Am I crazy to be considering composite veneers?

[LucyITSkyWDiamonds]

I've always hated my teeth, I had braces when I was 15 so they're straight amongst themselves but they are wonky compared to the rest of my face. I'm not sure how to describe it other than if I had my head straight, so if my eyes were on a straight horizontal line (like this ----) then my teeth would be on a diagonal, like this . Obviously not that extreme, but you get the idea. Additionally, my teeth are really short, my gums come down quite far.

This all makes me incredibly self conscious and I basically hate smiling. My teeth are all I can look at in pictures of myself. I've looked up cosmetic dentists near me and I've found one which I like, has good reviews and seems trustworthy. They don't have a price list online but posted something similar to what I want and said it cost £2500. That was for 8 composite veneers on the top teeth and some laser gum shaping to make the teeth look longer.

The issue I have is that I'm currently a student (sorry for crashing mumsnet, but the advice on here is so much better than anywhere else!!). I currently have about £5000 in savings, I do some online work which earns me around £500 a month, a job coming up over Easter which will give me another £600 and a couple hundred due from a tax refund. I try to save around £50 a week too from my student loan. I don't have anyone who depends upon me and I can pay all my daily living expenses etc. through my student loan, so my savings are true savings. Sorry if this is too much detail, but I think it adds context.

Basically, am I crazy to be considering such an expensive treatment for aesthetic reasons? I'm not usually a big spender in this area, in fact I hardly ever purchase anything cosmetic or related, except for the odd hair cut and cheap makeup every now and then! £2500 is a lot of money to me, though I would be able to earn this back within a few months.

I'm just so self conscious about my teeth and it really bothers me I'm looking at going for a consultation but as these charge (I think it would be around £30, not extortionate but still money) I don't want to go if I know I can't really go through with the procedure. The veneers themselves would last up to 10 years with proper care, so I think they're good value over time (my personal opinion) but it's just the initial investment that bothers me.

Maybe I'm stupid for thinking about it like this, but I spent probably close to £2000 last year travelling around Asia for six weeks. I had the best time and it was totally worth it, but if I'm happy enough to spend that much money on a holiday then surely it's not too bad to spend it on something which will drastically improve my self confidence for the next 10 years?

Any advice is welcome, thanks in advance!

Banana - with composite veneers do they not go dingy after a while? I understand they are porous? Can you bleach them to remove any dinginess?

I am not that happy with my porcelain veneers and in fact think when they are due to come off next I'll have composite veneers, (so this thread has been very helpful for that because I never knew you could have anything but porcelain veneers, I've had "temporary' veneers (i.e. composites) when my porcelains were being made but did not know these could also be a permanent solution!!! Wish I'd have known then as actually the shape and fit was fantastic but they'd only been described to me as "temporaries". Anyway, I'll know for next time. Thanks for raising it OP!)

But... my teeth do seem to go dingy looking a bit (red wine, chocolate, tea drinker here!) so I have a scale and polish a few times a year and then in between I bleach them for 1-3 nights every now and then to bring them up nice and white again. But I'd be worried that if my teeth go dingy with composite veneers I wouldn't be able to brighten them myself.

@HappenstanceMarmite embarrassingly I can't remember off the top of my head how much it was. I think somewhere in the region of £4k, however a chunk of this was for the Inman appliance (and associated appointments) as well as the bleaching and bonding. This was also central London prices

@LilacClouds I haven't seen any noticeable changes in the colour of the bonding, definitely wouldn't say in any way dingy! I had my teeth bleached before the bonding, and the bonding was done to match my teeth. And so far they're pretty much the same colour, although probably not quite as pristine sparkling white. I don't think you can bleach the composite, which is why the bleaching was done first - I haven't felt any need to have it redone though. I don't drink tea or red wine though - though I do eat tonnes of chocolate!)

