Looking for a Cheap Smile Makeover

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I want to get my top teeth improved. They’re all discolored. My dentist is suggesting composite bonding for them at a price of just $3000 total. I would jump on that but have one reservation. I chipped a tooth a couple of years ago that knocked a good portion of my tooth off. My dentist fixed it with dental bonding. While my dentist did make the tooth whole again, the bonding part is very obvious and has been from the beginning. Now it is much more stained. I’m not sure I want my front eight teeth looking like that. He said the next option was porcelain veneers but they are really expensive. I have found there are some online veneers that are much less expensive. They pop over the front teeth. Is this a viable option for me or is there something I should be aware of?

Loren

Dear Loren,

porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth

I am going to start with your dentist’s first suggestion of dental bonding. I’m going to strongly suggest you do not use this for your smile makeover. First, he obviously does not have the cosmetic skills required to do a beautiful job with advanced cosmetic procedures, such as the dental bonding. Though, I suspect you have already figured that out.

When you are getting a complete smile makeover, porcelain veneers are the go-to procedure. When done in the hands of a skilled cosmetic dentist, it can give you a beautiful, natural looking smile that will last for years.

The snap on type of veneers you are considering are not at all like the porcelain veneers provided for you by a dentist. The ones online that snap onto your teeth are made of acrylic. They will not look as natural. From close up it will be obvious they are fake. Plus, because they snap over your teeth, they tend to look a bit bulky.

If you truly want a smile makeover, I suggest that you wait and save up for the porcelain veneers. Though, you may want to find a more experienced cosmetic dentist to do the work.

Before you do that, I did have a question. The only thing that you mentioned fixing about your smile was the discoloration. A complete smile makeover would typically be for fixing more than just the color, but also the shape and the size. If that is what you had in mind, then by all means save up for the porcelain veneers. However, if all you needed was to adjust the color, teeth whitening would be the right solution. It will also cost you thousands of dollars less.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Buying Dental Veneers Online

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I have a couple of defects with my smile. I went to my dentist in order to get it repaired and he recommended I get porcelain veneers. The cost he quoted me seemed astronomical so I did some calling around and that is about the average. Wow! So, I looked online and it looks like you can get some do it yourself veneers that just snap onto your teeth. I can get a complete set for around $700 dollars. Some were more, but that was about the most common price. Is this a decent way for me to go?

Duke

Dear Duke,

A porcelain veneer being held up to a tooth

Getting snap-on veneers works for some people as long as they keep their expectations pretty low. It is not going to give you the gorgeous smile that you could get with porcelain veneers. Porcelain veneers are custom designed to give you a smile makeover that can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth. Because they are made of tiny wafers of porcelain they look just like natural teeth. They’re also permanently bonded to your teeth allowing you to just go about living your life.

Snap on veneers are going to be made of acrylic. They will not look as natural, especially up close. As they snap over the teeth, they can look bulky depending on the shape of your smile. The one benefit is that if you don’t like them, you’re not stuck with them. You can simply unsnap them from your teeth. Be aware that they will only last a few years and then you’ll have to replace them.

If you do decide to go this route, the best brand is Snap-on Smile. However, I would still do it through a dentist and not online. The companies who sell these directly to patients have no way of fitting them to your bite properly. If you want them to be comfortable, some adjustments have to be made to them.

This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Dental Flipper for Straight Teeth?

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I have some crooked teeth. One of them sticks out more than the others as well. I don’t want to spend years in painful and ugly braces. I’d be happy if they just looked straight. Would a dental flipper work for me in that case?

Danae

Dear Danae,

In your situation, you have two good options and one so-so option; however, a dental flipper isn’t one of them. This is used as a temporary tooth replacement. It won’t make any of your other teeth look different.

Options for Straight Teeth Without Traditional Braces

Option One: Snap-on Smile

image of snap-on smile

This is the so-so option I mentioned above. It may be what you were thinking of when you said a dental flipper. Snap-on Smile fits over your teeth and will make them look straight. They are not going to be a stunning smile, though. They’ll just be okay. Also, because they fit over your teeth, they can look a bit bulky. This will especially be an issue for you because you have a tooth which you said sticks out.

Option Two: Porcelain Veneers

A single porcelain Veneer being placed on a tooth

Porcelain veneers will also cause your teeth to look straight without actually straightening them. When done by a skilled cosmetic dentist, they can provide you with a stunning smile makeover.

This is the go-to procedure for celebrities who want that Hollywood smile. They’re quite versatile and can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously.

Option Three: Invisalign

a side by side comparison of traditional braces and Invisalign on someone's teeth

Braces compared to Invisalign

These will actually straighten your teeth. Using a sophisticated software program that carefully plans out your treatment, they can work in about half the time as traditional braces. Another benefit is their comfort. You won’t have to wear any painful metal wires and brackets.

Plus, they use clear aligners which are invisible even at a conversational distance. Because of that, some people call them invisible braces. Unlike porcelain veneers, you won’t need an expert cosmetic dentist. Any dentist who has invested in the technology can provide them for you.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Snap-on Smile is Not Going to Be What She Wants

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I have been looking into Snap-on Smile to improve the look of my smile. I decided to do some research and some patients have said it looks fake. I’m thinking that is because it looks too white. If I have the dentist make the color the exact same as my natural teeth, that should take care of the problem, right? Plus, I was thinking if I went to a more expert cosmetic dentist than most that would give it a greater chance of looking better as well. Is there anything else you’d recommend?

Caroline

Dear Caroline,

image of a snap on smile

My suggestion, in all honesty, is that you don’t get Snap-on Smile. It’s not going to turn out the way you want. I see your thought process about the color. However, you can have really white teeth that look completely natural. The problem with it looking fake is when the color is uniform. Our teeth are not uniform. Parts of our teeth are more translucent than others. The color depth varies throughout the tooth.

As for whether or not an expert cosmetic dentist will make a difference, they are limited by the material as well as the lab which Snap-on Smile requires the dentist to use.

Even the most beautifully done Snap-on Smile will result in mediocre smile results. It’s best used for something like a photoshoot where people won’t get too close up a look at your smile.

Instead, a skilled and artistic cosmetic dentist will steer you toward a different procedure to remake your smile. If you’re looking for a gorgeous smile makeover, your best material is to get porcelain veneers.

Getting a Truly Beautiful Smile

Porcelain veneers are the go-to procedure for a smile makeover. In fact, it is what celebrities use to obtain their Hollywood smiles. While Snap-on Smile is made from an acrylic resin, porcelain veneers are (as their name implies) made from porcelain. This more completely mimics your natural tooth structure, reflecting light to give it that beautiful shine.

The other benefit to porcelain veneers is the dentist can choose their own ceramist and lab. With Snap-on Smile, which is produced by the DenMat Company, they require dentists to use their lab. It is not known for its beautiful results.

One tip is to make sure the dentist you use is an artist. One way to do this is to take a peek at their smile gallery. This is a brag book of sorts that shows some of their cases. It gives you an idea of what the smile looked like before and after the dentist did the work.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.