matching the colour of veneers

[cmbird]

I saw a London dentist yesterday about veneers I had done two and a half weeks ago in Poland (I have been having gum/tongue pain and inflammation and one of the veneers had a faint line across it that suggested that it had already cracked). Having examined my teeth he pronounced the work done by the Polish dentist as good and with no problems (which was a relief) and diagnosed a bacterial infection (no signs of gum disease, also a relief). However, he said that if I wanted the veneer replaced in the UK it would be very difficult to match the shade because this is dependent on individual labs and he said the Poland dentist would have used a lab in Poland that would not be registered in the UK. That's fair anough, but is it really so difficult to produce certain shades of veneer? I don't want to have to make two trips to Poland every time one of the veneers has to be replaced. I asked the Polish dentist what the shade was and she said it was called A1. Does that mean anything to anyone? ... The London dentist was an NHS dentist, by the way, so my understanding is that what he can do in terms of replacements is probably limited.

[Dr Pav Khaira]

Unfortunately it's not just the shade of the veneer but also the surface texture and light reflectivity and whether they used any natural shades. It is possible to match shades with a custom finish but it is not easy to do and fees generally reflect this. My opinion is that you should either find a private dentist who has the confidence to replace this or return to Poland. If the veneer has fractured I would urge you to return in order to have it replaced, that is if they have a guarantee.

I hope this helps

Kindest regards

[cmbird]

Thanks, Dr Khaira. I've no problem with going to a private dentist, and in fact have already tracked one down in London who say they will match it perfectly, but from what you're saying this sounds tricky? ... Anyway, I can only approach them and see, I suppose.

[davidbloom]

Regardless of where the work was done there is always a potential
difficulty in matching new porcelain work to existing work . Using the
same lab can help but as you are aware of the main colour this is a good
start. With custom visits to a lab it should be possible to match in a
new veneer should this be required but as stated this is always a
potential problem. I would cross that bridge if and when the need arises
as it will not change the situation now

Regards

David Bloom
Past President BACD
Accredited member BACD

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