Let’s Talk Smiles: Essential Dental Tips, Smile Makeovers, and Optimal Oral Health

Cosmetic Dentistry PSA: Top Celebrity Dentists Unite to Expose Risks of Illegal Veneer Technicians

May 09, 2024 • Dr. Catrise Austin • Season 3 • Episode 16

Share episode

Send us a text

Have you ever considered the true cost of a bargain smile? Join me, Dr. Catrise Austin, alongside a panel of esteemed cosmetic dentists such as Dr. Jared Rosenborough and Dr. Trev Thomas, as we unveil the stark reality behind unlicensed veneer technicians. Veneers might promise the perfect smile, but when performed by impostors lacking proper education, the result can be a health nightmare. We're here to guide you through the murky waters of cosmetic dentistry, emphasizing the critical importance of licensed professionals. Our experience and firsthand accounts expose the risks of these "Veneer Techs" and the consequences of choosing affordability over expertise.

Navigating dental care costs doesn't mean you have to risk your health. I'm thrilled to present "Affordable Dental Care in the USA," a guide curated by my team and I, ensuring financial constraints don't lead you into the dangerous arms of unqualified practitioners. Through real-life stories like that of Noreen Francis, we reaffirm that quality and safety should never be compromised. We'll share resources, from state-funded programs to discount plans, offering you a lifeline to manage dental expenses wisely. So, tune in for an empowering discussion that equips you to protect your precious smile with knowledge, caution, and the right professional care.


Have a Dental Question for Dr. Catrise Austin? Submit Your Questions On The Let’s Talk Smiles Podcast Website Here

Watch videos of our podcast episodes on our YouTube channel here.

No Dental Insurance But You Need Access To Affordable Dental Care? Check Out This Dental Savings Plan For only $8.95/Month!

Want to see what you new smile could look like straighter or whiter? Discover the possibilities with a FREE before and after smile picture that gives you a simulation of the new smile and new you within 24-48 business hours! Click here.

Your journey towards a healthier, happier smile begins now. Join the VIP Smiles Free 7 Day Healthy Smile Workout Challenge today!

Each day you’ll receive a video message from Dr. Catrise Austin. Each daily video will focus on a fundamental aspect of your daily oral care (brushing, flossing, mouth rinsing, etc) providing you with the knowledge and tools to perfect your daily smile routine.

Step up your oral hygiene game with the “VIP Smiles Complete Oral Care Kit...

Speaker 1:

Hello all my dental friends and family out there. Welcome back to another episode of the let's Talk Smiles podcast. I'm your host, dr Catrice Austin, and this is a bonus episode. Guys, I recently dropped a episode talking about navigating the hazards of unlicensedetic Dentistry by Veneer Techs. What are Veneer Techs? I don't know, because it's not a real profession. It's not a real career. It is not related to dentistry at all. So these people are popping up all over the country. They are posing and imitating dentists and the work that we do.

Speaker 1:

Veneers have become so popular that people who are not dentists have decided to jump in and learn how to do it in a two-day course. And it's not cool because they are hurting innocent patients out there, people like you who are just in hopes of having a beautiful smile. And I know porcelain veneers and composite veneers can be cost prohibitive for some people who want to have a beautiful smile, but seeking out a veneer text is not the way to go about it. There are affordable solutions to get a beautiful smile. So I had the honor and pleasure of joining forces with some of the top cosmetic dentists across the United States. We're talking Dr Jared Rosenborough, aka Dr Rose, in Dallas. We're talking Dr Cordarius Tony, who goes by the name of Dr Q, in Atlanta. We have Dr Trev Thomas in Los Angeles. We have Dr Amira in Miami, dr Anthony Price, who goes by Memphis Dentist in Memphis, tennessee, and myself. We joined forces for this amazing PSA.

Speaker 1:

So I wanted to share that PSA with you guys. I hope you guys really support it. Share it with your friends. Share this episode with your friends, your family, your coworkers, anybody who is thinking about getting a beautiful, healthy and confident smile by means of veneers. Make sure they make the right decision and they don't support these veneer texts. It is illegal. We're going to make sure these people end up in jail or their businesses shut down with this PSA and with all our efforts. So share this episode, share the message. Stop someone from making a very, very bad decision that they're going to regret. They're going to end up paying a real dentist sooner or later. So why not just do it right now? So let's get into this PSA and I hope you guys enjoy it. But y'all don't know.

Speaker 2:

I am currently going to school to become a veneer tech. Huh, oh, my God, bro, oh hell, no, no, oh hell no.

Speaker 4:

Stop it, get some help.

Speaker 2:

I'm Kiki Ayers and I am a victim of the veneer villain. Good evening, guys.

