A nice smile is one of the most coveted physical features. That’s why people are willing to spend big money to get one.
Veneers have become the gold standard to attain that perfect smile. Veneer teeth are blindingly white, perfectly straight, and even.
If you’re thinking about getting a set, you may want to listen to a New Jersey woman’s warning about the popular procedure. She wants anyone considering veneers to understand the risks. She didn’t, and now she’s out thousands of dollars and in pain.
Rachel Eve (@racheeleve) hopes her experience serves as a cautionary tale.
“Do not get veneers. Seriously,” Rachel says.
From perfect teeth to agonizing pain
People have been trying to improve their teeth for thousands of years. Some methods were more sanitary than others. The Romans, for example, brushed their teeth with a paste that contained urine, which apparently is a “natural tooth whitening agent.”
Modern cosmetic dentistry, as we think of i,t is relatively new. Temporary veneers were invented in the 1930s. Permanent veneers came around in the early 1980s.
Rachel says she got porcelain veneers in 2023.
“Everything was all good. I loved my teeth. I loved talking in front of people,” she says, adding that she felt much more confident.
Then she noticed her gums were often inflamed and bled more easily, Rachel recalls. She says she takes excellent care of her teeth, so she figured it would go away on its own.
It didn’t. Instead, she says it got worse. Over time, her gums went from a light red to a dark red, Rachel says.
So she went to the dentist. Then another one. And another one. They all said the same thing, but Rachel had a hard time believing it.
“Basically, when they put the veneer in, apparently, they put it too deep into my gums, therefore causing what’s happening,” Rachel says.
To treat the condition, she had to get laser gum surgery. In this procedure, a dentist uses a laser to remove gum tissue.
Rachel says it costs between $2,000 and $8,000, which isn’t typically covered by insurance. The price isn’t the only pain point, either.
“This process isn’t,” Rachel pauses, “the most comfortable.”
A perfect smile at a price
A veneer is basically a cap on your existing tooth. This is similar to a crown but with the sole goal of enhancing your smile. And while a crown covers the entire tooth, veneers are only fixed to the front.
For the procedure, a dentist will grind down your teeth, potentially past the enamel. As Healthline notes, this is “an irreversible procedure that can be painful to go through and often requires a local anesthetic.”
Then they’ll make a mold of your remaining teeth and send it to a lab to create the veneers. Once those are ready, the dentist bonds the veneers to the remaining tooth. During this portion of the process, they thoroughly clean and once again grind your teeth to create a rougher surface to make it easier for the veneer to adhere.
It’s an extremely involved process with a price to match. Per Healthline, the American Dental Association reports it costs between $925 and $2,500 per tooth.
A Virginia-based dentist reports that the total cost ranges from $12,000 to $30,000, though it’s not unheard of to pay much more.
The high cost of veneers is why some, like Rachel, opt to get the procedure done in a foreign country, where it can cost significantly less.
There are risks. These include discomfort, infection, sensitivity, tooth damage, and gum issues.
Dentist denies responsibility
Rachel didn’t initially identify her dentist. In her first TikTok, she just said that they deny culpability and told her the issue with her gums is due to her teeth shifting naturally.
In a subsequent post, she says her veneers were done at Top Smiles Colombia by Dr. Deiby Londono, who goes by “Dr. D.” Rachel says her veneers cost between $8,000 and $8,500.
Dr. Londono didn’t respond to inquiries sent via TikTok direct message to his account.
After her first TikTok went viral—it has 834,000 views as of this writing—and she identified Top Smiles Colombia and Dr. Londono in subsequent posts, she claims they blocked her and sent a cease and desist threatening to sue her for defamation.
Rachel also says that many people came forward claiming to have also gotten botched veneers at Top Smiles Colombia. She’s posted multiple screenshots of comments and direct messages from people making a variety of allegations about Dr. Londono and Top Smiles Colombia.
In an email to the Mary Sue, management at Top Smiles shared the following:
“At Top Smiles, we are committed to the highest standards of patient care and practice. However, due to patient privacy laws and professional obligations, we cannot comment on any individual’s treatment or circumstances,” they stated.
The spokesperson continued, “We can affirm that our practice generally follows strict clinical protocols and industry guidelines, prioritizing the safety and well-being of every patient. We also encourage any of our patients who may have concerns to contact us directly so that we can address them in the appropriate professional setting.”
Other patients come forward
Many comments on Rachel’s posts are from people who allege they had their veneers done at Top Smiles Colombia.
Some have said they’re happy with the results. “I’m sorry you had that issue,” wrote one. “I went to them two years ago and thankfully no issues.”
Others describe hellish experiences.
“He did mine and my sisters!! He completely messed us both up!! We stayed in pain for 6 months straight,” one woman wrote.
A male influencer commented, “My teeth look nice but the pain I’m in omg. He definitely don’t know what he doing.” He also posted screenshots of a chat he purportedly had with Top Smiles Colombia in which he says that there are exposed nerves under his veneers and he may have to get them taken out and they deny responsibility.
“I have the same red gum issue I thought maybe I wasn’t flossing correctly but we went to the same dentist,” a third wrote on one of Rachel’s posts.
Rachel says that if the gum laser doesn’t work, she may have to get a new set of veneers. She hopes others learn from her experience.
“No one even warns us about this. No one even talks about it,” she says. “I’m upset but again I mostly blame myself. This is my fault.”
Rachel didn’t respond to a direct message sent via TikTok or an email.
@racheeleve I can only blame myself #veneers ♬ original sound – Rachel Eve
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