My goals for my smile were to get my teeth whitened, but I also have one crooked front tooth. It’s not very crooked. it just comes to the left a little. My plan was to get porcelain veneers, but my dentist is suggesting that I have Invisalign done beforehand for the crooked tooth. Am I insane, because I read somewhere that porcelain veneers could make that crooked tooth look straight? I don’t want to get Invisalign if I don’t need to.
Angie
Dear Angie,
Wow! I am very glad you wrote and am about to save you a LOT of money. First, let me address your questions. Yes, it is possible for porcelain veneers to make a crooked tooth look straight. However, much of that depends on the skill of the cosmetic dentist. If yours is suggesting Invisalign than he doesn’t have the skill needed to do your case.
That being said, I don’t think you need porcelain veneers at all. Your stated goal was to make your teeth whiter and to deal with that crooked tooth. You could do that with a combination of Invisalign and teeth whitening. They can be done simultaneously and will cost you thousands of dollars less.
It bothers me a bit that your dentist didn’t suggest that, and feels a bit like a money grab to me. My recommendation is for you to find an Invisalign dentist, maybe not your dentist given my concerns. Then ask him to provide you with professional strength whitening gel. You can wear the gel in your aligners, which can double as teeth whitening trays. Two birds. One stone. A lot less money.
This blog is brought to you by an honest Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.