically you can put new Lumineers over old ones, I don’t recommend it. It is just as much work to place Lumineers on top of one another as it is to completely redo them. However, it is double the risk because now you have two sets of bonding that can fail– the old bonding as well as the new bonding. You are safer just getting them redone completely.

It is perfectly okay to go to one dentist for your general dental work and another for your cosmetic work. This is because doing smile makeovers is not taught in dental school. Instead, a dentist has to study it post-doctorally. Because there is no recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry there is no way for patients to know who has invested in this training and who hasn’t.

What I would like you to do is to look at the smile gallery of some cosmetic dentists in your area to see who does beautiful work. Find a dentist whose smile makeovers are stunning. Don’t be surprised if the dentist you pick suggests a different brand of porcelain veneers. Many expert cosmetic dentists prefer a different brand.

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

Tetracycline Stains and No Money

Posted on August 15, 2022 by AllSmiles.

I have had tetracycline stains on my teeth since childhood. All the research says to put porcelain veneers on your teeth to cover them but my dentist doesn’t do porcelain veneers. He does do crowns, which he has suggested we use. Even that, however, is out of my reach. Are there any other alternatives?

Callie

Dear Callie,

I am very glad you wrote. For the benefit of others reading, who may not know what tetracycline stains are (pictured above), I am going to give a brief explanation. Tetracycline is a prescription medication. If you take it before your permanent teeth are formed, which generally happens at the age of twelve, it will deposit in the dentin of your teeth and show up as a dark brown or gray stains.

The best solution to this is porcelain veneers, which would need to be done in the hands of an expert cosmetic dentist. Covering tetracycline stains is one of the most advanced and tricky procedures dentists have to do. They have to make the cover opaque enough to cover the dark stains, but still translucent enough to look sparkling and natural.

Some family dentists who are not skilled in cosmetic dentistry try to make up for this by doing porcelain crowns. I will be honest with you, any dentist that suggests dental crowns for this is a big red flag. They are telling you, “I can’t do porcelain veneers, but I’m totally willing to grind down healthy tooth structure to rake in money for what I do know.” If they don’t do porcelain veneers, they are not skilled enough in cosmetic work to make these crowns look good. Even most dentists who do porcelain veneers don’t have the skills for tetracycline stains.

Tetraycycline Stains and No Money

You have a few options. First, you can leave the teeth as they are while saving up for the high-end (and higher priced) procedure. This obviously would depend on how long it would take you to reach your goal.

Second, you can have teeth whitening done. When you do this, know that it won’t be done in one tube of gel. In fact, you will have to be persistent, but if you are, it will work. One thing to note is I don’t recommend Zoom Whitening for this. It is more expensive than the take-home trays whitening. It is a fantastic whitener, but you will need too many sessions for it to be financially do-able for you. Of course, you could do one zoom appointment to get a jump start and then do the rest with trays. As far as tray teeth whittening goes, see if your dentist offers or is willing to purchase kör whitening for you. This is the most potent gel available.

Your final option is to have the teeth whitening done while saving up. This allows you to make some progress if it is going to take you a long time to get to the cost goal. If you choose this, you may even find you are happy enough with your whitening results that you no longer feel the need for porcelain veneers. Just bear in mind it will take a while for the whitening to really make a difference.

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

Can Teeth Be Bleached to Match My Eyeballs

Posted on May 2, 2022 by writeradmin.

I want to whiten my teeth to where they are as white as my eyeballs. Is that possible or am I being unrealistic?

Percy

Dear Percy,

I find some of the questions I get to be fascinating. This is one of them. The answer would depend on how white your eyeballs are. At some point, whitening hits a wall. Additionally, it is hard to pinpoint a specific color with teeth whitening. When you think you have reached the level of whitening you want and stop whitening, there is always some oxygen released that changes the color a bit.

The best way to get a specific color and match your teeth to something is with porcelain veneers. These are more expensive than teeth whitening. I will caution you against price shopping on them though. Porcelain veneers are used for complete smile makeovers. This skill is not taught in dental school. Because of that, dentists have to invest in post-doctoral training to learn to do them well. To make it even more challenging, there is a need for artistry in order for the results to look both natural and beautiful. Artistic skill takes time. Not all dentists are created equally in this. You will often find that those dentists who are significantly cheaper than the standard, there is a reason. You don’t want to end up as a cosmetic dentistry horror story.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.
Click here to learn about our free virtual smile makeover consultation.

