- Veneers have gained popularity on social media, with many turning to veneer technicians for their dental work
- The American Dental Association (ADA) issued a statement warning patients that dental work by unlicensed dental technicians could lead to serious complications
- PEOPLE spoke with two dental professionals who urge patients to see a licensed dentist for their cosmetic dentistry needs
Is the perfect smile worth years of potential pain?
Veneers have become increasingly popular in recent years for those looking for perfectly proportioned white teeth. According to the Cleveland Cliniccaps are porcelain or composite shells that fit over a tooth and hide cosmetic imperfections. They are usually custom made to fit over a person’s tooth by a board certified dentist.
Veneers have gone viral on TikTok as more celebrities opt for the procedure to perfect their smile. However, another side of TikTok has shown just how bad it can be when taking veneers goes horribly wrong.
Spechelle Overtona Tampa, Florida-based make-up artist spoke with PEOPLE about her experience with a veneer technology she saw in April.
Overton tells PEOPLE she wanted to fix her teeth as a birthday present to herself and found “Thee Veneer Fairy” (who changed their name to Enhanced smiles) on Instagram through her initial research. Overton originally planned to have her veneers done out of the country for a cheaper cost, but when she spoke with Enhanced Smiles, she recalls they assured Overton that “this would be the same quality of service I would get if I went out of the country,” and that made her to feel “comfortable”.
Overton then scheduled an initial consultation and the technician performed a basic check on her teeth and recommended some implants on the upper and lower teeth. However, Overton says she was not given x-rays or told about any of the potential complications that could arise with the veneers.
“I thought I was doing the right thing by going to someone and having a consultation,” he says. “[The complications are] something that needed to be said, to me, but that was not said at all during the consultation.’
After getting her teeth fixed, Overton says she experienced “severe burning” and pain in her gums after the procedure. She went back to the technician and had the braces removed from her upper teeth and later confirmed with a dentist that the veneers had caused abrasions to her gums, leading to the infection.
After going back and forth with the technician, Overton posted her frustrations and experience on Instagram on April 19, which ended up going viral. Overton also tells PEOPLE that she still has the veneers from her original date, which they haven’t taken off yet.
Enhanced Smiles did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Winter Blanco, ex Bad Girls Club its star and host Behind the Likes podcast, she also shared her experience on a TikTok posted May 29 after having her veneers renewed “two years ago.”
Blanco, 31, spoke to PEOPLE and said she originally got her veneers done a decade ago in Beverly Hills, California without any problems. “A lot of people don’t realize that you have to redo your teeth and you can’t just have the same veneers forever,” she says.
Then, she recounted on TikTok, she went to another dental center to get her teeth fixed about eight years later and developed severe temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction. According to the Mayo ClinicTMJ disorder “can cause pain in the jaw joint and the muscles that control jaw movement.”
For the reality star, it caused severe discomfort in her jaw and joints. She also told TikTok that she had previously seen three “TMJ doctors” for her teeth problems and had spent “$80,000, pretty much” over the past two years to try to fix them and deal with the complications that developed.
“I just didn’t realize complications could be such a problem since I’d already had my teeth done for so long with absolutely no complications,” Blanco tells PEOPLE.
Zinkevych/Getty
This is not the only danger that veneers pose. Now, more people claiming to be veneer technicians have popped up online, saying they can provide patients with veneers at a fraction of the cost. However, many of these technicians are not trained and may cause more damage to a patient’s teeth and lead to various complications.
The ODA make a statement on May 14 that urged patients to be “cautious with these services” provided by veneers technicians as “dental lab technicians and businesses in general are not licensed” by states.
“Dentistry is a regulated health care profession that requires formal training and licensure,” the ADA said. “Each state has regulations that require dentists and hygienists to be licensed in order to provide care to patients. The level of supervision for dental assistants varies by state, and while dental assistants may or may not be licensed or registered by the state, are required to practice their duties under the supervision of a licensed dentist.”
The ADA also warned that “unsupervised dental treatment by unlicensed persons has the potential to cause harmful complications to patients, and any dental procedure that may alter the natural structure of a person’s teeth, gums, or jaws, without the supervision of a dentist , can cause irreversible damage”.
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Jandra Korb, director of dentistry at DentaQuest, which is part of Sun Life US, tells PEOPLE that it is against the law to practice dentistry without a license and that, in her experience, veneers technicians often “have only received two daily course taught by someone without formal dental training.” It claims that these courses are usually “not accredited by any educational or licensing body.”
One of the main motivations for patients to see veneers technicians over a licensed dentist is cost. Korb explains that the cost of veneers can vary by region, but “the national average can cost about $1,500 per tooth.”
“In this case, that means the cost of veneers for six front teeth would total $9,000,” says Korb. However, he advises that the potential risks outweigh the benefits of paying less.
Dr. Natasha Flake, President of the American Association of Endodontists and Director of Predoctoral Endodontics at the University of Washington, also tells PEOPLE that “our [biggest] The concern when unlicensed and untrained people provide these services is the risk of damage they could cause to the tooth and then the subsequent issues that may arise after that.”
“THE [veneer] Technicians may not be able to diagnose if there is an existing tooth problem such as tooth decay or gum disease that would make the patient not a good candidate for veneers,” Flake continues. “So without using the proper techniques and without the proper training, it could actually cause a problem with the tooth after the procedure as well.”
Dmitrij Galacewicz/Getty
Before choosing to get veneers, Korb encourages patients to see a licensed dentist who will “evaluate your oral health and make a plan that’s right for you.”
“Veneers are not a one-size-fits-all procedure even with a licensed dentist,” Korb tells PEOPLE. “Sometimes, this plan may include veneers, or they may advise splints and bleaching instead of a more invasive procedure like veneers.”
The dentist adds, “There are many ways to achieve a beautiful smile, but that starts with seeing your dentist for a comprehensive exam and addressing any oral health needs before your treatment. [aesthetic] concerns.”
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Blanco, meanwhile, says she shared her story online because “a lot of people have problems with their veneers [and] they don’t talk about it because it’s embarrassing to have to go through.”
“Many people don’t even have the platform or the resources to talk about the problems they face or even pay [to get them fixed],” he continues, while offering some advice to those looking to get veneers: “Be more careful, do a lot of research. And really I would say just don’t do it in general, because it’s really not worth it in the long run if something goes wrong.”
Despite her experience with the veneer technology, Overton says she would consider getting the veneers done again. He says he doesn’t want people to “feel bad about getting veneers at an affordable price,” but urges anyone considering it to do their research.
“I want to make sure [the dentist] he knows what they’re doing,” Overton says. “Don’t substitute a cheaper price in your life.”
“I didn’t educate myself, I didn’t do a lot of research and I didn’t dig as deep as I should have,” she continued. So take some time to do the research yourself.”
