Maleya: Cosmetic Dentistry : Phase Two

         Phase two begins with my dentist telling me that in order to fulfill his requirements for his study, he would need to do eight teeth instead of four. At first I thought that I would not want to have this done because why would I want to put fake plaster on four more of my teeth that really in my opinion don’t need it. I think he could tell that I was unsure, and at first I felt sort of offended, though I am not sure why now. He said that I should take a couple weeks to think about it and let him know, and that he was fine with it either way. If I decided that I did not want to do it, he would be able to finish his study later. So after much consideration, I decided that I did want to do it, I thought I was getting even more work done for free, and that it was better quality than I would be able to afford. See, my dentist would be putting porcelain veneers vs. acrylic veneers which is what I already have and need to be replaced now. The acrylic only last about 10 or so years, obviously they last longer, I have had mine for about 15 years or a little less. The porcelain veneers are stronger and more durable, and are said to last twice as long as the acrylic ones. So given the amount of time I have had the acrylic ones, I may not ever have to have them done again. With that in mind, I called the dentist and let him know I was ready to move forward.

            The next step I am waiting for is to have my existing acrylic veneers taken off, my real teeth cleaned and “buffed” which apparently gets them ready for the veneer and helps it attach better, and then I will have temporary veneers put on until my porcelain set came in from a laboratory. Then I my next visit, weeks later would be having the temps taken off, and the porcelain veneers put on! After that they would make sure everything felt ok, send me home and have me call if  I noticed any rough spots. My last visit will be having my pictures taken again, for another uncomfortable two hours, but it will be well worth it in the end.