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Archives for November 2025

Using CEREC Veneers

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I’m new in town and just started with a new dentist. I mentioned to him that I was interested in a smile makeover. He suggested CEREC veneers at 1.5 mm. I told him I’d think about it. My hesitation is that I thought CEREC was just for crowns. I don’t want crowns. I want veneers. So, should I tell him no and switch dentists?

Lori

**NOTE: Before providing the answer below, I asked Lori for the name and city of the dentist she is seeing.

Dear Lori,

porcelain veneers

Thank you for that information. When it comes to any type of smile makeover, it’s not the material that matters as much as the dentist working with those materials. Though, to be honest, it would take some tweaking to CEREC veneers to make them look natural because they are milled from a single block of porcelain. Otherwise, they will end up looking a bit matte in appearance.

Our teeth do not have the same opacity over the entire tooth’s surface, so to make the veneer to look natural, the dentist would need several different blocks of porcelain of varying opacities. When they use a single block, they’ll need a good understanding of color theory and stains to make them look like there is a variation. This is why most dentists who use CEREC will use it to do same day crowns on teeth that are not the two front teeth because of how exposed they are to light.

I did some research on your dentist. He has no website, not even a Facebook page. When I looked up his credentials, there was no record of him attending any post-doctoral institutions to learn how to do smile makeovers. I have serious doubts about his skills to pull this off.

My suggestion is you use porcelain veneers to have your smile makeover done. You’ll want to make sure the dentist has a website and a smile gallery containing before and after photos of makeover cases the dentist has done. If the results do not blow you away, look for another dentist to do your smile makeover. If they don’t have a smile gallery of their work, then they don’t do enough cosmetic work to be skilled on it.

This blog is brought to you by compassionate cosmetic dentist in Portage, MI Dr. Susan Dennis.

Front Teeth Are Too Large

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I’ve been trying to find a way to make my teeth look better. My two front teeth are bigger and more forward than the rest of my teeth. I feel like I look a bit like a beaver. I’ve been given lots of advise from different people and none of them quite make enough sense. I’m about to just give up and have them removed and then replace them with dental implants. But, honestly, I’m hoping you have a better options for me.

Tanya

Dear Tanya,

Invisalign Aligners

Whatever you do, please do not remove your teeth and replace them with dental implants. You will not have to do anything so drastic. You do have a lot of options. You could have the teeth trimmed and then have them moved into place with Invisalign aligners. Another option is to have porcelain veneers placed on your teeth.

I have not examined your teeth, so it would be unethical of me to tell you which procedure is the right one for you. My best suggestion is that you find an expert cosmetic dentist, let them examine your bite, then let them determine what your best options are.

There are many factors that will determine the best treatment options. Even if it is the right procedure, the dentist needs a lot of training and experience in placing them. Occlusion of your teeth is important. If a procedure is not done well, it can throw off the way your teeth are meeting together.

This is where a dentist without the right training can cause you a lot of problems. You want to make sure that nothing will throw off your bite. If it does, you can end up with something like TMJ Disorder because a dentist without real training in cosmetic dental work did the procedure they like the best.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Gentle Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.

Does My Tooth Still Need to Get Extracted?

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I had a tooth that was hurting me on 10/7. My dentist prescribed antibiotics for ten days. It started feeling better right away. It still feels better. But, I’m scheduled for a tooth extraction in two more weeks. Is it really necessary to have the tooth extracted if I don’t have any pain? I’m not fond of the dentist so I wouldn’t mind avoiding the extraction if I can.

Eloise

Dear Eloise,

Woman holding her cheek needing a tooth extraction.

I’m very glad you wrote. If the tooth was infected then, it is infected now. The antibiotic will help calm your infection down but is unable to get to the source of the problem. Eventually, because of that, the infection will flare back up. It was good that your dentist prescribed the antibiotic. However, he or she should have scheduled your treatment for while you were still on the medication. That way the tooth is calm and more easily treated.

The first thing I would do is call the dentist and ask for enough of an antibiotic to get you to the tooth extraction and a few days after that in order to proceed safely. I’m curious as to why your dentist is recommending the tooth not get a root canal treatment. That would allow you to save your tooth. Unless it is too far gone to be saved, that would be the better treatment. If it is more a matter of your dentist not liking to do root canal treatments, then they can give you a recommendation for a good endodontist, which are root canal specialists. If the tooth is too far gone, than the tooth extraction will be the next option.

As for you not being keen on the dentist, you are not alone. Many patients have dental anxiety. The good news is that there is a solution. I would have your work done by a sedation dentist. There are different levels of sedation. For easy work, you could have nitrous oxide. For more extensive work you can have oral conscious sedation. In fact, that is so strong that you could sleep through the procedure if you wanted to.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Holistic Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.

Wisdom Tooth Broke

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I have a wisdom tooth which has been bothering me for quite a while. I kept avoiding going to the dentist because they are not my favorite (no offense). I could live with the pain because I have some really good prescription pain pills due to some medical treatments I am going through. The decay grew to the point that the tooth just fell off. Not the underneath part, just the part that is visible. My question is, am I fine now or should I be concerned?

Steve

Dear Steve,

Man holding his cheek in need of an emergency dentist

No offense taken. In all honestly, there are a lot of people who are uncomfortable going to the dentist. Often it stems from dental trauma in childhood. Not all pediatric dentists realize that their actions and chairside manner can impact the child’s view of dental care for decades to come.

In the case of your wisdom tooth, your next actions (or non-action) will depend on whether or not the decay turned into a tooth infection that infected the root of the tooth. If you currently have no pain and have not had any pain in a while, you may be okay. Ideally, you’d get an x-ray that can tell you for sure if there was an infection. X-rays are painless and you are not obligated to get treatment based on what you learn.

If there is no infection, then you are probably fine to just leave things as is. If, however, there is an infection, then you will need treatment. In most cases, for other teeth, you’d get a root canal treatment. This is so that the tooth can be saved. However, wisdom teeth do not need to be saved. Your best bet is to just have it extracted.

I know the idea of treatment terrifies you. My suggestion is that you see a sedation dentist to get this work done, if it is necessary. I recommend oral conscious sedation. They can give you a pill that will completely relax you. In fact, you can even sleep through the appointment if that is what you want. If there is an infection, you don’t want to put off treatment. These are dental emergencies and left untreated they can cause serious problems. People still die from untreated tooth infections. However, the dental sedation will make sure you have a pain free appointment.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.