Thanks banana. I also had my teeth bleached before porcelain veneers but they do benefit from rebleaching from time to time, and although it didn’t lighten the porcelain it removes any discolouration and takes them all back to they’d original whiteness, which for me is a good thing to be able to do as my teeth do get stained! I would definitely have the composites next time if it will withstand that but to be honest I’m so fed up with porcelain veneers cracking & chipoing so easily I’d rather pay for more sets of composites if they become discoloured, especially as they don’t damage the teeth. Thanks for the info

Hi Lucy,
I had Invisalign a couple of years back and couldn’t be happier with my teeth. I just have a fixed retainer round the back and they are done for good now. I bleach every now and then but no more costly work for me. I’m telling you this as I think it would be a good idea to keep an open mind about the procedure you want. Think about upfront cost, think about the result, think about the ongoing care/cost but most importantly, find a great dentist/orthodontist who will give you their opinion on what you should have done. They are (generally) the experts...just watch they’re not signing you up to be a repeat customer for ever more.

Thank you bananafish 😊

Do it. It’s money well spent and your smile or lack of, is the thing people will see on first meeting you.

You HAVE to look after them, though.

@HappenstanceMarmite my teeth were already short to start with, but had been worn down further due to teeth grinding. I had a custom splint made to fit my new bite which I then ground through and had to have a full mouth guard made and the bonding not only makes the teeth more aesthetically pleasing now they're not so short and worn, but also protects the natural teeth from any grinding as well (composite easier to replace, teeth don't grow back!)

The straightening on the lower tombstone teeth took place start to finish within 3 months. I cannot recommend the Inman aligner enough. It's not completely invisible but it's certainly not train tracks, you take the appliance out to eat, and if I was going on a night out or something I could happily leave it off (the less you wear it the longer the treatment course, but the odd time here and there makes no meaningful difference). I didn't need multiple appointments or new trays made and fitted, it was incredibly low maintenance. And start to finish in 3 months was nuts

I had train tracks as a teen, but the numpty orthodontist didn't fit a fixed wire on the lower teeth and they ended up moving, hence the crooked appearance. I now have a fixed wire glued to the back of my lower teeth to keep them nice and straight!

The inman certainly isn't suitable in all cases, but for the front teeth it's a terrific option. I'm chuffed to bits with the results

Scuse acne and gaping mouth (no other way to show the teeth!) This is today, 7 years post ABB - I had one chip on an incisor patched up, but no bleaching / whitening since then apart from scale and polishing with the hygienist

You might consider this dingy, not sure! But I'm happy with them, they're not piano white but I'm fine with that. Your mileage may vary!

Them gnashers are fantastic banana! I’m really interested in your grinding issues as I am shocking for that! During awake time I catch myself clenching teeth too FFS. Porcelain veneers, I believe, are not recommended for grinders but I didn’t know composite were better?

happen yep my dentist couldn't believe the damage I'd inflicted on my bite guard in just two weeks - some people find it retrains their jaw to stop grinding altogether, for me it's just that it protects my teeth, I just clench down hard against the splint instead of being able to grind side to side.

The guard protects my teeth from further damage, but if I were to not wear it, then any wearing down of my teeth would be of the bonding - there's a way to go before I'd actually get to any natural tooth to damage!

Here's my before and after

I've only just now after reading this realised I had composite resin to reshape two teeth after I got an implant in. One of them is a bit too translucent though, you can see the old shape of my tooth through it. Just had a look at my bill, cost 210 quid. I think I'll get the translucent one redone soon though

@heyok....precisely! They look great and I can imagine you’ve more confidence when you smile?

I was watching old footage on a documentary set just after the Second World War, last night. I was staggered by a) the number of young people with toothless grins and b) how gritty the general oublic’s Teeth were. What a difference orthodontics, dental care, and affordable (for some) dentistry makes!

OP, I still say do it!

Did you get them? I've been thinking of getting them too but I'd have to pay monthly lol... Unless you tell me more about this betting money making thing 😝 xx

I would book a consultation to discuss your options. I know you say you had orthodontics as a kid - but there may be more that can be done to straighten your smile without veneers. Maybe worth exploring - veneers come with risks, need replacing and do cause damage even if done well - maybe there’s another option you’re not aware of. If I were you I’d do some more research and attend a few consultations before making any decisions. I know you have to pay for the consultations but it’s a small amount of money in comparison to what you’ll pay over a lifetime of veneers.

Oops just realised its an ancient thread!