I feel stupid writing another dentist, but I don’t know what else to do.  I want to get a new smile.  My dentist said he could give me Lumineers.  I’d done some research and read that they can be kind of bulky.  I was hoping to get something better. But, he said that anything else would cause him to have to grind down my teeth.  I don’t want that either.  I don’t want to spend all this money and end up with bulky teeth, but I don’t want my teeth ground down to nubs either.  Is there another alternative?

Sammie M. – Florida

Sammie,

I’m going to say that this is probably not the best dentist to do you smile makeover. It sounds like he is your basic family dentist, who took a lumineers course. It sounds like he’s trying discourage you from getting any other brand.  That could be because he thinks that is the best brand for you, or it could be because he doesn’t know anything outside of Lumineers.

There is something that he miscommunicated that I want to make sure you’re clear on.  While Lumineers are are a no prep type of veneer, there are other brands of ultra thin veneers as well.  More importantly, even if you don’t get a no prep veneer, it does NOT mean your teeth need to be ground down.

Your teeth will only be prepped about the thickness of a fingernail.  You can’t even tell a significant difference between a prepped and unprepped tooth.

If I were in your place and were about to put down a significant amount of money on a smile makeover, I would want the best dentist possible. Get someone who is accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD).  These dentists are amoung the top 1% of cosmetic dentists in the country.

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