Reviews: I have pretty bad tetracycline stains and wanted to get porcelain veneers to help cover them. My dentist said I am not a candidate for porcelain veneers because of my overbite. Instead, he wants to do dental crowns on my top six teeth. Is this a good alternate solution? Do I just bleach the bottom teeth?
Kaitlyn
Dear Katilyn,
Please don’t let your dentist do dental crowns. This will require him to grind your healthy teeth down to nubs. He is likely saying that because he doesn’t know how to do porcelain veneers. I’ll give him credit for having a creative excuse. I’ve never heard a dentist use an overbite as an excuse. In reality, an overbite is easier with porcelain veneers.
You can see from the image above that a tetracycline case can be made to look stunning. There is a big “HOWEVER” when you’re considering this though. Smile makeovers aren’t taught in dental school. Instead, a dentist has to invest in post-doctoral training in order to truly know how to create a beautiful smile. Now, factor in tetracycline stains. These are among the most difficult type of cosmetic cases to do.
What you need is an expert cosmetic dentist. The images above show a tetracycline case done by Dr. Delaune. You want to find a dentist with his training and skills in artistry.
Finding that Expert Cosmetic Dentist
One thing I will suggest is you look on the mynewsmile.com website. This site is run by a retired dentist who is accredited in cosmetic dentistry. He screens each dentist who wants to be listed for both their technical training as well as looking to see what type of beauty they create in the cases they do.
One thing to be aware of, I”m pretty sure whichever cosmetic dentist you end up with will suggest more than six porcelain veneers. Most of our smiles are at least eight teeth wide.
This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.