Monthly Archives: July 2013

Porcelain Veneers

Veneers instead of crowns

If I had my teeth ground down to get crowns, but never got them. can I get veneers instead?

Joanne S.- Bigelow, AR

Joanne,

I want to make sure I understand your situation. Did you say that your dentist ground down your teeth in preparation for a dental crown, but then never put your crowns on?  How long have you been without protection on your tooth? I don’t like that idea at all. Did he tell you why he didn’t put your crowns on?

As far as switching to porcelain veneers, that would have been possible before the tooth preparation was done. However, once a tooth is ground down for a crown, then a dental crown is the only procedure that will work.

It is possible to make it as beautiful as a porcelain veneer. You’ll want to make sure of two things: first, that they use all-porcelain crowns, and second, that you’re going to an artistic cosmetic dentist. If you do a good job picking the dentist then you won’t have to worry about them using the right materials. An expert cosmetic dentist will not only choose the right materials, but know how to use them to make sparkling, natural looking teeth.

One way to find an expert cosmetic dentist is to look for someone who is accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD).  Very few dentists reach that level of expertise, so if you can’t find someone within a reasonable driving distance, then your next resource is to go to the mynewsmile.com website and see who they recommend for Arkansas. This website is very stringent in its requirements for listing a cosmetic dentists. You’ll be safe with anyone on that site.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.

Porcelain Veneers

Veneers turning dark

I’ve had my veneers for ten years. They have always stayed white, but for some reason in the last two months, they have been getting darker. THey’re supposed to last longer than this. Do you know what is going wrong? I take really good care of them.

Stephanie H. – Baton Rouge, LA

Stephanie,

I can’t give a 100% certain answer without seeing your veneers, but I can tell you what I suspect. It sounds to me like the glazing on your porcelain veneers have been damaged. This can  happen during your dental cleaning.

Did your dental hygienist use any power polishing equipment such as prophy-jet? It will take the glaze off your veneers in just one treatment. You wouldn’t notice, because it would look nice and shiny when you leave, but will immediately begin picking up staining.

It can be fixed, but you will need an expert cosmetic dentist who knows how to restore them using advanced polishing techniques. They’ll need some diamond grit polishers.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa cosmetic dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.