I had 18-year-old porcelain veneers that needed to be replaced. I just wanted the same smile I had. For some reason, he said my bite needs to be opened so you can see the teeth and he needed to do a few crowns to make that happen. Whatever he did doesn’t feel right and you can’t see my teeth any more than you did before. On top of that, I have the worst dry mouth ever and my lips are sticking to my teeth. The porcelain feels rough and painful and my mouth hurts all the time. I keep telling him something isn’t right but he said he met all the checkpoints and it is just a matter of me adjusting to what my teeth should have been before. That doesn’t sound right to me. Now I’m miserable and the teeth aren’t even as attractive as it was before. What do I do?
Kelly
Dear Kelly,
I’m glad you wrote. Your gut instinct is definitely right. This is not a matter of you needing time to adjust. Your dentist just didn’t do this correctly. Trying to open up your bite requires doing a full-mouth reconstruction. That almost always requires crowning every tooth on at least one arch, usually both arches. This is one of the most advanced procedures around and it requires post-doctoral training. I don’t think your dentist has that training.
To be blunt, your case needs to be completely re-done and I would not allow this dentist to touch anything else. He doesn’t know what he is doing. It’s possible you don’t even need this reconstruction he’s talking about. If you were happy with your bite and smile with just your porcelain veneers, then why change things?
Here is what I want you to do. Find an AACD accredited dentist listed on aacd.com. Don’t just look for a member. It either needs to be a dentist who is accredited or an accredited fellow. Let them examine your bite and the dental work. They can help you secure a refund from the first dentist and do the work for you properly.
This blog is brought to you by Des Moines Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Phelan Thomas.