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Not All Cosmetic Dentistry Is Created Equal
There is a real blend of art and science in great looking cosmetic dentistry. For example, a new smile design should be custom-designed to fit your face, smile, gender and personality. And, done correctly, porcelain veneers (the primary art form in cosmetic dentistry) should look and feel like natural teeth -- like you were just born with a beautiful smile. So one crucial skill of a world-class cosmetic dentist is to have a real eye for aesthetics -- that is, what looks great. In this regard, our cosmetic dentists have extensive training, unique credentials, and deep experience in cosmetic dentistry and the art of smile design, which determines the colors, line angles, shapes, thickness, translucency, occlusion, and many other factors.
Beware of Unnatural-Appearing Dental Work
But just by looking around at people you encounter every day, you can quickly notice many examples of dental work that appears unrealistic. These compromised results can be glaring or sometimes very subtle in perhaps undefineable ways that you may not even be able to put your finger on. If you knew the person before the dentistry or saw the person's "before" photo, however, you may note that their smile was perhaps improved somewhat, but just not close to the ideal level that it could be.
Below are some examples that you may find helpful in assessing what we believe to be less than ideal cosmetic dentistry design, techniques, and compromised results. This information is provided as an educational effort only to help people contemplating cosmetic dentistry make a better, more informed decision. After seeing these examples, it will help raise your cosmetic dental IQ, and help you to understand a bit more about why all porcelain crowns, veneers or other enhancements are simply not created equal.
Photo 1
Problem:Veneers appear opaque, unrealistic in color and rather bulky.
Possible Cause: Inexperienced lab and/or doctor without an eye for aesthetics.
Solution: Select a real cosmetic dentist with training, education and experience.
Photo 2
Problem:Veneer has a grayish tint to it.
Cause: Veneer was bonded over an old mercury filling.
Solution: Porcelain enhancements should only be bonded in place on teeth that have had other restorative material removed.
Photo 3
Problem: Smile is canted (slanted in a way that doesn't follow the natural lip line) and proportions are off.
Possible Cause: Inexperienced lab and/or doctor without an eye for aesthetics.
Solution: Select a real cosmetic dentist with training, education and experience.
Photo 4
Problem: The gums are also puffy and uneven because of the open margins at the gum line.
Cause: Gums are not healthy and were not contoured to be symmetrical.
Solution: Gums should be healthy before gingival (gum) contouring is performed by experienced cosmetic dentist.
Photo 5
Problem: Open margins (gap between veneer and tooth structure) at the gum line. In addition to not looking aesthetic, decay can form.
Cause: Dentist did not specify proper dimensions or lab did not fabricate proper dimensions.
Solution: Porcelain enhancements should be designed by the cosmetic dentist and fabricated by the master ceramist so that there are no open margins.
Photo 6
Problem: Unrealistic proportions -- the teeth are almost as wide as they are long and uneven.
Cause: The appropriate dimensions for the sizing of the teeth were not used to guide the smile design.
Solution: Porcelain veneers should be designed by the cosmetic dentist and fabricated by the master ceramist so that they meet appropriate smile design dimensions.
Photo 7
Problem: There are visible dark triangles at the gum line of the veneers.
Cause: The gums may have receded over time, since the veneers were placed or they were recently placed, they may not be shaped properly for the tooth.
Solution: This may be a sign that it's time to have your veneers replaced.
Click here for "How to Select a Cosmetic Dentist."
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