Introduction
If you’re in the market for dental veneers, there are many options to choose from. As with any product, some are better than others and some claim to be amazing when they’re actually just a cheap imitation.
In this article, we will discuss a new company called PopOn Smiles, their “veneers” and how they compare to Brighter Image Lab’s PressOn Veneers.
PopOn Smiles
PopOn Smiles was trademarked in June 2020 by a man named Issac Hakimi, who has operated Streamline Dental Lab in New York City since 2006. Less than one month prior to securing the trademark, a domain was registered for the PopOn Veneers website. At the time of writing this article, the site is selling removable veneers for $399 per arch.
The PopOn Veneers website is contributed to a woman exclusively referred to as “Dr. T.” The website offers virtually ZERO information about Dr. T that could reveal her true identity, which has likely made clients suspicious as to what the company may be hiding.
When you have something to hide, nothing helps more than a convincing distraction. An emotional story, for example, has the power to entice and manipulate the audience by appealing to their emotions and distracting them from missing or manipulated information. The PopOn Veneers website features an emotional story about Dr. T that has likely distracted clients from searching for her real identity.
At first glance, the PopOn Veneers website seems convincing, but when you look a little closer, the veil is lifted and the user is left with a single question: What is PopOn Smiles hiding?
While conducting our research, we were faced with the same question, so we went digging.
Who is Dr.T?
The search for Dr. T’s identity was a grueling one. With no information on the website and one letter of a name, we weren’t off to a great start.
Our research team exhausted all resources before turning to Facebook to search for associates of Issac Hakimi. To our surprise, we found that Dr. T wasn’t an associate at all, but Dr. Hakimi’s wife and the mother of his children. Her full identity is Dr. Tamar Schiller Hakimi, and it took multiple people and hours of research to find her.
The average person doesn’t have hours to track down information that should be made readily available, and they shouldn’t have to. Dr. T’s identity should have been given from the start, but it wasn’t, and you have to ask yourself why.
Many companies lie, manipulate, and hide information that’s valuable to the consumer. They also mislead clients as to how their products are made.
How are PopOn Veneers Made?
If you’re suspicious of a product, the best thing you can do is find out how it’s made. More often than not, you’ll find the product you’re considering isn’t worth the investment.
In an article published by Inside Dental Technology, Dr. Issac Hakimi claims to use a process known as “milling” at Streamline Dental Lab.
Milling is a machining process that uses rotating, multi-edge cutters to mill a block of material, like zirconia into a desired shape. This process takes place inside an enclosed machine, and expels virtually no debris. Despite this, the PopOn Veneers website features photos of keyboards and desks that appear to be covered in dust from plaster, which is used to make molds intended for thermoforming (a cheap manufacturing technique).
At the time of writing this article, Streamline Dental Lab is looking to hire a thermoforming technician via Indeed. If the company is using a milling machine and digital design to make their “veneers”, there should be no need to hire a thermoforming technician. This may make you wonder: Are PopOn Veneers cheaply thermoformed?
Thermoforming vs. 3D Printing
Many people make the mistake of assuming all dental veneers are made the same. If you’re in the market for a set of dental veneers, it’s important to know the different manufacturing processes and how they can affect your future smile.
While there are multiple ways of producing a dental veneer, thermoforming and 3D printing are two of the most popular techniques used today.
Thermoforming is an outdated manufacturing process and a cheap alternative to 3D printing. With thermoforming, a plastic sheet is heated, formed to the specific shape of a plaster mold and trimmed to create a usable product.
Because the plastic sheets used in thermoforming don’t come thinner than 0.5mm, removable veneers made by this method are sometimes bulky and unnatural looking. They often have poor surface finish, non-uniform thickness and are more prone to malfunctions, as improper thermoforming of plastic disks can cause cracks, breaks and sharp edges.
In contrast to the thermoforming process, 3D printing is a modern manufacturing technique that involves designing an object on the computer and sending instructions to a device that constructs the object layer by layer.
Previously reserved for prototypes, 3D printing now allows for the creation of very complex objects by faithfully reproducing every detail. 3D printers work quickly with increasing precision and customizability.
Dental contrivances made by using this technique are mechanically stronger and more elastic compared to those that are thermoformed. They have been shown to resist 6 times more pressure and produce a more accurate fit.
Any way you look at it, 3D printing is the superior technique. Some companies like Brighter Image Lab use advanced techniques like this on every removable veneer, while others use a cheap thermoforming process that can result in low-quality products.
Many companies who use thermoforming to cut corners aren’t upfront with their clients. In fact, many of them actively try to confuse consumers to get them to purchase an inferior product. For this reason, finding a company with experience can really pay off. Read on to find out how!