Is Taking Tetracycline as An Adult Bad for Your Teeth?

Posted on December 21, 2021 by writeradmin.

My doctor has me on tetracycline for acne. My dentist recently noticed the brownish lines on the back of my teeth. My mother thinks these might be from the tetracycline. Is this medicine bad for my teeth? Is there a way to get rid of the stains?

Maggie

Dear Maggie,

You did not mention how old you are, so I am not going to make any assumptions. Generally, tetracycline only stains your teeth if they are still forming. So, if you are over thirteen years of age (and your writing certainly indicates that) then it is unlikely that tetracycline is the culprit. That being said, there is one study that did indicate a specific variety of tetracycline, called minocycline, can stain adult teeth after they are formed. That would be the first thing I would check.

A great toothpaste to help remove surface stains is Supersmile toothpaste. Please don’t try and use any other over-the-counter whitening toothpaste that you can get. They use abrasives to scrub off stains. While it will make your teeth temporarily whiter, the abrasives damage your enamel and make it much easier for them to pick up stains.

If these are true tetracycline stains, and you are in the early stages, you can try teeth whitening, but you will have to be persistent with it. Other than that, you would have to fix them by covering them with porcelain veneers, though veneers do not go on the back of teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.
Click here to learn how to get a free virtual smile makeover consultation.

Gums Burning with My Dental Crowns

Posted on November 7, 2021 by writeradmin.

I had six dental crowns placed on my front teeth. The whole thing has been quite the disaster. First, the temporaries felt like they had leakage, which made me worry there was an infection. He agreed to check. He took the temporary crowns off, did a fluoride treatment, and prescribed me an antibiotic for safe measure. When the crowns came in, the bite was completely off, which meant a lot of grinding them down. Then they said there was too much liquid going to the teeth. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but was relieved when he said they’d have to be sent back. I hoped that meant the next set would fit better. I went back to temporaries. The new crowns have arrived and I’ve had burning gums and sensitivity since putting them on. Sometimes it feels like there is a wad in my mouth What do I do? They’re supposed to be permanently bonded in three days.

Eliza

Dear Eliza,

I don’t think this is the best dentist for you. In fact, I believe he is in over his head. One of the reasons I think that is he gave you crowns instead of porcelain veneers. Unless you already had crowns on those teeth or there was something wrong with them, crowns would be a massive overtreatment. Crowns necessitate that a lot more tooth structure has to be removed. If the teeth are healthy, there is no point in doing that. While that is water under the bridge, it is indicative of his skill level. When dentists suggest crowns over veneers unnecessarily, it means they do not have a lot of cosmetic training. This rarely goes well for the patient.

The first thing I want you to do is to call them first thing in the morning and tell them you do not want them bonding these on permanently until two things happen. First, the crowns feel right. When crowns are fitted and placed correctly, they are completely unnoticeable. You can tell your dentist I said that if he tries to disagree with that.

Second, you know why your gums are burning. I’m wondering if he gave you porcelain fused to metal crowns and you are having some kind of allergic reaction. That is one of the first things I would ask. Ask him what the composition is of the crowns he gave you. If he says he doesn’t know, point out that the lab would have given him an identalloy certificate telling him the exact composition of the metal alloy. If there is any nickel in the makeup, that is the most likely culprit. Many people are allergic to nickel. You would need to switch to all-porcelain crowns.

In reality, on front teeth, you would want all-porcelain crowns anyway. The metal-based crowns will eventually develop a gray line at your gumline. This will be visible and unattractive. That is not something you’d want in a smile makeover.

The fluoride treatment he gave you was pointless. Leaking temporaries means that you have bacteria under there. Fluoride remineralizes teeth. It is not an antibacterial. The right treatment for that would have been peroxide or chlorhexidine. Both of those are antibacterials.

What I am going to suggest is you have them use temporary cement, which they already should have done, and then you go to another dentist to get a second opinion on these crowns.

This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.
Click here to learn about our free virtual smile makeover consult.

What Else is Needed with Porcelain Veneers?

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Travis Wachendorf.

I had planned on getting a smile makeover with porcelain veneers but my dentist keeps adding other procedures I need before I can get the veneers. Getting a full checkup and cleaning I understood. Getting Invisalign and teeth whitening seems excessive. Are these really necessary? I was under the impression that porcelain veneers can make your teeth look straight. The only thing I have that could “possibly” need some orthodontics is one canine tooth that is a little in front of the adjacent tooth. It seems unnecessarily expensive to do that for one tooth.

