Should I have my veneers replaced or go ahead with brace treatment instead?
Q.
Hi, I was hoping for some advice regarding the replacement of veneers. I have had veneers since I was 11 – I had 2 fitted to my lateral incisors as they were tiny and pointed, and I then had 2 more fitted at about 12/13 to my canine teeth for a similar reason. Although it was a definite improvement, I was never particularly happy with them, and had them replaced at 18. This set have been slightly better but I’m now nearly 26 and am still not entirely happy. I’ve always felt my canine teeth are too prominent, and my incisors too small. I think I had teeth removed when I was younger as the canines were growing above, and although they moved back roughly into place, I never had braces to sort them (and what I think is a slight overbite from years of thumb sucking!) out. I feel they face towards the front too much and stick out from the line of my other teeth (I am constantly faffing with them), and the small size of the adjacent teeth only makes them more prominent. I also feel I’d like my teeth to be slightly whiter – I consulted my dentist about this but she advised me that my teeth are already fairly light and I would only get a few shades whiter with a bleaching treatment, which might not be worth it. However, I’m not really after “Hollywood white” teeth, I just feel that because I have very pale skin, my teeth can have a tendency to look a little yellow and I’d like them to look a bit brighter. I suppose my main question is whether it would be worth looking into having replacement veneers and whitening at this stage – if I had new veneers applied to my 6 front teeth at the top, might it be likely to give a more unified look? Or do I need to resort to something like braces to realign the canines before I consider having them replaced? At this age, I’m not much keen on that idea, but at the same time I don’t want to spend a lot of money on veneers and still be unhappy. I realise this is probably a long winded and difficult question to answer without seeing my teeth, and to be honest, I haven’t seen the teeth under my veneers for so long, I don’t know how much is down to the tooth alignment, and how much is down to the size of the veneers. I’m just looking for some advice on the best course of action, which my Denplan dentist seems a bit reluctant to offer me. I recently chipped quite a large piece off one of my veneers and she wouldn’t even consider replacing it. I am considering changing over to a more cosmetic based dental practice, but am hoping to know what my options might be beforehand. Hope you can help, and apologies for the long message. Thanks.
Hi, I was hoping for some advice regarding the replacement of veneers. I have had veneers since I was 11 – I had 2 fitted to my lateral incisors as they were tiny and pointed, and I then had 2 more fitted at about 12/13 to my canine teeth for a similar reason. Although it was a definite improvement, I was never particularly happy with them, and had them replaced at 18. This set have been slightly better but I’m now nearly 26 and am still not entirely happy. I’ve always felt my canine teeth are too prominent, and my incisors too small. I think I had teeth removed when I was younger as the canines were growing above, and although they moved back roughly into place, I never had braces to sort them (and what I think is a slight overbite from years of thumb sucking!) out. I feel they face towards the front too much and stick out from the line of my other teeth (I am constantly faffing with them), and the small size of the adjacent teeth only makes them more prominent. I also feel I’d like my teeth to be slightly whiter – I consulted my dentist about this but she advised me that my teeth are already fairly light and I would only get a few shades whiter with a bleaching treatment, which might not be worth it. However, I’m not really after “Hollywood white” teeth, I just feel that because I have very pale skin, my teeth can have a tendency to look a little yellow and I’d like them to look a bit brighter. I suppose my main question is whether it would be worth looking into having replacement veneers and whitening at this stage – if I had new veneers applied to my 6 front teeth at the top, might it be likely to give a more unified look? Or do I need to resort to something like braces to realign the canines before I consider having them replaced? At this age, I’m not much keen on that idea, but at the same time I don’t want to spend a lot of money on veneers and still be unhappy. I realise this is probably a long winded and difficult question to answer without seeing my teeth, and to be honest, I haven’t seen the teeth under my veneers for so long, I don’t know how much is down to the tooth alignment, and how much is down to the size of the veneers. I’m just looking for some advice on the best course of action, which my Denplan dentist seems a bit reluctant to offer me. I recently chipped quite a large piece off one of my veneers and she wouldn’t even consider replacing it. I am considering changing over to a more cosmetic based dental practice, but am hoping to know what my options might be beforehand. Hope you can help, and apologies for the long message. Thanks.
A.
Hi, many thanks for your question. I do have to agree that in order for you to get a comprehensive answer it is ideal to see your teeth. The important thing here is for you to achieve exactly what you want. They are your teeth and a confident smile goes a long way. In respect of the veneers, it is true that the more you place, the better the colour match as they are all made at the same time. It also depends on your smile and how many teeth you show as just placing six veneers may not be correct if you are showing teeth after the new veneers. As for the canines and teeth straightening, I suggest you have a consultation and get an opinion. Canines can look bigger if they are misaligned. One last point if I may, if you are about to undertake cosmetic dentistry treatment, try and get a comprehensive treatment plan so that all your issues are dealt with at the same time or at least considered. This tends to avoid the need of what I call “patching as you go ” and can be more cost effective in the long run.
Hi, many thanks for your question. I do have to agree that in order for you to get a comprehensive answer it is ideal to see your teeth. The important thing here is for you to achieve exactly what you want. They are your teeth and a confident smile goes a long way. In respect of the veneers, it is true that the more you place, the better the colour match as they are all made at the same time. It also depends on your smile and how many teeth you show as just placing six veneers may not be correct if you are showing teeth after the new veneers. As for the canines and teeth straightening, I suggest you have a consultation and get an opinion. Canines can look bigger if they are misaligned. One last point if I may, if you are about to undertake cosmetic dentistry treatment, try and get a comprehensive treatment plan so that all your issues are dealt with at the same time or at least considered. This tends to avoid the need of what I call “patching as you go ” and can be more cost effective in the long run.
The best of luck
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