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Advanced cosmetic and general dentistry

My porcelain veneer is noticeably too long

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My left top incisor was chipped when I was 27 years old. My dentist did a good job of bonding it and even I couldn’t tell where the chip was. I have to look at an old picture with the chipped tooth to pinpoint exactly where it was broken. Now I’m 49 yrs old. Within the past 2 months I noticed that the bonding was starting to get weak and chip away. I switched dentists last fall because my former dentist moved out of state. My current dentist said that I need a crown not bonding this time. I didn’t agree to a crown after he explained that he would have to grind down my tooth. So his next recommendation was a porcelain veneer. I shouldn’t have agreed to it, but I did. The porcelain veneer is longer than the tooth next to it. I called the office 1 ½ week ago and complained about the way the veneer looks. I saw my dentist early last week and he took a look at it and he said it looks fine. I asked him to see if he could do something about it. He removed the veneer and cleaned it. Then he rebonded it. Now it’s too long AND crooked. So he just made things worse. So removing it and rebonding it implied that maybe the dentist thought he put it on too low so it looked longer that it really is. I think the veneer is just plain too long. I was pretty frank and told my dentist that I hate the veneer. He said he can order another one and I told him I will call the office to let him know what I decide. I don’t trust the process. Should I just leave this dentist and find somebody who knows what they are doing? Thanks. Timothy

Timothy,

Yes, you should leave the dentist and find one who knows what he or she is doing.

Your porcelain veneer needs to be examined to determine the real issue. If your veneer was bonded incorrectly the second time, it might have been incorrectly bonded in the first place. It is also possible that the ceramist who made the veneer didn’t get correct instructions on the size and proportions of the veneer.

We are also concerned why your dentist didn’t think that dental bonding was still an option. Was your dentist uncomfortable with his ability to match the bonding to your tooth? Was there something different about the tooth structure that would prevent dental bonding from correctly restoring it this time?

We suggest that you find an experienced and accredited cosmetic dentist to examine your tooth and porcelain veneer. A dentist who is accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry has proven experience, skill, and training in aesthetic restoration of teeth. He or she will let you know what went wrong, as well as your options for restoring your tooth. You can also consider asking your dentist for a refund or some type of compensation for the expense of having your tooth properly restored.

This post is sponsored by Lowell, MA accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Szarek.

Why do porcelain veneers turn gray?

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In June last year I got 8 porcelain veneers on my front teeth. 3 of the 8 veneers are light gray. I noticed the color change in October but it was so slight I was wondering if it was the lighting in my bathroom. Two Thursdays ago I looked because the sun outside was bright and I took a close look in the rearview mirror of my car. I asked my sister to look at them too and she agrees that the same three teeth are gray. I didn’t tell her what was wrong with veneers. I just asked her to look at them and she noticed the exact problem that I have seen. Last week I had an appointment with the dentist who did my veneers. My regular dentist doesn’t do them, so she referred me to someone else. This dentist is a cosmetic dentist. When I returned to him, he said that the 3 teeth must be darker than the others so he needs to make the veneers thicker. I’m not sure he knows what he is talking about. I’m wondering isn’t this something he should have taken into account before he had the veneers made. Can I trust him to do the replacements?  Also, why do porcelain veneers turn gray? Thanks for your help. Connie

Connie,

Your cosmetic dentist clearly lacks the skill to give you porcelain veneers that have the right color and translucence. If he provides you with thicker veneers, they will look thicker than your other teeth. That’s not the solution. Any dentist can claim to be a cosmetic dentist, but a true cosmetic dentist would know how to determine why your veneers are turning gray and what to do about it.

What’s a true cosmetic dentist? It’s a dentist who has received extensive, hands-on training in cosmetic dentistry and who has experience in the art. He or she has an artistic inclination to produce beautiful results. Your work was done by a cosmetic dentist in name only.

We suggest that you not leave the replacement of your porcelain veneers in the hands of the dentist who originally placed them. Look for a cosmetic dentist with several years of post-graduate training in cosmetic dentistry. If you can find an accredited cosmetic dentist, that’s even better.

Why Do Porcelain Veneers Turn Gray?

Porcelain veneers don’t turn gray unless there is a problem. Consider a few possibilities:

  • Some of your natural teeth might be dark, and they weren’t properly prepared before the veneers were placed, or the veneers weren’t design to conceal them. Your new cosmetic dentist will want to examine your natural teeth and determine if some of them really are darker than the others. If so, bleaching might help. Otherwise, the dark teeth might require careful preparation to lighten their appearance before the veneers are placed. A skilled cosmetic dentist will work with a ceramist to produce porcelain that conceals the darkness and still looks natural.
  • There might be micro-leakage beneath the veneers. When veneers aren’t properly bonded, food or drink can seep behind them and cause discoloration. In this case, they will have an uneven gray color. It also promotes a buildup of bacteria and can cause tooth decay. In either case, an expert cosmetic dentist can identify the problem and resolve it.
  • There might be a problem with the glaze of the veneers. The veneers might not have been glazed at all, they might have been improperly glazed, or the glaze might be damaged.

Schedule a consultation with one or two accredited cosmetic dentists to help you decide which provider will restore your smile.

 

This post is sponsored by Lowell, MA dentist Dr. Michael Szarek.

