I am quite frustrated. I went to my dentist to get a smile makeover. He suggested Lumineers and said they don’t need to grind my teeth down. I liked that idea. I told him I wanted very white teeth. When he put them on, I didn’t get to see them until they were bonded on. They were darker than I expected. When I asked him about that, he told me that he put what he called a “Naturalizing stain” on them so they wouldn’t look too white, which he said would make them look fake. Except, I wanted them white and had specifically told him that. He said if I gave it time, I would see that he was right and like them. I gave it a few weeks. These were miserable weeks. I went back in and told him I hated the stain. He said he’d get rid of it. But, he did that by drilling it off. While they are “whiter” they are now bumpy and uneven and look ridiculous. What do I do?
Esme
Dear Esme,
What a cosmetic dentistry horror story. Normally, if you don’t like the results of your cosmetic dentistry and they are functional the only way to get your money back is if you have an ethical dentist who cares about how you feel about the results. However, if they are as bad as your are saying, including the bumpiness, I think you could get another cosmetic dentist on your side who would help you put some pressure on this dentist to refund your money so you can get it done properly. Plus, he took off the glaze of your Lumineers which means they will quickly pick up stains, so you can even say goodbye to the whiteness you gained.
There are some clues here to me that your dentist has no idea what he’s doing with cosmetic dentistry. First, is the fact that he suggested Lumineers to begin with. These are highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists. The second is that he stained them to make them “Look natural.” A true cosmetic dentist, who does a lot of cosmetic work, would know the whole point of a smile makeover is to give the patient the smile they want. Finally, drilling off the glaze ruins them.
Find an expert cosmetic dentist in your area. Look for someone with a smile gallery that shows they provide beautiful results. Check that they also have a beautiful smile guarantee. They can help you with this dentist and then provide you with a different brand of porcelain veneers.
This blog is brought to you by a compassionate dentist in Kalamazoo Dr. Susan Dennis.