Porcelain veneers can give you a gorgeous smile. However, if the dentist placing them is a general dentist without the artistic inclinations of an expert cosmetic dentist, and without extensive post-graduate education in cosmetic dentistry, you can end up with a very disappointing smile.

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Here Dr. David Hall, retired accredited cosmetic dentist, answers questions from visitors to this site. Some of these people have had some very disappointing experiences.

Click here to ask Dr. Hall your own question about this topic or any other cosmetic dentistry topic.

Here are some questions from visitors to this site who had problems with porcelain veneers done by a general dentist, not an expert cosmetic dentist:

• Lynn in Minnesota has new porcelain veneers, but they look gray in outdoor light. The dentist claims to be a cosmetic dentist, but Dr. Hall is skeptical, and explains why.
• Stacy's new porcelain veneers are actually darker than her own bleached teeth, even though the dentist claims he used the whitest shade possible. Do you think the dentist knew what he was doing?
• Can I whiten my porcelain veneers after they're put on?
• I've heard about Lumineers. What can you tell me about them? Dr. Hall urges caution in responding to ads about Lumineers.
• Silvia had a porcelain veneer and a porcelain crown done on her two front teeth. While they looked okay in the office, in outside light, the colors are slightly different.
• A.R. in California has porcelain veneers starting to turn yellow after only seven months. This isn't supposed to happen.
• Lee Ann in Tennessee had porcelain veneers placed. When one chipped, the replacement turned out more opaque than the others. Here we explain why.
• Tom in London, England has porcelain veneers that have begun to turn yellow after only two months. Again, this shouldn't be happening. These restorations are very color stable and resist all types of stains.
• When one of Cindy's new porcelain veneers cracked, the dentist replaced it. However, the replacement is thicker and whiter than the other five.
• Dr. Hall advises a visitor who has tetracycline stains that porcelain veneers are the best treatment for tetracycline stains.
• Porceline veneers is a misspelling of the term. We have a page here written to be found by people who enter this misspelling in search engines.
• So is porcelin veneers. No matter how you spell them, they can give you a gorgeous smile.

The moral of all these stories: get your porcelain veneers from an expert cosmetic dentist. If you need help finding a cosmetic dentist with adequate training to be able to do this procedure properly, please see our cosmetic dentist referral page. We list cosmetic dentists from all over the United States and Canada who have that additional training and artistic talent in cosmetic dentistry.

This information was personally authored by Dr. David Hall, an accredited cosmetic dentist.