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Our Reviews

Don’t Be Fooled by 360 Wrap Veneers

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I went to get a smile makeover and asked for porcelain veneers, the flat regular kind. My dentist said I would be a better candidate for 360 wrap veneers. I did ask how much tooth structure that would remove and he assured me it would hardly remove any. I went ahead and agreed to the switch. During the night, one of the temporaries fell off. Not just once, but three times. I just popped it back in and wasn’t too worried. I never saw the tooth beneath it. Then, when the permanents came in, two of those fell out. This time it was during the day. I saw the teeth underneath and they are little nubs, which is NOT what he said. The holidays are coming up and I am worried they are going to fall out during our family gatherings. My dentist said they could try stronger cement and accused me of being too rough with them. I can promise you I haven’t been. Do you have any advice for me on what to do about this?

Lorna

Dear Lorna,

First, I am going to tell you I am sorry this happened to you. To be blunt, your dentist is “ethically challenged” and that is putting it as nice as I can. First, he lied to you about the amount of structure that would be removed from your tooth. He also lied about the porcelain veneers themselves. There is no such thing as 360 wrap veneers. Those are dental crowns.

When you get porcelain veneers, hardly any structure needs to be removed from your teeth. The picture directly below shows what a prepared tooth looks like for porcelain veneers. As you can see only about a fingernail’s depth of structure is removed and only from the front of your teeth.

teeth prepped for porcelain veneers

Porcelain Veneer Prep

With dental crowns, however, the restoration has to fit completely around your tooth. Because of that, dentists have to remove a LOT more tooth structure. Below is a picture of the type of tooth preparation necessary for a dental crown. I have a feeling this is similar to what your dentist did.

tooth prepped for dental crown

Porcelain Crown Prep

 

Why Did He Give You Dental Crowns?

Some dentists do not know how to place porcelain veneers. It’s not really taught in some dental schools. This is true with most cosmetic procedures. They have to be learned post-doctorally. If a dentist does not want to invest in training for something that won’t get him recognized as a specialist then they’ll just try to talk you into a procedure that was taught in dental school.

However, your dentist couldn’t even do that right. His dental crowns don’t stay in! So, here’s the deal. Unfortunately, you are stuck with dental crowns. Once that tooth structure is removed, it can’t be put back.

Because your dentist misrepresented the procedure to you, I believe you have an excellent case to get a refund. Then, I want you to have another dentist re-do this for you. Make sure that when they put in the temporaries it is with a temporary try in paste. You should LOVE how they look. If you don’t, they should be willing to send them back and make changes.  Get their agreement up front to this. If a dentist doesn’t agree, he’s not a great cosmetic dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Whitening a Discolored Crown

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I have a dental crown which can be seen when I smile. It’s started getting darker than usual. I don’t know what happened. I’ve had it for a bit so maybe it’s just wearing out?? I need to get it whitened, but don’t know what procedure to ask for. I thought while I was at it, I’d whiten my teeth too and start with a brand new smile. What do I do for the crown?

Amanda

Dear Amanda,

An image of a crown being placed on a tooth

If this staining started suddenly, it sounds like something recently happened to your crown which removed the glazing from it. Unfortunately, the only solution for a stained crown is to replace it. If you’ve had it for a while, it was probably getting close to the end of its lifespan anyway, so that won’t be as tragic as if it was a fairly new crown.

Teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure. While we can make a dental crown or bridge any color the patient requests, We don’t yet have a way to whiten dental work which is already completed.

However, this doesn’t have to interfere with your plans to renew your smile through whitening.

Do You Need a Cosmetic or General Dentist for Teeth Whitening?

While there are certain procedures which really require some artistic expertise in cosmetic dentistry, such as porcelain veneers, that’s not the case with teeth whitening. Any general dentist should be able to provide it.

There are generally two main professional teeth whitening options: in-office and at-home. Most dentists offer at-home whitening. But, if you’re wanting to whiten your teeth fast, you’ll want a dentist who offers an in-office option, such as Zoom! Whitening. This allows you to get your teeth whitened in just one appointment.

When it comes to which came first the chicken or the egg, there’s still debate. However, the question of the crown or the whitening is much easier. Do the teeth whitening first. That way, you’ll have all your teeth the color you want and your new porcelain crown can be made to match.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.