Letticia

Dear Letticia,

I’m glad you wrote and can help give you some direction here. Let’s start with the teeth whitening. How much of this you need will depend on how many porcelain veneers you plan on getting as well as how wide your smile is. Let us say, just as an example, that you only plan on getting four porcelain veneers. However, when you smile, you can see ten teeth. If the veneers are very white, but your natural teeth are more of a taupe it will be very obvious that you have four “fake” teeth on your front teeth. If however, you whiten your teeth first, then the adjacent teeth will blend more naturally with your new smile makeover. If you are getting plenty of porcelain veneers on your top teeth, then the only teeth you may want to whiten is your bottom arch so it is not a stark contrast to your top arch. This is much more affordable.

The Invisalign is a completely different story. Based on what you described to me, you should not have to have any orthodontics before getting porcelain veneers. Your understanding of a smile makeover and what porcelain veneers can do is more solid than your dentist’s. The fact that your dentist does not know how to make those teeth look straight tells me he is not skilled enough in porcelain veneers. Don’t force him to do this. You will be unhappy with the results. Instead, find a dentist with more expertise. Look at some before and after pictures of work they’ve done to ensure you would be happy to have those results.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Christi Cheek.
Click here to learn about our free virtual smile makeover consult.

Whitening Non-Veneered Teeth

Posted on August 18, 2021 by writeradmin.

Will you give me some advice? I recently got porcelain veneers. I wanted them very white but did not think about how different the color would be from my natural teeth. When I smile, it is very obvious there are two different colored teeth. Could I use Crest Whitestrips to whiten the non-veneered teeth? Will it damage my porcelain veneers?

Brooke

Dear Brooke,

Teeth whitening trays

I’m surprised your dentist did not advise you to have some teeth whitening done before getting your porcelain veneers. It is pretty standard procedure when someone is planning on getting veneers that are a different shade than their natural teeth, but are not getting enough veneers to cover all their visible teeth when they smile. This is usually between eight and ten veneers. You did not mention how many you had placed, but I am guessing it was less than that.

While Crest Whitestrips will not damage your porcelain veneers, there will be some difficulties in using them. First, they are only designed to cover the front six teeth you have. In all likelihood, all or most of those teeth are now veneered. That means the bleaching gel won’t reach the teeth you actually need to be whitened. Additionally, the gel is so weak that it will take an extended amount of time to get them to match your veneers. It is possible that you could cut the strips so that they can be placed on just the teeth you need them, but that is a lot of trouble to go through for weak results.

I am going to suggest you have your dentist make you custom bleaching trays for you to whiten your teeth. He or she can even make them where they go around any teeth that have veneers on them. This will focus the whitening gel on your natural teeth.

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

Invisalign for Protruded Teeth

Posted on July 27, 2021 by writeradmin.

My mother has had protruding teeth her entire life. I know she’s been ashamed of her smile, but was never able to do anything about it. My parents worked hard but were quite poor due to not having much education. They sacrificed their own future to make sure I’d have one and gave me a great education. I’m in a place now where I can take care of myself and them. I don’t know if cosmetic dentistry can work or if she’ll need something else. Can you point me in the direction of some options to consider?

Patricia

Dear Patricia,

You brought tears to my eyes in your love and compassion for your parents and what you want to do for your mother. Often you will find when patients have a misaligned bite, they also have headaches. Fixing her teeth will not only help her feel more beautiful, but it can also improve her quality of life. I haven’t examined your mother or even seen a photograph of her teeth so I’m going to give you all the options I think may work. She’ll need an examination to see what will work best in her situation.

Traditional Braces

This is a tried solution, though most adults are not too thrilled with a mouth full of metal. It is what I would use if her case were too complicated for any of the other solutions.

Invisalign Braces

For older patients, I prefer Invisalign. This uses clear aligners to straighten teeth. They are invisible even at a conversational distance.

Because the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays, they will allow her to straighten and whiten her teeth at the same time, giving her a mini smile makeover.

Porcelain Veneers

A final option is porcelain veneers. This is the most expensive. It doesn’t actually straighten her teeth but can make them appear straight. It can also change the shape, size, and color of her teeth at the same time. However, it will only work if her teeth are not too protruded.

I’d take her to see an excellent cosmetic dentist and discuss each of these options. Personally, I favor the second option, but it really is up to you guys to decide what is best for her.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.
Click here to learn about our free virtual smile makeover consult.