Questions/Advice about Dental Veneers...?

[stardustgirl]

You might try calling various oral surgeons in your area to see who they would recommend. Since they work with dentists and see a lot of dental work, they'd have the advantage of knowing who is really good.

I have veneers on my lower front teeth and have had them for years. No issues whatsoever. They look natural, like my own teeth only better.

I got lucky since I'd chosen my dentist because she's good with people who are terrified of dentistry - but she's also really gifted in an artistic sense as well. When I had to have oral surgery, the surgeon said that she was his pick if he needed work done, so that's why I suggested asking an oral surgeon. They often work along with a dentist so they're not necessarily competing for patients.

 

[EllAva]

How much are you thinking you are going to have to pay per tooth? 350 for a consultation seems insane to me... but I went to a really really really small town dentist. When he cleaned my teeth, that was my consultation. He charged me 400 per tooth, which I thought was reasonable.

I'm sure recommendations, etc are helpful but honestly, very expensive doctors can do a poor job and very inexpensive doctors can do a great job, so keep your options open.

These are my teeth, 8 years later:

 

[ilvoelv]

^ beautiful smile!

 

[calibali]

The problem is that I live in an affluent area, so our prices are going to be on the higher end (along with wayyyy to many options to weed through). I know the consultation fee was ridiculous, but this woman has thousands of success stories... I mean, with veneers, it's all about experience and practice and she certainly has it.

I have another guy I'm going to check out, plus I have a referral for one more... I think of it as interviewing them to have the privilege of touching my fugly teeth

and to answer your question about price, I'm thinking it's going to be between 1200-1500/tooth. Any higher and I'm not doing it. That's my set range.

EllAva - your teeth do look amazing! I wish I could be guaranteed results like that, then I wouldn't be stressing so much.

 

[EllAva]

wow! 1200-1500 a tooth sounds so crazy to me. I had mine done in a retirement community in coastal NC, where I was staying for the summer and it definitely wasn't a poor area but there was very little competition in terms of dentists and doctors. For 1200-1500, I would not have been able to give it a second thought since I was only 19 when I had them done.

Good luck and I hope you get exactly what you're looking for.

 

[ShoeFanatic]

wow! 1200-1500 a tooth sounds so crazy to me. I had mine done in a retirement community in coastal NC, where I was staying for the summer and it definitely wasn't a poor area but there was very little competition in terms of dentists and doctors. For 1200-1500, I would not have been able to give it a second thought since I was only 19 when I had them done.

Good luck and I hope you get exactly what you're looking for.

I would not pay over a grande a tooth!
Anything over is ridic!
Leave your area if you have too.
I always play hardball...tell them you got a quote for a grande
with another dentist, many times docs will match other quotes..

It's true in the case of veneers, you don't have to go to someone
real expensive, just make sure they are experianced.
Bring lots of photos to make sure you're on the same page..though that didn't work in my case..
I like teeth with character..
I showed him a photo of Jessica Simpson's smile..
what I ended up with wasn't even close.


My bad experiance was with a guy that has been featured on talk shows..
he was a sweet person,
but apparently he's used to doing that fake Bev. Hills bright white perfectly even denture like smile..
yuck.

Only go slightly brighter then the teeth color you have now..

 

[amazigrace]

elleava, your teeth are just gorgeous!
I have only three veneers that I got about
10 years ago. I want to replace them because
they HAVE discolored! I've even had them
professionally bleached, but it didn't work. I
love them, though, and can't wait to get new
ones! My dentist quotes $800/tooth.

And, anna, yes, you can get one
or two or every tooth in your mouth
veneered. I just have my two front
teeth and one of the side done. They
are beautiful and made a huge
difference in my smile!

 

[calibali]

ok, I'm going to post a mini-rant about this... I called the dentists I had scheduled appts with, asking them for an estimated range of what the veneers would cost (telling them I was planning to do 8-10 teeth, but leaving out who I actually was). And get this, one told me 1500-2200 PER TOOTH and another told me 1600-2000 PER TOOTH!!!!

Needless to say, I cancelled those appointments. I currently have an appointment with someone who would be around 1400/tooth and another who is around 1150/tooth. I am sooo frustrated. I've called a ton of dentists and all the ones that I get recommended to are super expensive and fancy.

This is not going well

I've called all the people that I had referrals for, so it looks like these are the only two I'm going to see. Hopefully I like the work of one...

 

[ShoeFanatic]

ok, I'm going to post a mini-rant about this... I called the dentists I had scheduled appts with, asking them for an estimated range of what the veneers would cost (telling them I was planning to do 8-10 teeth, but leaving out who I actually was). And get this, one told me 1500-2200 PER TOOTH and another told me 1600-2000 PER TOOTH!!!!

Needless to say, I cancelled those appointments. I currently have an appointment with someone who would be around 1400/tooth and another who is around 1150/tooth. I am sooo frustrated. I've called a ton of dentists and all the ones that I get recommended to are super expensive and fancy.

This is not going well

I've called all the people that I had referrals for, so it looks like these are the only two I'm going to see. Hopefully I like the work of one...

Cash is king..
will they knock some off if you pay in cash?

Again, I always try to negotiate..at least open the idea up
and feel the vibe out..
I do this with everything, and for the most part, it works..
always face to face, not over the phone.

