Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try...

Yoda as he teaches Luke Skywalker the Force in Star Wars




I often think of these words when I evaluate risks in different situations. I also thought of these words when I finally said yes to getting veneers on my teeth. Why? Well, because in order to get the best result, my dentist would have to "prep" my teeth - skimming the surface with a burr to make room for porcelain veneers that are bonded on to ones teeth. There was no turning back. And really, why would you want to turn back? You either do or do not!

I am currently wearing "temporaries" as the final veneers are being custom made by the artists at Frontier Dental Laboratories. I will post some photos when they are completed (scheduled for next week).

But I would like to share my decision making process:

Why get veneers?

1. In life, a smile can mean a lot. People find you more approachable, more confident. Like it or not, first impressions count. Simply, I wanted to have a great smile.

2. My teeth were wearing down (due to stress and my love of coffee and soda). So I wanted to get them taken care of. This is a secondary reason to - I still wanted to look good.

3.  I was giving a talk in front of a few hundred people and I saw myself on a large screen - and it convinced me that I wanted a better smile.

4. Did I say this already... I wanted a friendlier smile. In the end, it is primarily an emotional decision and not a clinical one.

5. I wanted to also understand our own products.


It took me over a year to finally say lets go ahead. Why?

1. I am fortunate to know many of the top cosmetic dentists around the world. Even more fortunate that I own what I consider the worlds leading dental laboratory. I had originally asked a friend to work on my smile. But life and logistics made it tough to do so. Thus I decided to go with one of the other instructors at the California Center for Advanced Dental Studies (CCADS), who's office is two blocks from mine. She is very talented and I had full confidence in her abilities. Aesthetic or Cosmetic dentistry, as it is often called, is a very specialized skill. Many dentists can say they do it. Not many can say that they do it well. My selection criteria was that I would only consider dentists who had trained at CCADS.

2. It was also about TIME - I was trying to find a period in the year when I was not too busy. As it turned out, I was busy anyway. Looking back, I should have just jumped in!

How was the experience?

1. Not painful at all though your lips are numb for a few hours due to the anesthetic.

2. It was a tiring day though - it was half a day of sitting on a dentist chair.

3. It takes about 3 weeks to get used to any changes to your teeth. I currently have temporaries on and was struggling with my "S" sounds for the first two weeks. The third week is much better.

4. It also took two weeks to get used to my new smile. The temporaries are supposed to be a duplicate of the shapes of the final veneers. I was surprised at how different I looked initially.

5. A good dentist makes you feel cared for during the whole process. And that goes a long way to making the experience easier ... hot towels to wipe your face, a juice drink, positive assurances, a gentle touch...

How is it now?

1. I am constantly getting complemented on my smile - I am surprised actually at how much. Very pleased with the way it turned out.

2. The temporaries feel no different than my real teeth - I can't wait for the Frontier Veneers to be ready.

3. It also showed me the value of a good dental lab - they tried three different shapes of teeth and each shape gave me a different look. An analogy would be trying on three different pairs of eye glasses - round, rectangular, or squarish. Each one made you look different. The key is to select the shape that matches your facial traits. This requires a lot of experience.

4. This is primarily an emotional driven decision. And I am glad I did it. Very pleased with the result so far - makes me look more approachable, friendlier, boosts self esteem and confidence (though people tease me that I already have an abundance of the latter).

So far, the only thing I can say is why did I wait so long to get them done. Life changing.  Most importantly, choose your dentist wisely. Make sure they are trained through something like CCADS and that they deal with a top end laboratory like Frontier. Why take a chance on the results?

I will talk about the final veneers next week. Stay tuned.

BTW. People often ask me about no-prep veneers. I believe no-preps work only in very very limited situations. In most cases, I find the results bulbous and amateurish. To get the ideal result, you need to "shave"a little bit off your teeth. Plus, whats the probability that you will want your old look back? I  am yet to meet a person that says "give me my old crooked teeth back".  Instead of worrying about no-prep veneers, worry that you have a dentist that is experienced and talented in making people look good. Ask them where they were trained and how many cases have they done? The talent allows them to design the proper smile for you. The experience allows them to make sure that the smile lasts.

Whether it be a smile makeover or just life's opportunities, often times its DO or DO NOT, There is no TRY.

But again, what do I know? I am just making my way in this world.