I hate my new porcelain veneers. They’re discolored, smell bad, sensitive.

Ten years ago I had four porcelain veneers put on teeth 7,8,9,10. They were fantastic! This year one of them unfortunately cracked and I went in to have it repaired. Because I relocated I could not return to the same dentist. At the consult I was told that I had to redo all four teeth in order to fix the crack. The reasons were: the bottom of the original veneers was too reflective and thin (encouraging cracks) and that redoing all four teeth would be produce a higher quality result and closer color match. The procedure was $4,400. It has been 13 weeks since I had this done. As much as I have tried to get “used to them” I hate the veneers and am deeply disappointed with the shape and color.

I can no longer brush with regular toothpaste as this aggravates the two “exposed” teeth. I must use Sensodyne or it is really uncomfortable to the air–especially cold air. Sometimes I sleep with a blanket on my face to warm the air more as I sleep or it bothers me. The new porcelain veneers are a completely different shape from the original veneers that I was used to. They are give off this drab gray/yellow color not like my old veneers which had “umph” to them. These teeth look like stained teeth and do not produce the brightening effect I was after.

Another problem is they smell like rotting teeth. My old veneers did not give off an odor, these do. I brush my teeth 5x a day now, floss 4x a day, and gargle Listerine as much as I can to hide this after brushing.

I am afraid he will not refund the money because I paid in full and this may indicate I accepted them completely. The only ray of hope is that he stated he was happy only if I was happy as I left. Could you please advise what is the proper way to address the situation? I used to smile a lot now I just hide it. I feel stupid for trusting him. I wish I had just kept the cracked veneers. Thank you kindly for your time.
– Eva from Boston

Eva,
The way you put the “get used to them” in quotes makes me wonder if this is what the dentist or the assistant told you when you weren’t happy with them. This is one of the hallmarks of poor quality cosmetic dentistry. The patient isn’t quite satisfied, and the dentist, rather than listen and take care of the problem, tries to sweep it under the rug, put it off to some future time, and assure you that you’ll “get used to them,” as if they are speaking from experience.

The true cosmetic dentist will be sensitive to even a hesitation in your voice and address your concerns. For example, the porcelain veneers are tried in and he asks, “How do you like them?” And you say, “Yes, they’re OK.” The true cosmetic dentist will say, “Why did you just say ‘They’re OK’? What is it that makes you hesitate? What don’t you like?” And then they will be sent back to the laboratory, if necessary, until you’re excited about how they look.

But what to do now? You’re kind of at the mercy of the dentist, who apparently wants to brush this under the rug, so I can’t see how he will willingly refund you anything or try to address your concerns. Yes, he did say he wanted you to be happy. But if he had been serious about that, the time to find out if you are happy or not is before the discolored porcelain veneers were bonded onto your teeth. Your best bet, at this point, is to go to a true cosmetic dentist and ask that dentist to help mediate a solution to the problem, if they are so disposed – to call the first dentist and see if he will compensate you for having the case re-done, or to see if there is some functional problem with the case that will make the first dentist legally liable.

There is a possibility that there are functional problems with the veneers that are serious enough to be able to bring pressure on the dentist to refund your money. You mentioned the tooth sensitivity. This could be from poor fitting of the veneers, not covering the entire prepared tooth. Also, the bad smell would most likely come from either overhangs – a ledge under the gum where the margin between the veneer and the tooth is. This margin should be smooth, almost undetectable. If there is a ledge there that traps food debris, not only will it smell bad but it will seriously irritate the gums and can contribute to gum disease.

This blog is sponsored by Naperville cosmetic dentist and Naperville implant dentist, Dr. David Newkirk.