Can You Reduce the Shine on Porcelain Veneers?

I have a problem with my porcelain veneers having an unnatural shine. They are so shiny that it makes it obvious they are fake. Is there a way to reduce the shine some?

Katherine

Dear Katherine,

When porcelain veneers are done correctly, the glazing makes them look very natural. It is also what enables them to be so stain resistant. In fact, they are more stain-resistant than your natural teeth. I think the problem you are facing is the dentist who did your porcelain veneers may have been in over his head.

Look at the image above. Notice how the teeth aren’t flat but have a texture to them. Believe it or not, one of those teeth is actually a dental crown, but you probably can’t tell which one. That is because the dentist who did this work was a good cosmetic dentist who understood how to make teeth look natural. When those textures aren’t added, then the teeth end up flat and way too shiny.

Unfortunately, the only way to remove the shine is to remove the glazing. You really don’t want to do that. As mentioned earlier, the glaze is what protects your veneers from picking up stains. Without that protection, they will quickly stain.

The best thing for you to do in this situation is to go back to your dentist and ask him to re-do them so they look natural. Every cosmetic dentist starts somewhere and yours just may need a little more practice. Feel free to show him this post. When he does re-do your smile makeover, make sure he puts them on with a temporary try-in paste and allows you to get a good look at them in several different lights. He shouldn’t permanently bond them on until you are completely satisfied with their appearance.

Take a look at Dr. Newkirk’s smile gallery to get an idea of the type of results you want to see.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Cosmetic Dentist Dr. David Newkirk.