Anyone here have dental veneers?

[Mizmoon]

Are you happy with them?

I'm thinking of getting them but I'm a little worried. I was wondering if anyone could tell me about their experience with them.

[wtmusic]

1. There is something unnerving

about getting the fronts of your teeth ground down... :scared:

[Mizmoon]

2. tell me about it

one of the reasons I hesitate. It doesn't seem quite right, but some people are very happy with them ...

[trotsky]

3. I guy I used to work with had them done.

Had to go back a couple of times to get them anchored right, but as far as I know he's been happy with them since.

[LizW]

4. I do

I've had them just under two years, and no trouble at all. The first month or so they were sensitive to cold, but that went away. I am pretty careful about what I eat, though. No taffy or hard candy.

I have six of them across the top front.

I must say, the process of getting them was not fun. LOTS of shots were involved, and about three hours of grinding down the natural teeth. I also had some laser gum revision done at the same time, so there was bleeding. All in all, it was pretty exhausting and stressful.

Then they put on temporaries, and I had to be really careful for two weeks. When the permanent veneers went on, they looked so good I forgot about the pain pretty soon.

One thing you need to know is that the porcelain veneers don't stain. Which is good, but it means you do have to periodically bleach your remaining natural teeth so everything matches.

Since you're thinking about this, I assume you already know about the expense. :wow:

I'm very happy with mine. They are worth every penny.

[Mizmoon]

5. How did the temporaries look?

I know it was only for 2 weeks, but was it two weeks of looking like a freak?

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.

[LizW]

11. People didn't notice

The temporary is all one piece, like a row of teeth stuck together. That sounds weird, but it looks very normal. They are white, of course.

No one noticed at all, and it didn't effect my speech or anything. You just have to be really careful about what you eat because it's not glued on with the super strong cement they use for the permanent ones.

My advice is not to even look in the mirror after they do the grinding. I did, and it sort of freaked me out. They grind the teeth down to little pegs, and it's not pretty. Plus, I was bleeding like crazy from the gum surgery.

I don't want to freak you out. It's totally worth it. I didn't take the nitrous gas, but if I had it to do over I probably would, just to take the edge off the stress of it.

[Scooter24]

8. Suffice it to say it was painful?

I have been thinking of getting four across the front on top, but have been putting it off because of a fear of shots.

[LizW]

13. There are lots of shots

But after the first one or two you don't feel the rest.

I was numb from eyebrows to collar bones, so there was really no pain. It is more stress from holding your mouth open for all that time, and hearing all the grinding.

Find a dentist you trust, preferably one who has worked on you before. I am lucky to have a very gentle dentist. He gave me lots of rest breaks, and kept ckecking to be sure I was alright.

[Scooter24]

14. I'd probably request something

to knock me out. I would probably have a panic attack with the sounds :) I'm such a wuss..lol

[Redstone]

6. I have one (because of a cracked tooth, not cosmetic)

about 15 years old, still fine.

Redstone

[nuxvomica]

7. I got them years ago and they're just fine

I developed black lines near the root of my front teeth and they looked terrible though the dentist said it was not decay and the teeth and gums were healthy. So I had the veneers done in the '80s to cover the black lines. They were only supposed to last about five years but I've had them replaced, one by one, after about 15, and that's only because there were new technologies that made them better cosmetically. I never had any trouble with them. However, avoid using gel toothpastes with them. Over long periods of use, gels will degrade the veneer. At least that was the case back in the 1980s. Perhaps the newer ones are less susceptible but why take the chance? Just use the old-fashion cream pastes.

[Skittles]

9. yes and for many years

I had to get some following a car accident but if you need them I highly recommend them

[demnan]

10. I had them, I needed them

My front teeth deteriorated due to excessive dieting and it was a stop gap measure to save the front teeth. I had to go to caps later on.

Pick a good dentist, get a recommendation! I have one cap that I don't like from a later dentist. This one is in the back so the odd color isn't really that noticiable. The one who did the front teeth was very good and matched the color perfectly, taking good care to get a second opinion from a technician in his office. I see some veneers and caps that are just too white and are gastly looking, so make sure you know what color the dentist is going to apply to your teeth, that it is natural looking and that you approve of that color.

Temporaries don't look as bad as they feel in your mouth! Basically you'll feel like a freak for 2 weeks but you won't look like one.

[valis]

12. Yup, here are mine:

[ChickMagic]

15. I've been thinking about that too

Chemo kind of messed up my teeth - I have a lot of crowns and my natural teeth look dark. I never got braces, so they're kind of crooked as well. I love to laugh and smile, but lately I've been covering my mouth. I won't let a picture of me go out until I've doctored it in Photoshop.

How much does it cost? My dentist wants to do an impression to see how many I actually need before he discusses the expense.

[Mizmoon]

16. I'm starting to get estimates

My regular dentist wants $850 per tooth (!)

However, we tried to do an insurance claim and they were offering to charge the insurance company only $350 per tooth. Even though I need them because my enamel is thin, the insurance co turned me down.

My issue is if they can charge the insurance co $350, why can't they charge ME $350?

Now I'm getting an estimate from a local cosmetic dentist as well.

One thing it for certain - this will NOT be cheap.

[ChickMagic]

17. I'd have to take out a loan to do it

But it would probably be worth it. My dental insurance allows 1K per year (a root canal and crown blows that) and they don't cover novacaine or gas. Even so, they only cover 60% of what I get done. I doubt they'd cover veneers even though my enamel is incredibly thin.

[Mizmoon]

18. I just talked to a clinic that will do them for $500 each

but should I trust a resident to do it?