I have a love/hate relationship with my new porcelain veneers. I had just two veneers put on my top front teeth because my teeth were a little crooked and a little small for me. The dentist, whom I thought I had done my due diligence in finding, is very kind and had some good suggestions. I really liked not having to get braces or other orthodontics to still have a better smile.
I love that my teeth look straight. The one thing I really don’t like is how shiny my porcelain veneers are. The word I keep using when I talk to my husband about it is “Bling.” Compared to my other teeth, they totally stand out now. They are way shinier than the rest. I have gone from hiding my smile because of two crooked, small front teeth to hiding my teeth because I feel like they are over the top. What can I do?
June, Portland, OR
Dear Jamie,
It’s interesting to talk to others about porcelain veneers. For many people, porcelain veneers are porcelain veneers and if a dentist says he can place them for you, you are good to go. Unfortunately, neither case is true. There are different kinds and brands of porcelain veneers. There are also dentists who have spent a couple of hours in a class talking about porcelain veneers and there are cosmetic dentists who have spent considerable time really learning the art and aesthetics associated with veneers.
Coloration, size, texture, and the shine of porcelain veneers are what can either make your smile perfect to you or, if not done correctly, can make your new teeth look unnatural or fake. It’s unfortunate that your new veneers are falling into the latter group.
The shine on veneers is created by the glaze put over them. This glaze is critical because creates the shine so the teeth don’t look flat or dry. It also gives the veneers their stain-resistant quality. The extra shine on your veneers is a problem with your glaze. Typically a good cosmetic dentist will do a try-on with the veneers after they are made. You can make sure they are exactly how you want them to be. This could have been corrected in that step.
How do you fix the shine on your porcelain veneers?
As it is, there is a tool that dental hygienists use called a Prophy Jet that they use to polish the teeth. It’s not recommended for porcelain veneers because it does destroy some of the glaze on the porcelain. Unfortunately this also breaks down the stain-resistance so it’s not a recommended method of correcting the glaze.
The ideal scenario is to talk to your dentist about them. Some dentists offer a Beautiful Smile Guarantee. You mentioned your dentist is kind. Hopefully he also really cares about the satisfaction of his patients and will re-do your veneers. Porcelain veneers are not cheap so you want to get the smile you paid for.
This post is sponsored by Generations Dental Care in Enfield , CT.
