POSTED UNDER Porcelain Veneers REVIEWS
Think Hard About Veneers - Atlanta, GA
ORIGINAL POST
Bottom line: i should have considered braces first...
Sheri ColaDecember 29, 2011
$4,000
Bottom line: i should have considered braces first to correct my tooth spacing, and probably followed up with a no/low prep veneer to fix shape of teeth (if needed).
I have a slight overbite, somewhat small teeth, and some of my teeth were a little spacey. You couldn't really notice the spaciness because when I bit down, my bottom teeth would "fill in" the gaps from behind my top teeth. I wanted veneers to close the gaps and reshape my teeth.
The dental assistant had braces and she mentioned that I should give it a try to correct the spacing, but I was thinking that it obviously that wouldn't help the shape of my teeth... so let's go for the quick fix on my 4 front teeth. I didn't do much research about veneers, I just knew celebrities had nice teeth!
Pros -the experience wasn't that bad -I loved my smile afterwards, and always received compliments
Cons -when the veneers came back from the lab, they looked a little off. Overall they were fine, but up close the cut/shape of the two front teeth was odd (not perfectly straight) -the veneers on my two lateral incisors have popped off every year. 2x for my right and 3x for my left It costs ~$100 to get them re-cemented, I will probably go get fitted for a new veneer for the one that is currently off.
Then purchase a mouth guard since I clench sometimes. I feel like I have bitten my veneers right off a few times.
Replies (11)
January 3, 2012
I just got the veneer re-cemented and fitted for a night guard. I just don't have the funds for new ones right now. I will be on the search for a new dentist this year.
January 4, 2012
Totally understand that! Glad to hear they were able to re-cement the veneer for you. :)
July 26, 2012
Ilovesteaksubs, mine come off all the time too -- it sucks! Once I even bit one in half and had to pay over a thousand for a new one -- and unfortunately that dentist was awful, had no clue how to do it. He even glued it on lopsided and a whole cm. longer than the others! I couldn't believe it. Even I could have done a better job, so if one comes off again I will have to go find a better dentist. I really should have gotten my money back for that badly done one. Yes, veneers aren't automatically a great thing the way some might think.
October 22, 2012
Girl I'm looking to get veneers on my first 4 teeth. Tell me more about your experience. Would you not do them if you had to do it over? Makes me nervous
October 22, 2012
hi I did my first four teeth. Can I suggest that not all dentists do great work -- something I had no idea about! I thought it was pretty simple, but some dentists are just really really unqualified to do such work. So make sure you know that they aren't bad. Or that they know who can or cannot have veneers. I was given veneers even though my bite was off -- something any dentists should have known -- and it would knock off my veneers pretty often. Trust me you do NOT want this!!! And since it happens to many people a lot, I wonder why dentists lie and say they never come off. That pisses me off. I even thought it was my fault for a while but after not eating hard food for so many years and suffering I realized it was not me. I would not do them over and pay and pay to have them fixed and refixed UNLESS I had a decent dentist. My teeth were pretty before, and I have cried so many tears and missed sooo much work because of bad dentists. Now I can tell you who not to go to, just not sure who you SHOULD go to.
October 22, 2012
Nadiahoney couldn't have said it better. Almost a year later, my left incisor is off AGAIN making it four times and the price to recemented is $180. I could have paid for a new veneer by now. I don't plan to recement it, however, I want to find a new dentist to discuss my options. The nightguard SUCKS because it's bulky and it leaves my jaw feeling weird afterwards. That was a waste of $600. If you total everything up, I have spent almost $2000 in trying to correct my veneer problems.
Going back to the initial issue. I got my veneers from my regular dentist office. For regular cleanings and fillings, I have never had a problem. But assuming that the cosmetic dentistry would be the same, was a big no no! First off, I had my teeth whitened prior to the veneers. WHICH WAS NOT SMART considering that the veneers were going to cover my teeth anyways. Plus my whitening trays were fitted for my natural teeth, not my veneers. So NO I CANNOT re-use them to whiten my teeth in the future (only my bottoms). This alone says A LOT about the practice. It really comes off as it no one is in the business of helping you make a smart decision.
