I had porcelain veneers done. He put them in without me getting a chance to try them in. When they were in, I mentioned that they were too big. He didn’t agree and essentially said he’s the dentist and knows better. I didn’t have time to argue with him because I had to leave on vacation a couple of days later. I was heartbroken because I was hoping to go with a beautiful smile I was proud of. But, I soldiered on. While there, my mouth started hurting. I waited until I got back and went to see a different dentist because I was still mad at my first one. That dentist said that he’d never seen porcelain veneers look that thick. He felt the pain is because my bite is off. A month later, I went to another dentist who also said my bite is off, but that I also have a tooth that needs a root canal treatment. He even hinted that the porcelain veneers could be the cause. Can I get a refund for this disaster of a smile makeover?
Evie
Dear Evie,
I’m sorry that this happened to you. One of the issues you are facing is that your dentist who did your smile makeover is more of a family dentist rather than a true cosmetic dentist. Two things stood out to my right away. First, he didn’t do a try in. A true cosmetic dentist would always try them in with a temporary try in paste to make sure you like them. Which leads me to the second thing. If you didn’t like how they looked, your dentist would have sent them back to the lab to make the changes, not said that he knew best.
One of the problems with getting a refund for a smile makeover is that not liking the way your porcelain veneers look is not something a dental board would consider a good reason for getting a refund. That is true even if the dentist did a horrible job that looked absolutely awful.
You may have a small advantage in that you’ve had a couple of dentists who’ve hinted there is a functional problem with your porcelain veneers. If they can document that the need for your root canal treatment was because of the veneers or that your bite is thrown off you will have a better chance. If your bite is thrown off that can lead to TMJ Disorder which is serious.
I suggest you see a dentist who has post-doctoral training in TMJ so they can look at your bite. Once you have some documentation that the veneers are causing functional problems you can ask for that refund.
This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Restorative Dentist Dr. David Marion.