Cosmetic dentistry - what have you had done and why...

[Steben]

I have seriously been considering going for a private consultation somewhere as my front teeth are Really beginning to bug me. There is a chip in one and a filling in the other which is now a noticeably different colour from the rest of the tooth having done a bit of research I think what I would need would be two crowns over my two front teeth and then a whitening treatment. Anyone done anything similar and want to share there experience (cost/regrets etc...)

I had a tooth removed from my overcrowded bottom teeth and a brace fixed on a year ago. My bottom teeth are nearly straight now and gap tiny...should be all dine by the Spring. Cost 2,500k but I have paid in installments. So happy I went for it. When the braces come off I'll get the whope lot whitened professionally.

I spent over £2000 on veneers and crowns all along my front top teeth.. My own teeth weren't totally straight and they went inwards a bit, I had a grey/ black tooth discoloured due to a dead root that they couldn't bleach. I don't regret a penny, it gave me confidence where previously I'd been self conscious.. I now have straight, white teeth that look natural :-)

It would have been thousands more £ had I gone to a city dentist, but mine was in small town Scotland so half the price at least..

It would have been thousands more £ had I gone to a city dentist, but mine was in small town Scotland so half the price at least.

I am so glad HappyGirl explained this.

I have one crown that cost over £1,000. Now, it is a beautiful match and it replaced a hideously ugly and noticeable filling so I'm not complaining but it does seem that charges vary according to where you live and whether you can get decent NHS treatment.

Thanks for replies, the rest of my teeth apart from front two are fine (or finish I could get away with it iyswim) - would be interested to ask if those with veneers and crowns rate one over the other?

I had 2 crowns at £400 each and 6 veneers at £250 each so £2300 in total running They are an NHS dentist though obviously it wasn't done through NHS.. That was in 2009.

Crowns and veneers are different treatments for different needs. Veneers are thin coverings of porcelain, a bit like a false nail for a tooth. Crowns cover the whole tooth. Both require maintenance, tooth tissue removal and renewal after approximately 15yrs.

Steben it depends on the problem with your teeth and what teeth it is.. Veneers are less invasive as they only need to file away the front of your teeth but for crowns they take away almost all the tooth just leaving a stump - so veneers just stick on the front if your teeth, crowns envelop the whole tooth..

Thanks happy girl - I actually thought it was the other way round and that veneers were more invasive - that doesn't seem to be the case. I seeing my nhs dentist next week so I might ask his opinion (I realise nhs won't pay for it but might be able to advise me the route to go down).

Im missing several teeth due to thirty years of medication. It had broken me. My self esteem is to nothing. I got a job to pay debts and hopefully get them gixed before May as its an occasion for my son and I will need to be in photos. I haven't had a picture with him in three years.

However I lost my job and am in ireland so nothing is covered here, we have to pay for it all. It will cost bout three grand and though some dentists do payment plans, I've no job or money! !

I need to win the lotto! Absolutely I would recommend itOP!

I Fantasize about having my teeth done wen I win the lottery! Veneers would make such a difference but heard it ruins your actua teeth beneath?or does this not matter as they are covered?? I had braces but stil not completely straight or even. And a few shades lighter would be great!

I had top and bottom braces when I was 36. it was totally worth the 3.5k. It gave me the confidence to smile, which I had tried not to due to my crooked teeth.

Again I wished I had done it sooner but I felt that I couldn't spend the money. However I rec'd a one off work bonus which paid for it. Worth every penny, although I did get some judgy comments from a few family members about the vanity/expense. I have perfectly straight teeth now so I don't give a monkeys!

Go for it!

I have a rather large gap between my two top front teeth, due to a piece of skin in-between them. When I have more money I would absolutely get it fixed if I could!

I think if you can afford to pay all together or in instalments then do it. Having nice teeth would make such a difference to my confidence, I imagine most people are the same.

Do a bit of research and find someone who does a LOT of cosmetic work. I had veneers done by a dentist who left the nhs and specialised in cosmetic work. He was fab. Had 10 veneers done 20 years ago and still going strong.