Speaker 4:

My name is Dr Trevor Jamal Thomas, board member of the United Council of Cosmetic Dentists. We, the collective, would like to share with you a few reasons why we unequivocally oppose such actions that value veneers.

Speaker 2:

I'm Dr A and we have heard all the buzz about these veneer tests. Let me tell you this is not a real job. This is not a real profession. To do veneer, you must complete an eight-year dental course that requires you to go to school that's right for eight years. You cannot learn all this in a two-day course. This is actually highly illegal to impersonate a doctor of any kind. It is highly illegal to do procedures that are qualified only by a licensed doctor.

Speaker 5:

Hey, what's up y'all? It's Dr Q. Everybody has been asking me about Venebra, Like is that a thing? Why is it a thing? And it's a thing because people are going to unlicensed dentists. They're not taking care of the underlying issue, which is why it's important that you go to a restorative dentist to ensure that you're taking care of your teeth prior to placing any type of cosmetic or aesthetic restorations.

Speaker 1:

Here's a big red flag, guys. Whenever you see a business that goes by teeth, by veneers, by smiles by, and it's not being offered by a licensed dentist in a dental office, it's not a good idea. Don't do it.

Speaker 3:

I was around when they was giving booty shots for the low in their garage. I grew up from a lady down the street that was asked to do it in her garage. So I know, ain't nothing new out of the sun. I know, if you think you're a licensed contractor, you feel like you can do everything, but no, not this. You feel like you think it's like it's just like nails, it's just like doing it. It ain't, it ain't, it ain't.

Speaker 6:

You can play basketball, you can play football, you can play golf, you can even play tennis, but you can't play dentistry dentistry.

Speaker 2:

Another huge issue that we have with what's going on is the potential for harm and even death to patients. As scary as that sounds, these procedures, if not done by a qualified, licensed dentist, can lead to infections in the gum. It could lead to tooth loss. It could lead to infections that spread into the sinus, even into the brain, which could cause death. Yes, it is that serious. What if the patient has high blood pressure?

Speaker 3:

Are y'all taking blood pressure? They taking blood pressure John.

Speaker 2:

No man say what if they have a latex allergy? What if? What if? What if there's too many? What ifs? Right, how y'all know what's going on if they got infection.

Speaker 3:

This dangerous. Y'all Like, are they numbing people up with this? Y'all truly like numbing people up, and do you know how many epinephrine you can give somebody?

Speaker 2:

before they just start.

Speaker 3:

You know what I'm saying Start getting clammy. Man, y'all don't know, man Like for real.

Speaker 1:

It's scary to actually deal affordable dental veneers right here in the United States. You don't need to see a veneer tech. No, you can tap into one of these resources, like Seeking a Cosmetic Dentist that offers payment plan options that'll allow you to smile now and pay for it later. Visit your local dental school that offers veneers, like NYU Dental School.

Speaker 5:

Now in other news you don't end up paying twice. I can't count how many times I have to redo someone's work that was not done properly, and a lot of times people are going to these quote unquote veneer checks and not getting work done properly and at the end of the day you're going to end up paying twice. So I urge you, do it right the first time so you don't have to do it again. Holler back at Dr Q Peace.

Speaker 6:

If you have that drive and passion to change lives by enhancing folks' smiles, find yourself a mentor, a licensed dentist, who can show you how to do dental school and how to get it done the right way. Stop playing in these folks' mouths baby Shoot.

Speaker 3:

I went to nurse school before I came to dentists. It's scary dealing with patients and you're just out here working on people without having this health history. It's too many other people to just be working on them without getting all the information on them. Y'all, Y'all go mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm. Don't do it. Don't do it, You're taking the liability of somebody's life.

Speaker 6:

They can underline them.

Speaker 3:

That's a new term I heard. If you didn't know about that, you can't say the D word Underline no-transcript.

Speaker 1:

I think he does uh, uh, patty LaBelle and some other artists, but he's now doing teeth. I'm just saying, uh, columbia changes charges way less than the USA. And you want to know why they are able to. They are not actually using real people to make your teeth. They are using either composite resin, which is a cheaper material, or they're making your teeth in a machine. And, yes, when things are made by a machine and mass produced which is why they all look like the white big chickleties that you guys see all the time it's like one size fits all. That's what you're paying for. So if you don't care about the artistic portion of your smile and making them look real well, then yes, you could go to Columbia, mexico, turkey, name some of the Dominican Republic and you can pay $1,000 for your whole mouth and it's going to look like the picture that I posted yesterday.