 

 

My porcelain veneer looks thick and off center

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I had 16 year old bonding on a front center tooth that my dentist replaced with a porcelain veneer. It’s the one on the left. The bonding covered a chip in my tooth that I had in sports accident when I was 22 years old. The bonding got discolored and it actually chipped very slightly on the inner edge. It wasn’t very noticeable to others but I didn’t want it to get any worse. I asked me dentist about replacing the bonding and she said that too much of the tooth was affected to do bonding again so she recommended a crown. After finding out that my tooth needed to be shaved down to get a crown, I asked for a porcelain veneer.

I spent a lot of time at my dentist’s office because she wanted to make sure the veneer matched my teeth which were whitened 3 months ago. She also let me try on a temporary veneer to make sure it looked good. I was excited about finally getting my tooth fixed so that it looked natural.

3 weeks ago I got the final veneer and my doctor did the temporary paste in. I agreed that it was what I wanted. So she bonded it too my tooth. She and her assistant agreed that my tooth looked great. Then they seemed to be in somewhat of a hurry to get to another patient and my dentist said she would check out my tooth in 2 weeks just to make sure everything is okay.

I got to my car and looked at my tooth in my rearview mirror and it looked thick and off center to me. I did a selfie picture of my smile and sent it to a friend. Without my saying anything she noticed that the tooth looked off center. I didn’t tell her that it was actually a porcelain veneer. I called my dentist’s office on the way home and they told me to schedule another appointment. The response I got was that the tooth must have shifted. I am not comfortable about letting her fix my tooth because I don’t trust my dentist to remove the veneer and put it back on. Why after all of that checking is my veneer crooked? Could my tooth really have shifted? Kayla

Kayla – Your description really sounds like the porcelain veneer was incorrectly positioned when it was being bonded to your tooth. The hurried action after it was bonded and cured seems to indicate that your dentist saw that the veneer wasn’t placed correctly.

It is also concerning that your dentist recommended a crown or a porcelain veneer instead of replacing the dental bonding. Dental bonding is a faster, less invasive, and less expensive option that can produce beautiful results. A skilled cosmetic dentist would recommend dental bonding as the first option for restoring your tooth.

An expert cosmetic dentist might be able to remove your porcelain veneer without it cracking, clean the bonding off the veneer and your tooth, and re-bond the veneer. Otherwise, the veneer will need to be replaced. Your dentist hasn’t made the offer to correct the situation, so it is unlikely that she has the skill required to do it.

Take pictures of your tooth, document your conversations with your dentist, and ask for compensation, depending on whether your porcelain veneer needs to be removed and bonded again, or replaced.

This post is sponsored by Lowell, MA dentist Dr. Michael Szarek.

Can porcelain veneers be placed over old composite?

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I have 2 teeth that have a lot composite in them. I lost part of each tooth in an accident. I don’t like the way the composite wears over time and it never really matched my teeth, so I asked my dentist about veneers. He said that crowns will be better. I really want veneers and I am thinking about switching dentists to get it done. Can I get veneers over the composite? Thanks. Stephanie M.

Stephanie – The answer for whether or not porcelain veneers should be used over composite depends on each individual’s case.

You mentioned that you have a lot of composite in your teeth. If a tooth is at least half composite, it can break. Placing a porcelain crown over the tooth, instead of putting veneers on it will protect it from breaking off. The crown will also protect the tooth from decay.

The location of the composite is also a consideration in determining the most effective treatment. If the composite is on the front of each tooth, then trimming the composite and placing porcelain veneers on your teeth can produce excellent results.

You are considering the possibility of going to another dentist, so consider getting a second opinion from an experienced cosmetic dentist—if possible, an accredited cosmetic dentist. He or she will be able to determine which treatment is best for your case. Also, a skilled cosmetic dentist can perfectly blend and manipulate composite to match the translucence, color, and characteristics of your natural teeth. An experienced cosmetic dentist will be produce beautiful results with replacing the composite, or providing you with porcelain crowns or porcelain veneers.

This post is sponsored by Lowell, MA accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Szarek.

My porcelain veneers are way too white

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I hate my porcelain veneers because they are way too white. Nobody thinks they are my real teeth. People actually ask me if I am wearing veneers or something over my teeth because they are so white. It is embarrassing. I know that they are not my real teeth, but aren’t porcelain veneers supposed to look natural? This is much whiter than I thought my veneers would be.  The cosmetic dentist that placed them is not my regular dentist, but she insists that I approved the color. I asked her to remove them and send them back to her lab to have them darkened. She says that it’s too late to darken them. Is this true? I am disappointed that I am not being offered any alternatives for this problem. Thanks for your help. – Sunni

Sunni – After porcelain veneers are bonded to your teeth, no changes can be made to them. Even if the veneers were removed, the porcelain is color fast, and it cannot be changed.

Bonded veneers can’t be made darker or lighter. At this point, if you are able to prove that the color of veneers you received is not the color you approved, it may assist you in getting new veneers. You can consider tactfully asking your cosmetic dentist to compare the instructions on the color of your veneers that was sent to the lab with what was actually received. It is unfortunate, but at this point, the only way to receive more natural-looking veneers is to have them completely redone.

We hope that your cosmetic dentist will be willing to work with you to ensure that you get natural-looking veneers. If not, find another cosmetic dentist who will examine your teeth and veneers and let you know your options. An accredited cosmetic dentist is trained and skilled to product lifelike results.

This post is sponsored by Lowell accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Szarek.