just over a month ago I got a full restoration of B1 porcelain veneers and crowns in Costa Rica. Since then my teeth have turned more and more yellow as seen in photos. I don’t eat or drink anything routinely that would cause yellowing to normal teeth besides 1 coffee per day. I’ve reached out to the dentist and I’m waiting to hear back but wanted to get some opinions on how this can be happening. I am at a total loss and obviously very upset/concerned. Thanks for any insight!
Answer: Dentistry in another country has risks While "lower cost dentistry" may sound good, there is ALWAYS a cost. In cases like this, we have no idea if the material really IS the "same thing" as what is used in the USA, whether the material for the restorations or the cements to bond them in place.Will the yellowing continue to a more orange or brown color? Are the margins leaking? Will this lead to decay? What ELSE is happening?I have no answers because I have no idea what was used or done.
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Answer: Dentistry in another country has risks While "lower cost dentistry" may sound good, there is ALWAYS a cost. In cases like this, we have no idea if the material really IS the "same thing" as what is used in the USA, whether the material for the restorations or the cements to bond them in place.Will the yellowing continue to a more orange or brown color? Are the margins leaking? Will this lead to decay? What ELSE is happening?I have no answers because I have no idea what was used or done.
Helpful
Answer: Yellowing Dental Veneers Hello and thank you for your question. The best way to answer this is with an in-person evaluation. I recommend you consult with a Prosthodontist, who can give you a comprehensive examination and discuss with you the different types of veneers to give you the best long-term results. A Prosthodontist is a dental specialist who has advanced training in restoring teeth and can create a customized treatment using the latest techniques in dental veneers.
Helpful
Answer: Yellowing Dental Veneers Hello and thank you for your question. The best way to answer this is with an in-person evaluation. I recommend you consult with a Prosthodontist, who can give you a comprehensive examination and discuss with you the different types of veneers to give you the best long-term results. A Prosthodontist is a dental specialist who has advanced training in restoring teeth and can create a customized treatment using the latest techniques in dental veneers.
Helpful
July 3, 2018
Answer: Porcelain Crowns & Veneers Yellowing I would highly suggest keeping your dentistry, especially the more costly procedures, "local". I discourage patients whom want me to perform more complicated procedures such as smile make overs, Invisalign, implants, oral surgery and 3D CAD/CAM ceramic work that if they couldn't get to my office for frequent appointments and emergencies to find a "local" dentist whom can take personal and individualized care of their dental needs and OWN their dentistry by warranty. Unfortunately, Tele-dentistry will always be a farce as modern dentistry is heavily hands on, individual specific and high tech equipment orientated. I would highly discourage going south of the border for cheap dentistry as I have personally seen "porcelain" issues (yellowing & fracturing). Some dental resin cements of inferior quality or "age" may discolor over time and effect the base layer shading but your case looks more involved from the pictures. This may or may not be specific to your situation and I am sure you vetted your treating dentist and their capabilities before paying them for extensive dental work but there are those situations that do exist and others reading this post may benefit.If they agree to redo the case for you, which most credible dentists here in the states should, have them use eMax ceramics and ask for the lab to send the ceramic certificates of authenticity back with the case....which may or not really prove they used that material but lets the lab know the quality of restoration you are expecting. Modern ceramics (not porcelain) is extremely color stable, stronger, highly cosmetic and lack most of the imperfections which can be incorporated in hand laid porcelain. By the way, I use to own my own dental lab......now I use chairside CEREC CAD-CAM 90% of the time and am getting the best results ever.
Helpful
July 3, 2018
Answer: Porcelain Crowns & Veneers Yellowing I would highly suggest keeping your dentistry, especially the more costly procedures, "local". I discourage patients whom want me to perform more complicated procedures such as smile make overs, Invisalign, implants, oral surgery and 3D CAD/CAM ceramic work that if they couldn't get to my office for frequent appointments and emergencies to find a "local" dentist whom can take personal and individualized care of their dental needs and OWN their dentistry by warranty. Unfortunately, Tele-dentistry will always be a farce as modern dentistry is heavily hands on, individual specific and high tech equipment orientated. I would highly discourage going south of the border for cheap dentistry as I have personally seen "porcelain" issues (yellowing & fracturing). Some dental resin cements of inferior quality or "age" may discolor over time and effect the base layer shading but your case looks more involved from the pictures. This may or may not be specific to your situation and I am sure you vetted your treating dentist and their capabilities before paying them for extensive dental work but there are those situations that do exist and others reading this post may benefit.If they agree to redo the case for you, which most credible dentists here in the states should, have them use eMax ceramics and ask for the lab to send the ceramic certificates of authenticity back with the case....which may or not really prove they used that material but lets the lab know the quality of restoration you are expecting. Modern ceramics (not porcelain) is extremely color stable, stronger, highly cosmetic and lack most of the imperfections which can be incorporated in hand laid porcelain. By the way, I use to own my own dental lab......now I use chairside CEREC CAD-CAM 90% of the time and am getting the best results ever.
Helpful