When Can You Get Porcelain Veneers?

I have had extensive dental work done since I was 15, including braces two different times, which left my teeth looking awful. I’ve heard porcelain veneers can make your teeth look beautiful. Is there a certain time/age that you have to be to get them?

Olivia

Dear Olivia,

As far as age goes, you will want to be at least 18 years old. This is because you want the teeth fully developed.  You will also want to make sure that the teeth don’t have any cavities that need to be treated first. Often the staining  that comes from braces will look like white spots. Those are indicators of decalcification, which are precursors to decay. That will all need to have been dealth with and the teeth healthy.  It sounds like that last bit won’t be a problem because you’ve had a lot of work done. It would be a terrible dentist, indeed, if he was doing other work on you but letting cavities develop and grow.

In fact, on the off chance you did have a bad dentist who hasn’t brought this up, be aware that an ethical cosmetic dentist will not provide porcelain veneers on a patient whose teeth need work on the health of the teeth. That leads me to something very important.

The biggest caution about getting a smile makeover with porcelain veneers is that you choose your dentist carefully. Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty.  That means any general dentist can do it regardless of the training they have. Dental school is not enough.

Porcelain veneers are an advanced procedure. You will want a dentist who has invested in post-doctoral training in doing smile makeovers. There are many schools that train dentists in smile makeovers such as the Dawson Academy or the Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies. You can check out your dentist’s bio for some post-doctoral schools. Also check out the smile gallery on their website to see that they do artistic work.  The safest way for you to find an expert cosmetic dentist, is to look for someone who is AACD accredited.  These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country and have proven their technical skill as well as their artistry. You can feel confident that they’ll give you a gorgeous smile makeover.

This blog is brought to you by a gentle dentist in Nashville, Dr. David Wickness.