What Are Veneer Techs? Why Dentists Are Issuing Grave Warnings Against Letting Them Do Your Dental Work

PEOPLE spoke with two experts who warn of the consequences of getting dental work with a veneer tech who is not also a licensed professional

• Veneers have gained popularity on social media, with many turning to veneer technicians for their dental work

• The American Dental Association (ADA) put out a statement, warning patients that getting dental work done by unlicensed dental technicians could lead to serious complications

• PEOPLE spoke with two dental professionals, who urge patients to visit a licensed dentist for their cosmetic dentistry needs
  

Is the perfect smile worth years of potential pain?

Veneers have become more and more popular in recent years for those in pursuit of white, perfectly proportioned teeth. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the coverings are shells made of porcelain or composite material that fit over a tooth and hide cosmetic imperfections. They are typically custom-made to fit over an individual's tooth by a certified dentist.

Veneers have gone viral on TikTok as more celebrities opt into the procedure to perfect their smile. However, another side of TikTok has shown just how bad it can be when getting veneers goes horribly wrong.

Spechelle Overton, a make-up artist based in Tampa, Florida spoke with PEOPLE about her experience with a veneer tech that she saw in April.

Overton tells PEOPLE she wanted to get her teeth done as a birthday present for herself and found "Thee Veneer Fairy" (who changed their name to Enhanced Smiles) on Instagram through her initial research. Overton initially planned to get her veneers done outside the country for cheaper costs, but when she spoke with the Enhanced Smiles, she recalls that they reassured Overton that "this would be the same quality of service that I would have gotten if I went out of country" and that made her feel "comfortable."

Overton then scheduled an initial consultation and the technician performed a basic check on her teeth and recommended partial implants on the top and bottom teeth. However, Overton says that she did not receive any x-rays or was told about any of the potential complications that could come up with veneers.

"I thought I was doing the proper procedure by going to someone and having a consultation," she says. "[The complications are] something that should have been said, to me, but that was not said at all during the consultation."

After getting her teeth done, Overton says she experienced "intense burning" and pain in her gums after the procedure. She went back to the technician and got the partials taken out of her top teeth and later confirmed with a dentist that the veneers caused abrasions on her gums, which led 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 appointment, which have not been taken out yet.

Enhanced Smiles did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Winter Blanco, a former Bad Girls Club star and host of Behind the Likes podcast, also shared her experience in a TikTok posted on May 29 after getting her veneers redone “two years ago.”

Blanco, 31, spoke to PEOPLE and said she initially got her veneers done a decade prior in Beverly Hills, Calif. without any problems. "A lot of people don't realize you have to get your teeth redone and you can't just have the same veneers forever," she says.

Then, as she recounted on TikTok, she went to another dental center to get her teeth redone about eight years later and developed severe temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction. According to the Mayo Clinic, TMJ disorder "can cause pain in your jaw joint and in the muscles that control jaw movement."

For the reality star, it caused severe jaw and joint discomfort. She also said on TikTok that she previously visited three “TMJ doctors” for the issues with her teeth and spent "$80,000, pretty much" over the last two years to try to get them fixed and to deal with the complications that developed.

"I just didn't realize that the complications could be such an issue since I had already had my teeth done for so long with no complications whatsoever," Blanco tells PEOPLE.

Related: Woman Sues Dentist After Receiving 4 Root Canals, 8 Crowns and 20 Fillings in a Single Visit

That’s not the only risk posed by veneers. Now, more people claiming to be veneer technicians have been cropping up online, saying they can provide patients with veneers at a fraction of the cost. However, many of these technicians are unqualified and can potentially cause more damage to a patient’s teeth and lead to various complications.

The ADA put out a statement on May 14 that urged patients to be "cautious of these services" provided by veneer technicians since "dental laboratory technicians and businesses are generally not licensed" by the states.

"Dentistry is a regulated healthcare profession that requires formal education and licensure," the ADA said. "Every state has regulations that require dentists and hygienists to be licensed in order to provide patient care. The level of oversight for dental assistants varies by state and, while dental assistants may or may not be licensed or registered by the state, they are required to perform their duties under the supervision of a licensed dentist."

The ADA also warned that "unsupervised dental treatment from unlicensed individuals has the potential to cause damaging complications for patients, and any dental procedure that may alter the physical structure of an individual’s teeth, gums or jaws, without the supervision of a dentist, has the potential to cause irreversible harm."

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Jandra Korb, a dental director at DentaQuest, which is part of Sun Life U.S., tells PEOPLE that it is against the law for anyone to practice dentistry without a license and that, in her experience, veneer technicians often have only “taken a two-day course taught by someone with no formal education in dentistry themselves.” She claims that these courses typically are “not accredited by any educational or licensing body.”

One of the main motivators for patients to see veneer technicians versus a licensed dentist is cost. Korb explains that veneer costs can range depending on region, but “the average nationwide can cost around $1500 per tooth.”

“In this case, that means the cost of veneers for six front-facing teeth would total $9,000,” Korb says. However, she 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] concern when having unlicensed and untrained people providing these services is the risk of the damage that they could cause to the tooth and then subsequent issues that can arise after that.”

“The [veneer] techs might not be able to diagnose if there's an existing problem with the teeth, like tooth decay or gum disease that would make the patient not a good candidate for the veneers," Flake continues. "So without using the proper techniques and without the proper training, it could actually cause a problem to the tooth after the procedure as well.”

Related: Dolphins' Raheem Mostert on Struggling with Access to Dental Hygiene as a Kid

Before opting to get veneers, Korb encourages patients to visit a licensed dentist who will “evaluate your oral health and make a plan that fits you.”

“Veneers are not a one-size-fits-all procedure even with a licensed dentist,” Korb tells PEOPLE. “Sometimes, that plan can include veneers, or they may advise braces and whitening rather than 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 prior to addressing your [aesthetic] concerns.”

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Blanco, meanwhile, says she shared her story online because "a lot of people have issues with their veneers [and] they don't speak about because it is embarrassing to have to go through."

"A lot of people don't even have the platform or the resources to speak up about the issues that they're having or even pay [to get them fixed]," she continues, while offering some advice to those looking into getting veneers: "Be more cautious, do a lot of research. And I would really just say don't do it in general, because it's really not worth it in the long run if anything goes wrong."

Despite her experience with the veneer tech, Overton, says she would consider getting veneers done again. She says that doesn't want people to "feel bad about wanting to get veneers at an affordable price," but urges anyone thinking about it to do their research.

"I want to make sure that [the dentist] knows what they're doing," Overton says. "Don't substitute a cheaper price over your life."

"I didn't educate myself, I didn't do a lot of research and I didn't dig as deep as I needed to do," she continued. So take the time out to do the research for yourself."

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