Full-Mouth Reconstruction for White Teeth??

I have a dental crown and three porcelain veneers that need to be replaced. I went to my dentist about this and he suggested, because my teeth could benefit from being whiter, that we crown all of my teeth so that they all match. I’m thinking I would rather do porcelain veneers in that case because my teeth are healthy. I’m not sure I want to grind down healthy teeth. Is it possible to just do veneers on all the teeth except the one that has the crown?

Stanley

Dear Stanley,

I am concerned about what I am hearing and would like you to take a step back from following through with this procedure. Crowning every tooth, is known as a full mouth reconstruction. This is one of the most advanced dental procedures there is and requires a significant amount of post-doctoral training. It’s generally only used to repair serious bite problems that are interfering with jaw function. If I understand you correctly, your dentist is suggesting this procedure because your teeth aren’t white. Is that correct? If so, it is a massive overtreatment that will cost you $30,000 or more.

There is a much simpler way to deal with this. The standard procedure for whitening teeth is… you probably guessed it, teeth whitening. This uses simple trays containing a professional strength whitening gel that fits over your teeth. It is completely unnecessary to remove your tooth structure.

Your dentist also should not need to replace your porcelain veneers with dental crowns. The fact that he is wanted to do that hints to me that he is not a skilled cosmetic dentist. You probably won’t like the results. I’m going to be blunt and say that I don’t feel like you are with the best dentist for your needs. Either your dentist lacks cosmetic skills, ethics, or both. Do yourself a favor and find someone else to replace your cosmetic work.

If you are wanting a whiter smile, do the whitening before getting the crown and veneers replaced so they can be made to match the new whiter color.

This blog is brought to you by Nashville Dentist Dr. David Wickness.