Speaker 1:

Do not be surprised Now. I'm not saying, cause I get, uh, I get talked about all the time. Um, I'm not saying that there are no good dentists in Columbia or Mexico, turkey. There are, but y'all continuously go to the ones that charge you like, exactly, they get the CAD cam, uh, veneers. They're made by a machine. Y'all are going to the ones that continuously ruin your smiles, and that is. It's just a mistake. You see them making mistakes on the internet all the time. You saw King Harris. You've seen a whole bunch of people go to a very popular dentist in Columbia and every single time you get what you pay for. Melissa the Tartar Slayer, you're going to get those chiclet, too white, too big, too square teeth. I'm sorry.

Speaker 1:

So I have come up with a guide you guys, if you guys want to find out the affordable places in the United States that do quality work, I came up with a whole guide that you guys can download. It is on my website, vipsmilescom. It's called Affordable Dental Care in the USA, and I give you five ways. You can get your veneers done. You can get your implants done. You can get your clear aligners done. You can get your checkups and cleanings Some of the places I put in there for free. Yes, there are some organizations that have free dental days. So I'm trying to tell y'all that you don't have to do this illegal dental work and go to people who are doing illegal dental work to get your smiles. Graceful Smile Dental Spa says they are damn near practicing dentistry. They're not damn near practicing dentistry. They are practicing dentistry, they're getting supplies off the internet, they are taking the, they're going to YouTube University and they are getting these people to pay their hard-earned money.

Speaker 1:

And here's the part that bothers me. I get the calls, dr Amira gets the calls, dr Trev gets the calls, dr Rose gets the calls, dr Gauss gets the calls when it goes wrong and y'all want us to come in and fix it. And y'all kind of want us to fix it for free, because you done spent all your money with them folks. Well, unfortunately we are here to save today with caution, because you know we don't know what we're signing up for when we take over someone's mess. But some of us have a heart and some of us will do it, and you got to know that it is going to cost for us to remove what they did. It's going to cost you guys to pay for a new set of veneers to have them done right. So not only are you paying for it once, you're paying for it twice and I don't want you guys to do that. I care about you guys so much. I don't want you guys to do that.

Speaker 1:

I worked in Frontier Dental Lab. You know we do. Frontier is the bombcom. Hello, noreen Francis, another one of my patients that made the right choice. She made the right choice and she also took advantage of some of the places where you could go to save. So I love Noreen because she is wise. She makes wise, informed decisions for her and her family. So where she could save, she's going to save or her family members are going to save. But when it comes to that cosmetic stuff, she's not playing games. She is right in my chair, Her husband right in my chair, yep. So I want you guys to make wise decisions and if you need help, I'm here to guide you on how you guys could do that. Now.

Speaker 1:

I did a poll yesterday and I asked should these veneer techs go to jail? They should go to jail, I think. I don't know what y'all think, but I think these people who are out here practicing, uh, illegal dentistry should have their butts right in a jail cell or at least get a fine, at least have some kind of penalty. But right now our dental organizations are not. Really I don't know. We don't have the regulations.

Speaker 1:

I am personally grace, graceful dental spa, graceful smiles dentist. Why are you, are you with me? Like we gotta, we gotta get some regulations going on here, because people are getting taken. They're getting taken for their money. They are going through mental trauma when they have to live with the smile where the teeth pop off the the, the smile. They look in the mirror right after they're done and it's not what they envisioned and then they are stuck. So I'm saying no. Heavenly Smiles Mobile Dental says no, they should go straight to jail. Do not pass go Monopoly. 100%, I'm with you.

Speaker 1:

I did a poll yesterday asking should these people go to jail? And here are the results 90% of you guys who voted said they should go to jail. Let me give some horns for that. Yes, they should go to jail. There should be some legal ramifications. There should be civil charges, criminal charges. Come on. Ada, american Dental Association, new York State Dental Association, all the associations out there. We're going to need some regulation because the basement veneers have got to stop. It really does so. Our mouth is a heavenly smiles. Mobile dental says our mouth is a key to good healthcare. You are correct. Let me give you some love for that. Give you some applause. You are correct.

Speaker 1:

People underestimate the power of a smile and how important it is to have good dental work and to invest in your smile, because you get two sets and by the age of 12, you're down to your last set. So how you care for your smile is going to dictate your nutrition, your pain level, your comfort, your ability to eat certain foods, your ability to smile with confidence, your total health. That bacteria that's in your mouth like on that picture that I posted yesterday of the veneers that were done by somebody that wasn't a veneer dentist, an actual dentist there was tartar on the teeth and that tartar, that bacteria, travels through the bloodstream and it attacks your vital organs, your heart, your brain, all of that, all of that. So when you are playing around with your mouth because you're trying to save a buck, you are getting these optional veneers just only cosmetic. It's not a need, it's not a you must have type of thing. This is a cosmetic procedure and you're playing with your mouth.

