I want to get my top eight front teeth made over. My dentist is suggesting we do composite bonding veneers for a cost of about $2900. Here is my concern. About a year and a half ago, I fell and chipped a tooth. My dentist did a good job preparing it, presumably with composite bonding. Since that time, this tooth has become much darker where the bonding is. I looked into porcelain veneers but they are much more expensive. I’ve seen some type of snap on veneers you can get online for about $700. Would that be a good option for me?
Leslie
Dear Leslie,
I’m glad you wrote. Let’s start with those snap-on veneers you saw online. These are more like snap-on smile. They are not made of porcelain, but acrylic. They will not look as natural. Because they fit over your teeth, they tend to be bulky. These will not look even as nice as the composite bonding you’ve had so I would not recommend this as your best option.
As for the dark color of your tooth that was repaired by the dental bonding, this is because dental bonding is not as stain-resistant as your natural teeth or porcelain veneers (which are more stain-resistant than your teeth). They will need to be replaced every two years or so. You said yours haven’t even lasted that long, which may have to do with the quality of materials your dentist used.
As for cost, your dentist is selling these VERY cheap, which also makes me think he’s using subpar materials to make up his profits and is not very skilled. Generally, bonding costs between 1/2 to 3/4 of porcelain veneers If you have to replace these every year, you’ll actually save money getting the porcelain veneers, which, when done well, last a lifetime.
My suggestion is for you to save up and get the porcelain veneers.
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