As I entered my teens, I had finally lost my baby teeth. My permanent pearly whites had grown in. But there was a big problem. My lateral incisors (the teeth that bookend the upper two front teeth) appeared to have stopped growing midway through.
They looked like two pointy stumps, and I was embarrassed when people would question my oddly-shaped teeth. My dentist diagnosed me with peg laterals, noting they wouldn’t ever finish growing in. While it was not medically necessary, I would need an intervention if I wanted to cosmetically fix this problem. He suggested that veneers would give me the appearance of regular teeth. So now, I am the proud owner of two veneers.
What are veneers?
Dental veneers are tooth-colored shells, generally made from porcelain or zirconia, that dentists apply to teeth to cover up any cosmetic abnormalities, giving patients the appearance of a fuller, straighter smile.
Veneers originated in 1920s Hollywood, and became more mainstream in the 1990s, as more and more celebrities began to get them. Today, due to the rise of social media platforms like Instagram, they’ve exploded in popularity.
“Dental veneers are an option to correct or mask small cosmetic issues that are visible when you smile, such as: slight spacing between teeth, sizing discrepancies, stained, chipped, misshaped, or slightly crooked teeth,” says Dr. Regina Miranda, a dentist in Arlington, Texas.
What’s it like to get veneers?
If you’re looking to get veneers, you should schedule a consultation with a cosmetic dentist, who specializes in this type of procedure.
If you decide to go for it, you’ll typically have two visits with your dentist. The first focuses on preparation. During this visit, you’re given some local anesthetic and your provider will smooth out and level your natural teeth to make sure the final product is uniform. Your team will scan your teeth and make sure the right components are made for your final veneers.
During your second visit, you’ll get your new smile. Your dentist will replace the temporary veneers with finals, and if you’re happy, they will bond them to your teeth. If not they will be sent back to the lab for modifications. Veneers can last around 10 to 15 years, as long as you take great care of them.
How much do veneers cost?
As a cosmetic procedure, veneers often aren’t covered by insurance. Prices vary geographically and depend on the dentist. The cost of a veneer could range from $1000 to $2500 per tooth.
However, it’s very rare to get just a single veneer, says Dr. Paul Shahwan, a dentist in Fort Worth, Texas. “To achieve as natural of a result as possible, it is common to have ten upper teeth done at once,” he says. “It seems like a lot, but when we smile, we usually show more than our front two teeth.”
As for me, getting veneers all those years ago turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. You would never know I have two “fake” teeth because they blend in so well with my other natural teeth.
“A good set of veneers should be invisible to the naked eye,” says Shahwan. “Most people have no idea they could be talking to someone that has dental veneers. All they see is someone who just has a pretty smile.”