Speaker 1:

Listen, I'm just saying I'm here to help. So you guys, make sure, if you have any questions on where to get healthcare at an affordable price, dental care at an affordable price, how you can get your veneers, your implants, your cleanings, your deep cleanings, your braces, all of that clear aligners, please reach out to me, dm me, click on the link in my bio. Go to VIPSmilescom. If you're watching or listening to the let's Talk Smiles podcast, click on the show notes. All of that information and resources will be down below.

Speaker 1:

So, yes, should they go to jail, hell yes, and I'm going to start campaigning. I'm going to start lobbying for us to get some regulations in dentistry so that we can protect consumers, because your money counts, your smile counts and we wanna make sure that you have a healthy smile and whenever you invest in your smile, that is done properly by dentists who are qualified, not veneer techs. All right, guys, I gotta run to the office. I'm about to do another smile makeover, like you know I love to do, and stay tuned for another episode of the let's Talk Smiles podcast and I will see you soon. Peace.

Speaker 5:

Like is that a thing? Why is it a thing? And it's a thing because people are going to unlicensed dentists. They're not taking care of the underlying issue, which is why it's important that you go to a restorative dentist to ensure that you're taking care of your teeth prior to placing any type of cosmetic or aesthetic restorations.

Speaker 1:

Here's a big red flag, guys. Whenever you see a business that goes by teeth, by veneers, by smiles by, and it's not being offered by a licensed dentist in a dental office, it's not a good idea. Don't do it.

Speaker 3:

I was around when they was giving booty shots for the low in their garage. I grew up from a lady down the street that was asking to do it in her garage. So I know, ain't nothing new under the sun. I know if you think new under the sun. I know if you think you're a licensed contractor, you feel like you can do everything, but no, not this. You feel like you think it's like it's just like nails, it's just like doing it. Ain't it, ain't it, ain't it ain't, it ain't.

Speaker 6:

You can play basketball, you can play, can even play tennis, but you can't play dentistry.

Speaker 2:

Another huge issue that we have with what's going on is the potential for harm and even death to patients. As scary as that sounds, these procedures, if not done by a qualified, licensed dentist, can lead to infections in the gum. It could lead to tooth loss. It could lead to infections that spread gum. It could lead to tooth loss. It could lead to infections that spread into the sinus, even into the brain, which could cause death. Yes, it is that serious. What if the patient has high blood pressure?

Speaker 3:

are y'all taking blood pressure.

Speaker 2:

They taking blood pressure, john no man say what if they have a latex allergy? What if? What if? What if there's too many? What ifs? Right, how y'all know what's going on if they got?

Speaker 3:

infection. This dangerous. Y'all Like, are they numbing people up with this? Y'all truly like numbing people up, and do you know how many epinephrine you can give somebody?

Speaker 2:

before they just start. You know what I'm saying Start getting clammy.

Speaker 1:

Man are looking for affordable dental veneers right here in the United States. You don't need to see a veneer tech. No, you could tap into one of these resources, like seeking a cosmetic dentist that offers payment plan options that'll allow you to smile now and pay for it later. Visit your local dental school that offers veneers, like NYU Dental School.

Speaker 5:

Now in other news you're going to end up paying twice. I can't count how many times I have to redo someone's work that was not done properly, and a lot of times people are going to these quote unquote veneer checks and not getting work done properly and at the end of the day you're going to end up paying twice. So I urge you, do it right the first time so you don't have to do it again. Holler, back at Dr Q Peace.

Speaker 6:

If you have that drive and passion to change lives by enhancing folks' smiles, find yourself a mentor, a licensed dentist, who can show you how to do dental school and how to get it done the right way. Stop playing in these folks' mouths, baby Shoot.

Speaker 3:

I went to nurse school before I came to dentists. It's scary dealing with patients. You just out here working on people without having this health history. It's too many other people to just be working on them without getting all the information on them. Y'all, Y'all go mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm. Don't do it, Don't do it you taking liability on somebody's life.

Speaker 2:

They can unalive them.

Speaker 3:

That's a new term I heard. If you didn't know about that, you can't say the D word.

Speaker 2:

So please do not trust these people with your teeth.

Speaker 7:

If you want your veneers to look natural, not like a natural disaster, you should book with us. Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Hey guys, are you looking for affordable care in the USA? Well, your search ends here. Introducing Affordable Dental Care in the USA the ultimate resource guide curated by Dr Catrice Austin. With this comprehensive resource, you'll discover tips and strategies to keep your dental expenses in check without compromising on quality. From state-funded dental programs and charities to unlocking the benefits of discount dental plans, dr Catrice Austin has handpicked the best solutions tailored to your needs. Don't let financial worries hold you back from a beautiful, healthy and confident smile. Take charge of your dental health today with Affordable dental care in the USA. Download your copy today and start your journey towards affordable, quality dental care. Your smile will thank you.