I have a disastrous smile makeover. The closest way I can describe it is he’s given me a Wallace & Grommit smile. My front teeth are way too big and make it hard to even close my mouth all the way! He also provided a few mini implants for missing teeth in the back of my mouth. What do I do? It is so bad that my friends ask me if they made my dentures too big. I don’t have dentures! That’s how ridiculous I look. My dentist thinks it is fine. What do you recommend?
Monica
Dear Monica,
I’m sorry this has happened to you. I’ve put a photo of Wallace & Grommit here for the sake of those who may be unfamiliar with the reference. I’m afraid we hear about these smile makeover disasters way too often. Most of the problem stems from dentists who are inexperienced in cosmetic work. While cosmetic dentistry isn’t a recognized specialty, it does require specialized training. Smile makeovers aren’t taught in dental school, so they have to invest the time and training to study the skills in a post-doctoral setting. Not all dentists have invested in the necessary training or could just be he’s just started out. We have all had our first few cases.
Generally, if the problem with your case is simply it doesn’t look good, you don’t have much recourse. You could appeal to the dentist’s sense of integrity in his work or get another cosmetic dentist on your side to appeal to the dentist’s sense of peer respect. Another option is to threaten to write a bad review.
That being said, you are in a better position. Your mouth doesn’t close. This causes serious problems to your dental health and would not be considered a clinically sound case. When your mouth doesn’t close, it leads to dry mouth. This means you are not producing enough saliva. Our saliva is a key factor in preventing cavities. It contains minerals and other properties that help fight the bacteria in our mouths. People with dry mouth suffer from decay and gum disease and a much higher rate than normal.
Getting Your Smile Makeover Fixed
Frankly, your case needs to be redone. This is actually good news for you. I don’t want your current dentist doing the work. I’m concerned about what I”m hearing from you. You need a better cosmetic dentist. So, before you ask for your refund, I want you to see a better cosmetic dentist, preferably an AACD accredited dentist. While you are there, ask them to look at your implants too. I don’t like hearing he put mini implants in. While they are fine to help with securing a denture, they are not a good option for a single dental crown. For that, you would need a full-sized dental implant.
If your second opinion dentist thinks they are fine, then you can simply get a refund on the other work. If he thinks you’ve had the wrong tooth replacement then you will want to get a refund on both. Plus, have him pay the additional cost of the bone grafting which would be necessary to do the replacement.
You then have your second opinion dentist do the work or get another dentist.
This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.