All I wanted to do was close a gap between my two front teeth and correct a chip on one from when I was a kid. My dentist told me that Lumineers was the way to go, and he promised me a beautiful smile, but he wanted to do all six of my top front teeth to make sure it matched. I was a little uneasy about it because I really just wanted the middle two done.

He said he couldn’t make it look nice unless I did all of them. Ok. I went along with it. We went through the prep day and everything seemed fine, but the day I went in to have them put on, one of them was cracked in the box. Really. I can’t believe they didn’t realize it was broken until I got there. He then says he’s going to put the rest on and send that one back, and another one breaks while he’s cementing them. So, I go around looking goofy for a couple of weeks and go back for the other two, but they don’t match. He agrees to reorder them, and while we’re waiting, a third one breaks. I just want to be done with this. I have been waiting for months at this point and he still hasn’t gotten it right. Is this a common problem with Lumineers? If so, do I have grounds to request a refund?

Thanks,

Art

Dear Art,

Lumineers, as a whole, can sometimes look okay, though it really depends on how skilled the dentist is. Unfortunately, they’re often marketed to inexperienced dentists as being easy to place. Those dentists jumped right in and started giving them to patients. It’s under these circumstances that there are usually a lot of complaints about breakage, though having one arrive broken is certainly rare.

As for requesting a refund, you can always ask. He’ll probably want an opportunity to correct the work, though if he’s unskilled, any new work will likely wind up exactly the same.

If you decide to have them re-done by another doctor, it’s best not to ask for the brand name. Many doctors who are incredibly skilled at cosmetic work use a similar ultra-thin veneer, though they use an in-house or local lab to make them. It’s also wise to ask for before and after photos of the doctor’s actual patients, so you can examine his work. Be certain they’re not stock photos. Some will offer those, or images of patients who have had the same treatment, but they’re useless if they don’t showcase the doctor’s personal skill. Best  of luck to you.

It wouldn’t hurt to get a second opinion by a more experienced cosmetic dentist. They might put some pressure on your current dentist to refund your money.

FYI, the typical treatment for a chip and tooth gap is dental bonding, not Lumineers.

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