I want to get my smile made over. Porcelain veneers are quite expensive so my dentist is offering to do composite veneers. He said because it was composite and not porcelain it would be less money. Have you had much experience with these type of veneers?

Carol

Dear Carol,

 

I’m going to recommend you do not get composite veneers. These have to be done freehand. There are probably only 1-2% of dentists in the world who could do that procedure well. In fact, it is the hardest case a dentist has to do to pass accreditation. There are way too many cosmetic dentistry horror stories of patients who ended up with a smile that looked much worse than the one they came in with. I do not want this to happen to you.

There is a second reason as well. While it is initially less expensive to have composite bonding done, it is the inverse over the course of time. Porcelain veneers are very stain-resistant. In fact, they are even more stain-resistant than your natural teeth. When well taken care of, they can last your lifetime. Composite, on the other hand, will only last a few years at most. This means over the course of twenty years you will spend significantly more money than you would have if you’d just gotten the veneers to begin with.

My suggestion? Find an AACD accredited dentist then have them do porcelain veneers. If the price is out of range right now, you can upgrade your smile with an inexpensive teeth whitening procedure while you save up to get the smile makeover done right.

This blog is brought to you by La Jolla Dentist Dr. Stephen Doan.