I have a question. My husband and I decided to treat ourselves to smile makeovers. We went to a dentist who advertised for Lumineers. We did a consultation, had the impressions done, and then she told us they would be ready in two weeks. Well, two weeks later, instead of Lumineers, we get a phone call saying our impressions were bad and they have to be re-done. We went in and redid them, but now I’m worried. We paid quite a bit for these up front. Do you think we’ll actually get them?
Lindsey
Dear Lindsey,
While I am sure you will get the Lumineers, there are some concerns I have. I want to make sure when you get them, you will like them. My first concern has to do with the impressions. It is not unusual for an impression to have to be redone. In fact, that is pretty common. What bothers me about this is how it was handled. First, the dentist didn’t realize that the impressions were bad. The lab had to call and tell her. Not only that, but it took her the full two weeks to get back to you about it. That hints toward a couple of things.
My guess is the lab called her right away and she didn’t want to have to re-do them because it would reflect poorly on her. She probably pushed back a little asking them to try and work around the issues. The fact that she had to call and tell you they needed to be re-done tells me they were unusable. Plus, it wasn’t just one that had the problem, but both impressions.
A second issue I am concerned about is the fact that she’s using Lumineers. This particular brand of porcelain veneers is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place. However, there is nothing easy about smile makeovers.
Making Sure You Love Your Smile Makeover
It will be important that when your Lumineers finally do arrive that you don’t let her permanently bond them on until you have a try-in. She should place them using a temporary try-in paste. This is a water-soluble gel that will allow them to stay on while you stand up and get to see them on your teeth in several different types of lightings. You need to insist on this.
When you do see them, make certain you absolutely love them. If you don’t, they need to go back to the lab to be redone. Do not let her tell you they will look better once they are permanently bonded on. They won’t. She may also try to say you are “just not used to them yet”. Maybe so, but you only want to get used to a smile makeover you love. As long as they haven’t been permanently bonded on they can be repaired.
This blog is brought to you by La Jolla Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Stephen Doan. An AACD accredited dentist.