I drive an hour away from Los Angeles to get dental work done..
the cosmetic I got down locally and I wished I shopped around a bit.

 

[stardustgirl]

That's crazy! I'm betting they can get away with it because it's LA and there's more demand. I'd definitely look out of town.

My dentist charged $1000 for a *crown* last time I had anything major done. I can't imagine that kind of cash for veneers. I don't remember what mine cost since I was around 17 and the 'rents were paying for it.

 

[ShoeFanatic]

That's crazy! I'm betting they can get away with it because it's LA and there's more demand. I'd definitely look out of town.

My dentist charged $1000 for a *crown* last time I had anything major done. I can't imagine that kind of cash for veneers. I don't remember what mine cost since I was around 17 and the 'rents were paying for it.

UGH!
The dentist I drive an hour to in Westminster charges $400 for a crown..
in the past I've paid average $600 for a crown.
Im getting two teeth implants..paying half of what LA doctors are charging, so the hour drive is worth it...

 

[vhdos]

a friend of mine got veneers a few years ago because her teeth were pretty small and had gaps and didn't really have a nice shape for some reason. she was hysterically crying and wouldn't leave the office until the dentist removed them because she HATED the results and said they looked so fake, so white, and so big. so make sure you choose what is appropriate for your smile and your look. the big white, perfect teeth we see on celebs may not be the best for everyone.

That's exactly what I was talking about in my post. Some veneers are just too perfect and not at all realistic. Some celebs can't even pull it off IMO...

 

[krislynne]

I have two on the top, I had them put on to cover scarring/stains on my teeth from having braces. I was very satisfied at first, but they've since discolored. When you look really closely, you can see that my teeth are a tad whiter than my veneers. I don't smoke, or drink anything that would stain them (no red wine, soda, coffee, tea, etc.). I do mix peroxide in my mouthwash for whitening, but that doesn't seem to help my veneers. It has been several years though, and mine might lighten with professional bleaching.

 

[luvmy3girls]

I'm actually going next Thursday to get temporary crowns on 8 of my top teeth. The dentist recommended crowns because they last longer & are more durable. oh & they cover the whole tooth & not just the front side. I went & got the impressions last week. Getting the temps on the 25th...give the okay for size, color, & shape & they will go ahead & make the permanents which won't be done until mid April. I will take before & after pictures as well & post them.

The reason I'm getting them done is b/c 2 of my teeth never came in. the 2 on the side of the big front teeth. So, it's just big teeth, K9. I did have braces which brought them all together, but now it just looks funny & I hate to smile (mostly in photos).

I was a bit nervous at first, but I did ask lots of questions. I feel fine at the moment...reading some of you say you/bf/friend regret them kind of worries me.

LOL..I don't have the same teeth either. I got veneers on my 4 front teeth approx 8 yrs ago..and love them. good luck to you

 

[teinna]

I'm studying dentistry, and obviously I don't have much experience with veneers, but I'll try to give some tips about cosmetic dentistry in general:

Choosing the right shade:

• Choose the exact shade matching your natural teeth. Never think you can go whiter because it doesn't look good. However, if you are stuck between 2 shades, go for the lighter one.
• When choosing the shade, the best light to do it in is natural daylight. Not indoor fluorescent light (although some fancier places have lights that correct for the shade distortion and then you can do it indoors)
• Don't trust the dentist's word. Always have a look yourself.
• Choose the shade before starting work on the teeth (or else teeth may dry out over the session and become more opaque, whiter)
• Don't stare at the shade for more than 5-7 seconds at a time. Your eyes blur the colours over time and get confused about colour. So make a swift decision, your first instinct is probably right.
• Don't just stare up close. Look at the whole mouth to see if it fits in.
• Don't wear bright coloured lipstick. No bright coloured tops.
• Tell your dentist if you want anything reproduced (like some grooves, lines, whatever you think is natural)

Other:

• I don't know how it works in the US, but i assume it's pretty similar. The dentist doesn't actually make your veneer. They just shave down the tooth and cement the veneer. It's actually a dental lab that makes it. So things like shape, colour, size, your dentist tells the lab what to do. So make sure your dentist has written down everything you've decided together on the lab form (some dentists don't write down much, just leave it to the lab to guess).
• Like all things, the law of diminishing returns applies. So don't go too cheap, because you will probably get a dentist who's inexperienced, doesn't care about aesthetics or conservative preps, and pays a cheap, poor lab to do the work. Going too expensive, you probably will get a good result, but not necessarily better than the high-med priced dentists. Higher priced dentists probably use better labs.
• Veneers and crowns last 10-15 years on average, after which they discolour, crack, chip. It's normal. So expect to be replacing them that often.
• If you are getting veneers or crowns to correct misaligned teeth, I'd recommend ortho (braces). Veneers/crowns would shave down too much tooth structure, therefore weakening the tooth. Also, they need to be replaced a few times throughout your lifetime, each time a little bit more natural tooth needs to be removed. So in my opinion, I think ortho is worth the extra trouble.
• Be clear about what you want, don't be shy and think the dentist will just figure it all out. But be realistic. Be natural, not too perfect.

Well that's all I can think of for now. If you have any more questions, I'll try to answer them.