Having had problems with my teeth all my life (crooked, weird bite, thin, chipped) I had 4 upper and 4 lower teeth crowned a few years ago. The dentist managed to build the crowns up so that my teeth now look pretty even and normal.

It cost about £5,000, but - for me- it was absolutely worthwhile as it gave me the confidence to smile properly and not feel embarrassed when I was talking to people.

As for how long they last, I had two back teeth crowned 30 years ago and they're still fine!

If your teeth can be fixed with braces (ie changing he position) it's much better to do that than it is to drill away at your tooth. Crowns are fine in the right place but we know that about 20% of teeth that are vital (they still contain the nerve and haven't had a root canal treatment) WILL need a root canal treatment at some point. If you can move a healthy tooth then it's still healthy even in its new position.

Veneers sound simple but they are technically quite difficult to do and can have a high failure rate (fall off and expose the drilled down tooth underneath) which has implications for he health of the tooth as well.

Braces if you can. Then direct techniques (where the dentist puts white fillings on your teeth to change their shape) we often call this bleach and bond. Then as a last resort, crowns. I'm a dentist and I wouldn't have a veneer.

If you go to a dentist who does cosmetic stuff on your teeth, ask them if they've heard of "the daughter test" they should have done.

I spent alot of money on having all of my top teeth crowned and bridges put in where there were gaps. I had previously been placed on the national transplant waiting list at fairly short notice. Part of the requirements to be listed for a transplant is a sign off by a dentist that you have no dental infections/potential infections. I think the dentist panicked and she pulled about 6 teeth, it was awful. I had always hated my teeth, I had lost all of the enamel on the top teeth and they were also very small. I used to talk to people with my hand over my mouth and would never ever smile in photos. I originally wanted veneers but the dentist told me my teeth were too weak to hold them and he recommended crowns. I had my original teeth filed down and it hardly took any time, the dentist said it was like putting a knife through butter they were so weak. Having my teeth done was really the best thing I have ever done, I'm so much more confident and smile all the time! I have had no problems with them in 7 years. Fwiw I would never have any other kind of cosmetic surgery. The dentist I use is very well established and was one of the first people to use dental implants. He also diagnosed my dads coeliac through his teeth!

Thanks for replies and thanks for your insight mrs Morton - saw dentist today as it happened and got some good advice - he advised me against the crown/ veneer route and said that aside from chip and discoloured filling to leave alone. He has offered to replace filling privately and do chip (sounds like the seal and bond thing you were talking about) on the nhs which seems fair. Also said that if I wanted to have them whitened to do that before the appt. should be about £200 all in which is do able. Sounds like a good first step at least and if I am still not happy cam start saving for alternatives!

Thumbs up to your dentist.

Glad you are getting it sorted out. I have horrid squint teeth and am considering asking my dentist to refer for orthodontics.

I first started to dislike my teeth when I was about 14 and looked into braces then. Instead I had a veneer fixed to

one front tooth. It really is a sticking plaster on a broken leg. One of the reasons I've never pursued orthodontics is that that tooth and the one next to it have been filed so ill need two veneers. I'm not even sure they will manage to fit braces to a veneered tooth?

Anyone looked at standard braces vs invisaline?

I had veneers on my two front top teeth after my dentist was v blunt with me and told me they were in a state and I needed to stop putting off dealing with them. I have a funny bite and weak enamel and those two teeth were chipped and shorter than the two on either side. Bad enough to qualify as an NHS treatment, so cost was about £60, I think. I am very happy with them.

Get composite veneers - they are so much cheaper than porcelein! They are made from white bonding 'stuff' in and out in an hour or so. I got mine done 6 years ago and they still look great!

Lots of people aren't suitable for veneers for any reasonsdalai that's such a generalised statement, they are still not the best treatment if there is the option to do something less drastic with fewer long term consequences.

You can put braces on teeth that are veneered munchkin you need to see someone though, not everyone is suitabl for Invisalign, nota ll tooth movements are possible with this treatment.

Mrs morton the actual tooth is unaffected , there is no need to touch it. The composite fills gaps or changes the shape of the tooth so they are not like normal veneers.

Your post was a little misleading then. This is direct composite bonding, not veneers (which can be made in composite, porcelain, acrylic or even Gold).