Porcelain pornography

Abstract

I write to raise some issues involved in the blatant destruction of teeth, apparently being undertaken to cure patients affected by ‘porcelain deficiency disease’ (PDD). This is a newish disease, identified by some dentists who also seem to think that teeth suffer from ‘hyperenamelosis’ (an excess of enamel). It probably goes without saying that both of these conditions are imaginary yet it does appear to me, at times, that they are perceived to exist by some ‘cosmetic’ dentists. In this article I offer comments and case studies of patients who, arguably, have had unnecessarily aggressive treatment that was probably of more benefit to the profits of the dentists concerned than to the patients’ long-term dental health.