My teeth have always had white spots on them, ever since I was a little girl. The older I got, the more embarrassing it became. My parents couldn’t afford to do anything about it. Now that I am an adult, I want to do something, but my dentist said my teeth are healthy, so why would I want to mess with something that isn’t broken. But, they bother me. I’ve been looking into options myself. The Lumineers advertisements look good, but they’re expensive. I asked my dentist about them and she said she’d be willing to take their seminar if it meant that much to me. The other option I’ve been looking at is teeth whitening. That is much less expensive. When I mentioned that, my dentist said that there are over-the-counter options for that. Are those as good as the stuff people get with their dentist?
Amanda
Dear Amanda,
I’m glad you wrote. Your dentist’s comment is typical of someone who does not do cosmetic dentistry—”If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” But, if you don’t like the way it looks and it makes you uncomfortable to smile, then it is broken. However, Neither of the options you mentioned is a good idea.
Let’s start with Lumineers. This is simply a brand of porcelain veneers. Unfortunately, it happens to be a brand that is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place. The problem with that is twofold. First, porcelain veneers are one of the most advanced cosmetic procedures there is. It takes not only post-doctoral training, but years of practice and an artistic eye to do it well. A seminar with Lumineers doesn’t cut it. Second, the Lumineers brand requires dentists to use their lab, which is not known for its artistic results. In fact, most skilled cosmetic dentists will not place Lumineers for that reason.
To answer your question about teeth whitening, the over-the-counter options will be much weaker than what you can get with a dentist. While professional strength teeth whitening is a wonderful procedure and one easy enough for any dentist to do, it won’t work in your case. This is because it whitens teeth evenly. Your white spots will whiten right along with the rest of your tooth surface so they will still be visible.
You have a couple of options for your situation. If your white spots are small, then dental bonding could work just fine. If they are larger, I would go with porcelain veneers. Both of these options will require an expert cosmetic dentist. Do not let your current dentist do them.
This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.