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Which would be best – porcelain veneers or Invisalign?
For years I have dreamed of having a really beautiful smile. I recently came into some money and decided to get porcelain veneers on my upper teeth. There is nothing major wrong with my teeth. They are a little small, and pretty stained, but overall structurally OK. One tooth is crooked, but it is not so bad that I ever considered braces.
And that is kind of why I am confused. The dentist I am working with says I should do Invisalign braces before we place my veneers, and that is kind of confusing to me. I thought the porcelain veneers would take care of any crooked teeth. Aren’t they also referred to as “instant orthodontics”? My dentist says that after I have the Invisalign treatment, the prep required to place the porcelain veneers would be minimal, which certainly sounds like a bonus, but is it really worth the time and expense? A year of treatment, and thousands of dollars don’t seem like a good trade for a few millimeters of tooth that will be under a veneer anyway. He wants to place Lumineers, but I’ve been reading kind of negative things about them on the web.
Do you have any advice?
Cecelia in Shreveport
Dear Cecelia,
Without seeing your case, it is impossible, of course to make definitive recommendations. It may be that you have a bite problem you are not aware of, or serious crowding issues. You really need to pursue this inquiry with your dentist, as it is quite unusual to recommend both procedures. Normally you would do porcelain veneers OR Invisalign, but not both together.
In this case, a second opinion is necessary. Go to a well recommended, experienced, artistic cosmetic dentist, and tell them what you want to have done. For the most accurate results you really should see a cosmetic dentist that also does Invisalign treatments. Don’t tell the second dentist about the recommendations of the first dentist until after he or she has offered an opinion. In this way you can get the truest assessment of the second dentist’s opinion on the best treatment options.
Best of luck.
This blog post is courtesy of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.
What can I do to cover up these ugly porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns?
When I was 20 years old I had porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns placed on my teeth. That was almost 25 years ago, and now those crowns look pretty bad. There is a very noticeable dark line at my gumline, and I have a really big smile. Is there anything that can cover that line up? What about Lumineers? What about dental bonding? I don’t want to have to replace all these porcelain crowns because that will be pretty expensive, but I have about reached the end of being able to deal with these ugly crowns.
Melissa in Augusta, Maine
Dear Melissa,
There are really not many options for you here. You need new porcelain crowns, and if you chose the right dentist to help you, your new smile will be stunning. Putting Lumineers or some other kind of porcelain veneer over your existing crowns will not yield good results, and dental bonding will not work to disguise the dark line.
The most important point to take from this discussion is that you need to choose an experienced, expert, artistic cosmetic dentist to help you get this work done. Any dentist can say that they do cosmetic work, so you’ll need to be a careful investigator. Check websites for patient galleries, and ask about specialized training.
This blog post created for Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.
An old injury making my tooth turn dark
When I was nine I wiped out on my skateboard and put a chip in my left front tooth. My dentist at that time did a nice job fixing it, but now all these years later that tooth is noticeably darker than the others around it. I talked to my current dentist about this, but she says that she would not be comfortable doing a crown because the tooth is dead. She did say that she wants to refer me to a friend of hers that does cosmetic dentistry, but I am a little nervous about the cost. I’ll be paying for this procedure out of pocket, and expect that a cosmetic dentist will be a lot more expensive. I’ve always been really happy with my dentist’s work, and can’t really figure out why she seems to reluctant to do this. I mentioned Lumineers, and she said that I should discuss them with the other dentist, but that she has heard of some issues with them.
Can you shed some light on why she might be dragging her feet on this?
Zachary in South Fork
Dear Zachary,
Your dentist is actually demonstrating extremely ethical behavior. Though any dentist can SAY they do cosmetic dentistry, only about 5% really have the artistic sense and training to do exceptionally beautiful work. Your dentist is telling you that this is not her area of expertise, and referring you to someone she trusts to do superior work.
Lumineers are a brand of porcelain veneers, and there have been some issues with them. The cosmetic dentist you talk to may like to work with them, though, so make sure you chose the dentist with care and let the dentist guide you towards the best solution. A porcelain crown may not be the best solution, as your current dentist suggests but again, the cosmetic dentist you consult will give you all the options and then let you decide what to do.
This blog and post are sponsored by Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.