I had a consultation with a cosmetic dentist who wants to do my smile makeover using CEREC veneers. His plan is to make them 1.5 mm thick? That seems really thick to me. Am I missing something or will that be too bulky?
Cameron
Dear Cameron,
When it comes to getting a beautiful smile makeover, there is one factor that rises above importance of all the others. That is who is the dentist? You can debate the thickness, the color theory, the production mechanism, even the brand; the reality is some dentists will make any of them look great while another couldn’t create a beautiful smile regardless of what they used.
Smile makeovers aren’t taught in dental school. In order for a dentist to develop the necessary skills. It requires them to invest in a significant amount of post-doctoral training. In all honesty, because there isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry, it is hard for patients to evaluate a dentist’s cosmetic skills. For instance, which post-doctoral schools are best for cosmetic training? How do you know if they have both technical skill and artistry? Both skill sets are required for beautiful and healthy results.
The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (aacd.com) recognized the pickle patients found themselves in whenever they wanted a significant cosmetic procedure. That is one of the reasons behind their accreditation program. In order for a dentist to reach accreditation, they will have to pass stringent exams, as well as demonstrate their artistry by producing visual evidence of a large number of cosmetic cases they’ve done. An AACD accredited dentist is proven and is among the top 1-2% of cosmetic dentists in the world. Any one of them will give you a stunning smile makeover.
A Word about CEREC Veneers
It would take a highly-skilled cosmetic dentist to pull off a beautiful result with the CEREC machine, especially with front teeth. It is actually harder than using a ceramist, which is the normal procedure. CEREC machines use single blocks of porcelain which can make a smile look flat unless the dentist has a high level of knowledge in color theory and stains.
With traditional porcelain veneers, a variety of blocks of porcelain would be used to mimic the opacity differences our teeth have as you go from top to bottom.
This blog is brought to you by La Jolla Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Stephen Doan.