Porcelain veneers have been giving people the smiles of their dreams for decades, but people may still have questions about them. Here are a few of the most common questions about this simple and effective procedure.
What are porcelain veneers used for? Why choose veneers over simple whitening or, on the other end of the spectrum, dental implants? Veneers are a perfect middle ground, providing whitening for people who either can’t use the chemical process (some filling material can overheat during laser whitening treatments) or have visible decay that wouldn’t be whitened anyway, but nowhere near as complicated and invasive as an implant procedure.
What are porcelain veneers made of? The easy answer is, of course, porcelain, same as your bathroom sink or even your toilet. Porcelain is durable and beautiful, and can be colored to match the exact shade of surrounding teeth, if you’re only getting one veneer. But veneers can also be made out of a composite resin (essentially a plastic). This material is more affordable and more malleable for more difficult placements, but it won’t last as long as porcelain.
What are porcelain veneers prices, compared to other cosmetic dental surgery options? WebMD puts the cost of veneers at anywhere between $500 and $1,300 per tooth. The final cost will depend on a number of factors, including how many teeth you cover, what materials you use, and how much enamel needs to be removed before placement (a small layer is ground away so the veneers don’t protrude). Whitening options can run from $50 to $1,000, depending on the process, and a full set of dental implants can easily run into six figures.
Your dentist can answer any and all questions you might have about veneers, even if they themselves don’t perform the procedure. But be sure to get all the information you can before making a choice — it’s your smile at stake. References. Find out more about this topic here.