Archives for February 2021

Dental Bonding Keeps Falling Off

Posted on February 26, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have fluorosis stains and paid my dentist to cover them with dental bonding. It has been a bit of a nightmare and I want to know if I have the right to ask for a refund. When he first placed the bonding, it was a little bit uneven in color, but even worse, you could still see the stains underneath them, which defeated the whole purpose of getting the bonding in the first place. He made them thicker, which did cover the stains. However, they fell off less than a week later. I went back and he did them again and said my bite is the issue and to wear a night guard. So, I paid for one of those and guess what? They fell off again anyway. He said they’re not permanent and I should not have too high of expectations. I did know they would not last as long as something like porcelain veneers, but he originally hinted they could last around five years. I’m barely getting five days. Is it reasonable to ask for a refund?

Jack

Dear Jack,

For the benefit of readers who may not know what fluorosis stains are, I’ve placed these two images above. Fluorosis stains result from a child having ingested too much fluoride while their teeth are developing. It is not as common in the United States as it is in other countries but does happen.

While in many cases it is hard to get a refund for cosmetic dental work, yours will be an exception. It is nearly impossible to get a refund just based on not liking how the dental work looks, which is one of the reasons we remind readers of our blog about the importance of going to cosmetic dentists who have invested in the training necessary to do beautiful work.

Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty, so any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist and do the procedures. How well they do the procedures varies from dentist to dentist.

Your dentist is obviously in over his head as he can’t even keep the dental bonding on. That is good news for you, though. The basic standard in dental care is that it stays on. Because your dentist seems incapable of that, you should have no problem getting a refund. If he gives you any trouble with that, let him know you’ll be talking to the dental board. That should sober him up. Then, I want you to get this done by a cosmetic dentist with more expertise.

I suggest you look on the mynewsmile.com website for the dentist to re-do this procedure for you. Each of the dentists listed on this site are pre-screened for both their technical skill and their artistry. They can provide you with beautiful dental bonding that actually stays on your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Getting Two Front Teeth to Match

Posted on February 23, 2021 by writeradmin.

My daughter is about to graduate high school. Several years ago, she had an accident which damaged her two front teeth. One needed a root canal treatment and both of them received dental crowns. The one that had the root canal has turned gray over the years. For her graduation, we were taking her to get these teeth cosmetically fixed. Our intention was for her to have a beautiful smile in time for her senior pictures. Our dentist said he could replace those old crowns with porcelain veneers. The problem we’ve had is they don’t match. The dentist said because one tooth is grayer they can never match. I wish he would have told us this before we spent several thousand dollars. Is there anything we can do to get these teeth closer together in appearance? Are we being too picky? I feel like we’re letting our daughter down.

Lorraine

Dear Lorraine,

You are not letting your daughter down. Your dentist is, though. There are a few issues going on here that need to be addressed. First, I don’t know what your dentist was thinking saying he was giving you porcelain veneers. If your daughter had porcelain crowns, the only thing he could replace the crowns with is more porcelain crowns. It was unethical of him to claim to be giving her veneers when he didn’t. We see this quite often. Patients come to us disappointed in the “veneers” their dentist provided only to find out they are actually crowns.

To give you an idea. The image above shows a porcelain veneer being placed. As you can see, it is a thin wafer. A dental crown, on the other hand, is bulkier and completely surrounds a tooth that has to be ground down to a nub to make room for it.

A second issue I see is his inability to match two teeth. When one front tooth has to be replaced, it can be pretty tricky to match to the second one. It takes an expert cosmetic dentist. Because of that, less skilled cosmetic dentists will try to convince their patients they will have to crown both teeth, which is pretty simple to match. Unfortunately, your dentist can’t even do that.

Finally, a gray tooth can be made to look whiter. You are not going to get there with this dentist though. My suggestion is you ask for a refund. He misrepresented what you were being given and he never told you upfront he would not be able to match the teeth.

Once you have secured your refund, I want you to look for an AACD accredited dentist. Accreditation is different from being a member. They had to pass stringent exams and demonstrate a high level of artistry in their work. These are the dentists that can give your daughter a beautiful smile.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Can I Trust the Dental Tourism Adverstisement I received?

Posted on February 18, 2021 by writeradmin.

I received this advertisement that describes the most delightful vacation I can take all while getting my dental care done at a fraction of the cost I would pay in the United States. I have my choice of Baja California or Cancun. I have to be honest, I am tempted. Is it safe?

Estelle

Dear Estelle,

I am very glad you wrote before taking part in this. Dental tourism is heavily marketed and when it works out, it can be okay. But, when it does not work out, and that is more often than people think, it can be a disaster.

I actually know about the dental group you are referring to here, but won’t give their name here, so as not to give them any more advertisement. Here are my concerns with this particular group, which believe it or not are better than most.

First, there are quite a few reports of them trying to upsell. That means they are proposing procedures that may not even be necessary. There are also reports of patients receiving the wrong treatment. In many of these dental tourism countries, when things go wrong there is not much recourse (if any at all) for the patients. The dentists themselves have zero risk.

Here is one review I saw on Yelp! where a patient experienced both of these issues at the same time. You should know they went to this dental clinic I believe you received this advertisement from.

“My mom and I went to Mexico recently for her to have dental work done. I’m sure mom needed some dental work done but not 10 crowns and a root canal. The 2nd molar that had the crown and root canal fell out 2 months later due to bone loss.”

Doing a root canal treatment and putting a dental crown on a tooth that had the type bone loss described here shows a serious lack of integrity on the part of the dentist. He did two useless procedures on this woman simply to take her money, all while not giving her the treatment she actually needed.

You can probably guess by now that my advice will be NOT to go. If you want to go to Baja or Cancun, go to enjoy the sites, but get your dental work done here by dentists you can trust. You didn’t mention if you were going for general dental work or if you had cosmetic work in mind. If you are looking for cosmetic procedures, the best cosmetic dentists are AACD accredited. I would suggest that is the dentist you seek for your smile makeover.

If you are looking for a general dentist, be sure to check their Yelp! reviews. This will give you some idea of the experiences other patients have had with them.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Fixing the Appearance of Protruding Teeth

Posted on February 16, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have teeth that are slightly protruded and stained. What are my options for getting an attractive smile that doesn’t include braces? Seriously…NO Braces!

Alicea

Dear Alicea,

You have a couple of good options to get a beautiful smile. The first option is to get orthodontics. Now, I can hear you saying, “No braces!” I promise I am not talking about traditional braces. There have been some wonderful advances in dentistry. One of those is an invisible braces option, such as Invisalign. Instead of metal wires and brackets, these use clear aligners that straighten your teeth. For the discoloration, some simple teeth whitening will do the trick.

A second option is to have a complete smile makeover done using porcelain veneers. This is the go-to for celebrities that want that Hollywood smile. It can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously.

The important thing with porcelain veneers, though, is to make certain you go to an expert cosmetic dentist. Doing smile makeovers is not taught in dental school. Nor is cosmetic dentistry a recognized specialty. If a dentist wants to develop skills in cosmetic procedures, it is up to them how much and how skilled they become. There is no baseline.

Your safest option is to find an AACD accredited dentist. Dentists who seek accreditation through the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry have to prove not just their technical knowledge and understanding about cosmetic work, but also have to demonstrate they have artistry by submitting a large number of visual evidence of procedures they’ve done.

With the right dentist, porcelain veneers will give you a smile that lights up a room.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.