I wanted to get my smile fixed. I have two canines that stick out which make me look a bit like a vampire, minus the youthful looks, along with one crooked front tooth. I was thinking I could get Invisalign and maybe whiten them. My dentist pointed out that I would still be left with the chipped tooth. Instead, he suggested Lumineers, which he said can take care of all three problems at once. I liked that idea but the price seems a bit steep compared to what I was planning. Is there something that could take care of the chipped tooth which isn’t as much as Lumineers?
Joyce
Dear Joyce,
I’m glad you wrote. Whatever you do, even if you had gobs of money to waste on it. Lumineers are just a brand of porcelain veneers . They tend to be marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place because they don’t necessarily require any tooth prep.
While that might be okay for teeth that go in some. Yours are going out. Using no prep veneers on them will make them look bulky. Some with similar experiences said they felt like they had horse teeth.
I think your idea of Invisalign and teeth whitening was fantastic. You can fix the chipped tooth with dental bonding once you are done with your orthodontic treatment.
Your dentist can provide you with a teeth whitening gel that you can wear in your Invisalign aligners which will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time.
Most of what we talked about can be done safely with any dentist who offers the procedure. One exception to that will be your dental bonding to repair the chip. This an advanced dental procedure that has to be done freehand. I would only let an expert cosmetic dentist do that part.
This blog is brought to you by Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch, friendly dentists in Lafayette, LA.