How Much Do Porcelain Veneers Cost?

The cost of porcelain veneers depends on how many teeth are being veneered. Usually cosmetic dentists charge you per tooth, although some just quote a price for a whole mouth makeover that might include other things such as whitening

The price that you will pay can really vary according to whereabouts in the world that you live but you should expect to pay anywhere between $500-$2000US per tooth. Of course, this is a huge difference so it's important to know what might affect the price of your veneers.

The first thing is location, or where you live. In some places a dentists costs will be higher. New York dentists will face far higher rent and staff costs than dentists in a small country town, for instance.

Of course, New York dentists will also have a lot more competition. That is people will have far more choice about which dentist they use to complete their veneers. However, wherever you live in the world you should try to get a number of different opinions about your teeth including different quotes. Different cosmetic dentists can have very different ideas about what your teeth should look like and costs can vary accordingly.

Check that the dentist is intending to use porcelain and not composite veneers. Composites are generally cheaper, but tend no to look as natural.

Also, find out whether there is any kind of warranty on the veneers that you are getting. Porcelain veneers do not last a lifetime. Find out how long your dentist will guarantee them for. If one pops off in only a few months time what will your dentist do to fix it and how much will they charge you?

Is your dentist experienced? Some dentists charge less because they are building up experience. Ask how many veneers your dentist has done recently.

Sometimes veneers alone are not enough. Ask whether you also need whitening, or whether your gum line needs to be altered. Gumlines can be altered using surgery or laser and this might be needed to give a perfect smile. Also, the teeth that are not being veneered should be whitened prior to treatment if required so that the veneers can be correctly matched.
If you need these services you should check with your dentist whether this will be charged separately?

Although porcelain veneers are one method of improving your teeth, there are others. For instance, composite veneers which have almost the same effect as porcelain. Made of something similar to white fillings they are gradually built up on the teeth, by layering and drying a number of layers. The reason that they are seen as inferior to composite veneers is that they are not as translucent as a porcelain veneer. The advantage of a composite veneer however is that it is cheaper than porcelain and that it can often be done in one or two visits.

Another alternative to porcelain is braces. Many people are uncomfortable with metal braces these days, but new types of clear braces such as Invisalign mean that there is an almost invisible braces option. The advantage of braces are that as long as you wear your retainers they only have to be done once. By contrast veneers need to be replaced every 10-20 years.