I don’t know what to do about my porcelain veneers. The front looks flat and overly shiny. I feel a bit trapped in a smile I wanted to be gorgeous but makes me look like something from a horror movie. Is there a way to make them less shiny? Can I remove the glaze on them? I’m heartbroken because I paid a lot of money for these.
Temperance
Dear Temperance,
I am glad you wrote. While you could remove the glaze by having your dental hygienist use something like a Power Prophy Jet on it, I don’t recommend that. The glaze that is placed on cosmetic dental work such as porcelain veneers and porcelain crowns are very important. They do more than just give some shine to the teeth. They also protect your dental work from stains.
It sounds more like your dentist had great intensions but may have been in over his or her head. If they made the porcelain veneers completely smooth, they would definitely look fake. The glaze isn’t what is doing that. It is the way the veneers were crafted.
If you look at the image above, you will notice the teeth are not flat and even. There are a variety of textures. There are also a variety of opacities. Believe it or not, one of the teeth in that image is fake.
I would start with just asking your dentist to re-do the porcelain veneers. You did pay for a beautiful smile and if your dentist is ethical, they will want you to get one.
When an experienced cosmetic dentist does a smile makeover, they will generally do a try-in first where they place your veneers in with a temporary paste. You get to look at them in several different types of lighting. If you aren’t thrilled with them, the dentist would be willing to redo them with the changes you request.
It doesn’t sound like your dentist did that. Hopefully, they’ll be willing to do them again. If they do, make sure they do a temporary try-in before doing any permanent bonding.
This blog is brought to you by a gentle dentist in Kalamazoo, Dr. Susan Dennis.