I want to get porcelain veneers in order to have a whiter smile. I’ve been to three dentists and they’ve all told me I needed a different number of veneers. How many are needed for the smile to look right?
Mara
Dear Mara,
I am very glad you wrote. First, I want to make sure of something. Porcelain veneers are typically used when you want a complete smile makeover. That would mean changing the shape, size, and color of your teeth or any combination of that.
If the only thing you want to do to your smile is get a whiter one, than it would be much less expensive for you to skip the veneers and simply have your teeth whitened. Plus, any dentist can do teeth whitening well. A smile makeover takes some post-doctoral training as well as artistry on the part of the dentist. Though, you have to be careful there. Any dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist even if they don’t have that training because it is not a recognized specialty. You would want to choose your dentist carefully.
So, if you weren’t just wanting to whiten your teeth and did have a complete smile makeover in mind, then the number of porcelain veneers you get would depend on your smile. There is an aesthetic zone, which is simply the teeth that are visible when you smile. For most people that is between eight and ten teeth, though there are exceptions.
There is a way around this if that means more veneers than you can afford. You will want to whiten your teeth before the veneers are done no matter how many veneers you get. This is because you want your bottom teeth to blend in with your new updated smile. That can also help some of the top teeth to blend in as well. Just be aware that the results are not equal to having all the visible teeth veneered.
What you choose, will depend on your goals for your smile.
This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.