Imitation is NOT the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Removable veneers are a relatively new phenomenon in the realm of smile solutions, but some companies have been offering them for years. Brighter Image Lab’s PressOn Veneers, for example, were some of the first removable veneers available. Over the past 20 years, PressOn Veneers have become the leading removable veneers worldwide and have helped over 300,000 people transform their smile.
As with any great product, PressOn Veneers have been cheaply imitated numerous times. Other companies use Brighter Image Lab’s photos, videos and content as their own to mislead clients and make a profit. In turn, those clients receive a low-quality product instead of a perfect set of dental veneers.
Most recently, a company called PopOn Smile has taken to the internet with a new product called PopOn Veneers. The product’s name, strikingly similar to PressOn Veneers, has likely mislead clients who are looking to order from Brighter Image Lab.
The PopOn Veneers website also features images similar to those used by Brighter Image Lab, which usually proves confusing for anyone trying to purchase PressOn Veneers.
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but sometimes it can go too far. If you’ve seen their website, you may be wondering: Is PopOn Smiles trying to confuse the public?
Brighter Image Lab vs PressOn Smiles
Over the years, Brighter Image Lab has been cheaply imitated countless times. New removable veneer companies pop up every day with a similar name and a website full of empty promises. One way you can be sure you don’t get taken advantage of is to go with a company that has experience in the industry.
With more than 20 years in the business, Brighter Image Lab has had its fair share of learning experiences. Being one of the first to navigate the dental veneer climate, they learned early on that people are hungry for information.
The company’s website and YouTube channel offer a wealth of information and archived customer reviews. Customer service representatives are also available 24 hours a day to answer questions and address concerns.
Brighter Image Lab understands the power of a great smile and the importance of sharing information. For this reason, they do not use thermoforming systems to make any of their removable veneers and share every step of their unique Lab Direct process on their website.
Unfortunately, not all companies understand the potential of a perfect smile and the value of information sharing. Instead, they cheaply imitate PressOn Veneers with poor material and ineffective techniques and hide information from clients who just want to smile again.
As one of the newest removable veneer companies, PopOn Smiles has already committed to disabling comments for every one of its YouTube videos and neglecting to fully name its affiliates.
The amount of information pertaining to the company is also extremely limited. There are virtually no customer reviews that aren’t linked directly to the PopOn Veneers website and many of the ones made available are posted by the same people.
With only 7 months under their belt and limited public information, PopOn Smiles is leaving much to be desired in terms of experience and transparency. This lack of experience and information may even leave some clients wondering: Are PopOn Veneers worth it?
PopOn vs PressOn
If you’re considering dental veneers, you’re probably wondering if they’re worth the investment. Some dental veneers have the potential to change your life and last for years while others tend to fail and disappoint. One way to be sure you’re getting your money’s worth is to compare your options! Here is a comparison between PopOn Veneers and PressOn Veneers:
PopOn
If you go to the PopOn Veneers website and take their eligibility quiz, you will find that candidates are immediately denied if they have less than 6 teeth on the top or bottom arch, suffer from bleeding gums or recession, or have more than 4 missing teeth.
The company also warns against smoking while wearing their removable veneers, because “the heat can distort the shape.” This is interesting because the temperature of tobacco smoke in the mouth is only 86 degrees Fahrenheit for the most part, 12 degrees cooler than the average human body.
PopOn Veneers claims their veneers are made out of co-polyester, which is a plastic that reacts poorly to sunlight and turns yellow with too much exposure. This undesirable reaction can ruin a set of removable veneers that cost hundreds .
Despite the plastic material and undesirable reactions of PopOn Veneers, a set of top and bottom arches retail for almost $600.
PressOn
Brighter Image Lab’s PressOn Veneers are available to virtually anyone and have less requirements than most competing brands. The only cases that are deemed ineligible right away are those with no existing teeth or dentures.
PressOn Veneers are digitally designed to compete with porcelain dental veneers and have the power to make your smile look as if it has been completely made over by a cosmetic dentist. They are truly one of a kind and made out of material that is safe and strong.
Each tailor-made PressOn Veneer is artisan hand-crafted and contoured for the most life-like results possible. The unique crystalized resin is designed for unmatched durability and customization and is able to be thinned when necessary without compromising the veneer (unlike cheap thermoformed material).
PressOn Veneers are one of the thinnest removable veneers available and one of the strongest ever made. They’ve been known to last over 5 years and hold up against the wear and tear of everyday life. They’re also affordable, with a low starting price of $795 per arch and 100% approval on financing.
Conclusion
If you’re considering removable veneers, the number one thing you can do is make sure they’re not thermoformed.
There are more advanced processes for making removable veneers which produce a superior product, and Brighter Image Lab uses one to make every single veneer.
Don’t be fooled by pop up companies trying to convince you to pay hundreds for a cheap product, like PopOn Veneers. PressOn Veneers are digitally designed and detailed by hand for a superior look and feel and have the power to transform your life in an instant.
Order yours today by clicking below!
