I’ve been out of braces for a few years and my teeth still have some minor spaces as well as a couple of chipped teeth. I was thinking of getting porcelain veneers and have been in touch with an LVI preferred cosmetic dentist. He was talking about grinding the teeth, which has me a bit nervous. Would I be better off getting dental bonding for my smile makeover? Is there a minimum age for porcelain veneers? When I was about 16, my dentist said I was still too young, but I’m 22 now.
Carol
Dear Carol,
As long as your teeth are fully erupted, you are old enough to have porcelain veneers. That usually happens around the age of 18. If you are going for a complete smile makeover, then porcelain veneers would be better than dental bonding. They last longer. If you’re just wanting to repair a couple of chips, you can get away with just doing the dental bonding. However, you will need to replace them every few years.
The important thing is that you get an expert cosmetic dentist to do them. Being and LVI preferred cosmetic dentist does not necessarily make them an expert. It simply means that they took a course and paid a fee to be listed on the preferred list. It guarantees nothing about their skill level. Some will be great and some will be average at best.
There should not be any major grinding of your teeth. Just minimal shaving of a few millimeters. If he’s talking about something more, he might be planning porcelain crowns instead of porcelain veneers. Do not let him do that.
You want someone who has invested in post-doctoral training for cosmetic dentistry. They should also do a try in of your porcelain veneers with a temporary try-in paste. If you don’t like anything about them, the dentist should be willing to make changes. Never allow someone to permanently bond on your smile makeover if you are not absolutely crazy about them. You are paying for a gorgeous smile and that is what you should get.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.