I recently got porcelain veneers and I hate them. The teeth are so shiny it is unnatural looking. It’s so obvious they are fake because real teeth don’t shine this much. Is there a way to lessen the shine on them?
Marcy
Dear Marcy,
Natural teeth have texture
When porcelain veneers are done, the glaze is super important. It protects the veneers from picking up stains, but it also gives it a natural shine — if done correctly. If you look at the teeth above you’ll notice a lot of texture. In this particular image, one tooth isn’t natural. However, it’s done so well it is hard to tell which one.
If your porcelain veneers are too shiny. It’s very likely your glaze is too flat. Your dentist may not have been skilled enough to add the texture necessary to make them look natural.
There is a second issue which is giving me pause about your dentist’s cosmetic expertise. You mentioned you hated the veneers when they were bonded on. A true cosmetic dentist would never allow that. Nothing is permanently bonded until the patient has seen them on with a temporary try-in paste and is thrilled with the results.
Anything less than total satisfaction would send the veneers back to the lab to make any necessary changes required to give the patient the smile of their dreams. This is often called a “beautiful smile guarantee”.
You asked if the shine can be lessened. What can happen is the glaze can be removed, but this will cause the veneers to begin picking up stains which is not what you want. Sometimes this happens to patients accidentally when their hygienist uses something like a power prophy jet during their cleaning. So, be aware when you go for cleanings that your hygienist understands how to work with porcelain veneers.
Instead, what I recommend you do is talk to your dentist. You paid for a beautiful smile and you should get one. If he cares about patient satisfaction he should be willing to redo this case. Make sure this time he uses a temporary try in paste so you can approve the porcelain veneers before they are bonded on.
This blog is brought to you by Des Moines Dentist Dr. Phelan Thomas.