How much do porcelain veneers cost?
Porcelain dental veneers can offer excellent aesthetic results for a number of cosmetic teeth problems.
However the cost of porcelain veneers application is high, especially in cases that involve several teeth such as in a full smile makeover.
As in other expensive dental treatments, porcelain veneers cost variations can be significant for several demographic or technical reasons.
Where you live.
Another important factor affecting the average cost of porcelain veneers is the region where you live.
There is big difference in dental veneers cost from country to country.
But even within a country such as United States you should expect significant variations (2x) of the porcelain veneers cost
between small rural towns and large metropolitan areas.
Furthermore succesful dental veneers apllication requires a cosmetic dentist who might not be available in a small town.
General dentist or cosmetic dentist?
If the treatment is performed by a cosmetic dentist, the cost of porcelain veneers is expected to be higher than the fee charged by a general dentist.
You should know that cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized dental specialty,
so you should better make sure that your 'cosmetic' dentist has really the extra training for cosmetic treatments
before you pay a premium price for your porcelain veneers.
Expertise & quality of cosmetic dentist & dental lab.
A succesful cosmetic result requires an experienced cosmetic dentist, the use of quality materials and a first-class cosmetic dental lab.
All these justify the high cost of dental veneers.
A 'discount' in any of these in pursuit of low cost veneers may lead to a non desired aesthetic result.
If you do not want to risk the look of your smile, you must be prepared to pay a high porcelain veneers cost
for top quality cosmetic results.
Teeth 'prepping' required.
Although porcelain veneers are very thin, in most of the cases the depth of the tooth has to be adjusted to allow
for the small added thickness of the veneer.
The amount of enamel that has to be removed is usually nearly equal to the thickness of the veneer to be added to the tooth surface
depending on how drastic is the change on the shape or size of the tooth.
The amount of time needed for this procedure (called ‘prepping’) may affect the cost of porcelain veneers application.
Some brands of porcelain veneers require more prepping than others.
In some cases, no enamel has to be removed (small sized or worn down teeth).
Type of porcelain veneers.
A slightly different type of porcelain veneers are Lumineers® which are much thinner than the rest,
requiring the removal of much less (or not at all) enamel for their application.
Although the material cost for lumineers may be higher, if the dentist saves much time due to the less 'prepping' work required,
the overall cost of the teeth veneers treatment may be lower with the use of lumineers.
But on average, cost of porcelain veneers is not expected to vary significantly between the established brands of dental veneers you can select.
Temporary veneers.
Temporary veneers may be necessary if teeth have undergone extensive preparation and they have become unsightly
or sensitive to hot and cold due to enamel loss.
Temporary dental veneers have an additional cost.
During your initial consultation, you should discuss with your dentist if their cost is included in the price.
Un-natural look of your new porcelain veneers.
If you are not satisfied with the look of your smile after the porcelain veneers are fitted,
the corrective adjustments that your dentist can make are very limited.
If there is nothing fundamentally wrong with your porcelain veneers,
neither your dentist nor the dental lab will have any obligation to replace them.
Considering how much do dental veneers cost, it is preferrable to make sure that you will have no such unpleasant surprises,
by choosing a good cosmetic dentist.
Average cost of porcelain veneers (in U.S.)
Due to the several factors discussed in the previous section that affect the fees charged by dentists,
the porcelain veneers cost may vary from $800 to $2250 per veneer
Average cost of porcelain veneers expected at a general dentist : $800.00 - $1500.00
Average cost of porcelain veneers expected at a cosmetic dentist : $1000.00 - $2250.00
It might be possible to find offers for relatively cheap dental veneers as low as $500,
but you have to be extremely careful about the credentials and expertise of the offering dentist,
if you do not want to pay double for restoring a 'funny' looking smile after placing poorly made porcelain veneers.
Other considerations on longterm porcelain veneers cost
Porcelain veneers cost and dental insurance plans
Porcelain veneers are considered as a purely cosmetic treatment.
Insurance will help you pay for a crown to restore a tooth but won't cover any additional cost to make it look beautiful.
Therefore it is not expected that any insurance policy will cover the cost of dental veneers.
You should be prepared to pay the full porcelain veneers cost by yourself.
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