Do you recommend porcelain veneers?

Question

I'm just curious about how much they cost...how happy people are with their results and whatever else anyone can make me aware of about them!

Answer 1

What do you need them for?  What are you considering as an alternative?

I have them on my upper canines and incisors.  I was born without permanent lateral incisors so when I lost my baby teeth I just had two gaping holes between my central incisors and canines.  

After extensive dental work and temporary bridges, I was given the choice to replace those 6 teeth with porcelain veneers or to have implants for the two lateral incisors.

At the time (2001) implants were going to cost twice as much as the veneers and were a more risky procedure (allowing for more complications).  I believe for my 6 veneers it cost about $4000.  The veneer replacement process is not the most fun to sit through (when are dental visits ever fun), but the result is pretty impressive.  My teeth were sore for at most 2 weeks.  I had a follow up just to make sure that everything had bonded correctly, and now have 6 teeth that are stronger than my originals ever were.  I was told that my veneers can last up to 40 years before they may need to be replaced.

On the other side of things, my friend's wife had the same condition as me but chose implants.  She experienced complications with the procedure that caused a great deal of pain and required follow up visits for nearly a year before they were finally complete.

I don't tell her this, but my teeth look a lot better than hers too.  But that may also be due to the problems that she had having them put in.

Overall I've been very pleased with my own results with porcelain veneers.  You still need to brush them as normal to avoid staining, but don't need to worry about damage from tartar (shouldn't have anyway if you brush well).  Depending on what you get exactly, you may also need to use floss threaders to take care of the area between your gums and the veneers.

Hope that's helpful.

Answer 2

i do believe they're more expensive than the standard veneers, and less sturdy, but they look better :)

i would suggest asking your dentist because that's more legit