Can you advise me? I’m going to have composite bonding done on six teeth. I’d thought about porcelain veneers, but dental bonding seems similar and is less costly. I’ve narrowed it down to two dentists based on the Yelp recommendations. The first is Dr. ——. The other Dr. ——-. Do you know if one of these dentists will be better than the other for a smile makeover?
Katie
Dear Katie,
I’ve removed the names of the dentists for reasons you’ll understand in a moment. Let’s start with choosing a cosmetic dentist on Yelp! There is nothing wrong with using this service in general. It can be very useful. However, in trying to find a skilled and artistic cosmetic dentist it falls a little short. It seems to follow an algorithm based on the number of recommendations and the ratings they get. There doesn’t seem to be anything differentiating their skill specifically with cosmetic work.
Let’s take a look at the two dentists you’ve mentioned. Looking at their great reviews, none of them mention any cosmetic or appearance-related work. So, I went to their websites. One of them doesn’t even mention they do cosmetic work. The other offers cosmetic work and even has a “smile gallery”. Unfortunately, these appear to be stock photos provided to them by their website company. This likely means they don’t have any good before and after images of their own, which is a bad sign.
If you want to find a great cosmetic dentist in your area, I want to re-direct your search to a service which is specifically designed to screen out dentists who have excellent training and artistry in cosmetic dentistry. Go to the mynewsmile.com website. They have a “find a cosmetic dentist” link. You can input your zip code to get some in your specific area. All of them have had their skill and ability vetted before they were listed. Any one of them can provide you with a stunning smile makeover.
Dental Bonding versus Porcelain Veneers
You mentioned you felt bonding and veneers were similar. I want to stop you before you end up with a disaster. Dental bonding is done freehand with a composite resin. While it is a great solution for chipped teeth or a small tooth gap, very few excellent cosmetic dentists will agree to do this as a smile makeover unless there is no other option. The reason for this is longevity. Bonding will only last a few years before it begins to pick up stains and need to be replaced.
Porcelain veneers, on the other hand, will last for decades when well cared for. Porcelain does a much better job at mimicking the look of the natural tooth, especially over a large surface like a tooth. You will be much happier with a smile makeover done with porcelain veneers than with dental bonding.
This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Warren Kruchick.