There are several explanations why some dentists prefer to recommend porcelain veneers instead of orthodontics:
1. Porcelain makeovers are "easier" for the dentist. Unfortunately doing orthodontics requires a greater investment in training, staffing and materials than learning porcelain makeovers. There is no doubt that the advanced skills used in fabricating a procelain smile reconstruction are impressive, but the simple truth is these skills are no match for the results can can be obtained by using orthodontics to restore a beautiful smile. At best, it could be said that the porcelain makeover does its best to fool the eye into thinking the person has had braces. Courses that teach veneer makeovers are often sponsored by dental labs which have a primary interest in the dentist sending veneer labwork to them and therefore often downplay the importance of considering orthodontics as part of the treatment.
Dental staff employed in orthodontics services usually require more training than auxillaries used to assist in veneer makeovers. Once dentists find orthodontic staff they are amazed at how much of the duties can be delegated to the staff, and therefore it is unfortunate that fewer dentists do not take advantage of this opportunity to provide this superior service. In offering High Speed Braces, the dentist becomes the architect of the smile instead of the labourer!
2. Many dentists don't know how to do orthodontics, so they do what they know. In dental school training the focus of most of the practical training is usually on how to use the drill and not how to do braces. So much information is crammed into dental school that the skills required to perform orthodontics are often not established by graduation. The new graduate is encouraged to refer orthodontic cases to the specialist but does have the option to persue further training aimed at general practitioners.
The good news is there are a number of excellent programs that not only offer traditional orthodontic training but also the cutting edge version we refer to as "High Speed Braces" which seeks to reduce treatment time and address the primary cosmetic concerns at the same time. Links to dentist training programs can be found at www.highspeedbraces.org.
3. "High Speed Braces" are not well known to the average cosmetic dentist. Cosmetic dentists are often not aware that rapid orthodontic treatment options are available as a more conservative alternative to veneers and crowns. While the dentist may recommend orthodontics as the "ideal" way to correct a cosmetic problem, it is often mentioned that it takes two to three years to achieve this goal. This time factor may be used as a selling feature for the veneer makeover. Remarkably "High Speed Braces" can now cut treatment time down to months and is a superior choice to veneers for most situations. "HSB" can also be used to correct poorly aligned teeth prior to veneers to obtain a superior result.
4. Patients have unrealistic expectations about the proper color of teeth. If a patient wants whiter teeth they usually have a choice of bleaching or veneering their smile. In order to satisfy some patients, dentists veneer teeth to get a "whiter than white" smile. This makes the smile the most dominant feature of a person's face and sometimes is quite distracting. Bleaching is usually effective at achieving a healthy white shade (when not over used) without the use of veneering materials.