Second, the veneer consultation was literally 5 minutes. The dentist looked at my teeth as I bit down and smiled and said yes you are a candidate! I told her I did not grind my teeth at night, because I didn't know that I did. Over time I realized that I do grind/clench my teeth when I'm upset. Also, since I have an overbite, my teeth hit against each other all the time. Sometimes when I talk or just close my mouth, I will accidentally "bite" my teeth lol. I don't know how I do it, but it has resulted in me chipping a tooth in the past. Despite my habits, you would that a consultation would be more in-depth.
Again, I would NOT recommend veneers if you have small teeth or a bite problem. Since there are more dentists performing no prep veneers, I wish I could have looked into those. They are fairly new meaning that they are probably over priced and the techniques are perfected. I'd rather be a brace face all day long than lacking natural tooth structure. One of my older and hands down the best dentist I ever had said it "I want to do everything possible to preserve your natural teeth...this is what your goal should be".
October 22, 2012
Sorry for all the typos lol, I meant to say that the no prep veneer technique is probably not perfected. What do you want to do?
Correct large spacing -> braces
Correct small spacing -> retainer or no prep veneers
Correct shape (large teeth) -> you can probably have them sanded/shaped if you want to reduce the teeth OR if you need to fill in tiny gaps/chips an OLD SCHOOL dentist who is good at bonding may work. Those are rare to find. No preps may help
Correct shape (small teeth) -> I would think a no prep veneer would work
DISCUSS OPTIONS!!! You should always have at least 2 options on your plate.
October 22, 2012
Thanks for the information. I'm going to a well experienced dentist in my state. My best friend had her whole mouth done by him n they are to die for!!! I will discuss the replacement n eating issues that you have brought to my attention. I'm in the process of whitening my teeth now per his request to get them to a shade that I like. I'll have to keep you updated on my progress.
July 17, 2014
Sheri,
I am sorry you haven't had a pleasant experience with your veneers. Like you stated there are a few critical things to consider when choosing how to move forward with enhancing your smile. We have seen cases just like yours where patients have invested a lot of time and resources into a nicer smile and within a short time frame are re-addressing the issues. What set's our office apart from so many is the precise detail that is taken into every single patient. We want to offer you treatment that will not only enhance your smile, make you look & feel 10-15 years younger but also dentistry that is going to last you longer. We have successfully treated cases just like yours and the difference is we start at your bite, we use this term a lot in our office "form follows function". When you have something that is functioning properly everything else will fall into place. Here's an example; if you were to wear high heels everyday and one day the heel breaks off on your right shoe and you don't replace it but continue to wear your shoes that are not balanced, you will start to feel and see the damage of those actions (sore hip, sore knee, pain & discomfort). Same thing is happening in your mouth when your teeth don't properly align(malocclusion), eventually something is going to breakdown and in your case the veneers continued to come off. We have seen cases where patients would come in within a year or two of having veneers done somewhere else and they have recurrent decay around the margins of their new dentistry, also due to malocclusion. This is the first step in our office to setting your entire case up for success. We know this is an investment of your time and money and may not be the quickest fix but it is the most important part of a successful case.
As you previously stated the process of having the veneers prepped and placing temporaries and delivering the veneers is very simple. We have found that scheduling you on an exclusive day where you have the undivided attention of the doctor is key in making the appointment and yourself as comfortable as possible. Pairing this with our Comfort Menu and a smoothie for you to enjoy for lunch during the process makes the time fly by!
My hope is that when you are ready to re-address your veneers that you seek a dentist that is highly skilled and trained in Cosmetic Dentistry that will take into account the factors that were listed above. Also one that you can trust will work with any concerns you have before or after treatment!
Good Luck & Keep Smiling!
It bothers me to read that the your dentists office was sometimes unresponsive. Having a veneer pop off is a big deal, at least it would be to me. I'm sorry to hear you had to experience that.
Have you considered going to another dentist? I can't say that the veneers would stay on any better (we could hope that would be the case though!) and hopefully you would feel more cared for.