Your smile is one of the first features that most people will notice. What happens if a tooth needs some minor treatment to make your smile shine? That’s where a dental veneer could help to enhance your smile. Dental veneers are a good option for addressing a variety of physical and aesthetic problems with your teeth.
What Is a Dental Veneer?
According to the American Dental Association, a veneer is a permanent change used to correct tooth imperfections, such as stained or chipped teeth. Veneers are thin porcelain or composite resin coverings that are bonded to the front surface of a tooth using dental cement.
Because veneers are permanent, it’s essential to get all the information and weigh the pros and cons before deciding to get them.
Pros
1. Easily Whiten Your Smile
Years of drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes or eating highly pigmented foods can eventually take their toll on your teeth, turning them an unattractive shade of yellow or brown. Stained enamel can be bleached at home or by your dentist, but can also become stained again. If you’re looking for an easier way to whiten your smile for good, dental veneers may be a great fit for you. Veneers are mostly stain-resistant, so you won’t have to worry about discoloration or needing to have your veneers whitened.
2. Fix Minor Cosmetic Problems
Veneers can fix chips, cracks, gaps between teeth, minor misalignment and/or discoloration — they help correct many cosmetic dental issues!
Veneers are attached to the front surfaces of your teeth — so while they don’t change the position of your teeth, they do camouflage minor orthodontic problems once they’re applied. Your natural teeth may still be gapped or crooked, but nobody will know aside from you and your dentist.
Veneers can’t always replace orthodontic treatment, and your dentist may refer you to an orthodontist instead of placing veneers.
3. Replace Damaged Enamel
Enamel is strong but not indestructible. Your enamel may still be worn down from overzealous tooth brushing or eaten away by highly acidic foods and drinks. The stomach acid associated with acid reflux disease can also damage your enamel. Damaged enamel can become a cause for concern because lost enamel doesn’t grow back. Fortunately, you can replace it. Veneers are an excellent treatment for teeth with enamel abrasion or enamel erosion — and they look great, too!
Cons
1. High Cost
The price of veneers will vary based on your location. Other variants include your dentist and the number of teeth you want restored, but one thing is true: they are often expensive. The average cost of a single veneer is around $1,300 and because veneers are cosmetic, they usually aren’t covered by insurance — but check with your insurance plan to confirm.
2. Increased Sensitivity
Some people experience an increase in tooth sensitivity after getting veneers. According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, you may feel sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures for the first few days after your procedure, but it usually goes away. Tooth sensitivity can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, but you can manage it with right products.
3. It’s Irreversible
Your dentist will need to change the structure of your natural teeth to place them properly. It’s permanent because you can not restore the enamel shaved down before placement. However, also keep in mind that many veneers will eventually need to be replaced — they last, on average, for about 10 years — or you can choose a different restoration option to take their place.
Dental veneers are an excellent way to hide discolored, crooked or damaged teeth, but it’s important to consider the pros and cons that come with the territory before getting them. Make an appointment with your dentist to find out if dental veneers are the right solution for improving confidence in your smile.