The Pros and Cons of Dental Veneers

By Kate Ranta on Jan 19, 2015 @ 12:39 PM

You’re considering enhancing your smile with dental veneers. Perhaps you feel self-conscious because your teeth are discolored, worn down, or chipped or broken. Or maybe they’re misaligned, uneven or have gaps between them, and you never had braces to correct it.

Whatever your reasons, you should know the pros and cons of dental veneers before getting them:

Pros of veneers. Your smile will look incredible. That’s the biggest pro. Veneers give the appearance of natural teeth and are resistant to stains. Their durable material is a long lasting solution—typically 10-20 years. Here are some others:

You get that smile you want in a very short period of time (usually two one and a half hour long sessions).
They can strengthen your teeth.
They’re a low maintenance procedure, requiring a follow up visit to make sure they’ve stayed in place properly.
Maintaining them isn’t any more difficult than the way you care for your natural teeth—daily brushing and flossing.

Cons of veneers. Once you get veneers, the procedure isn’t reversible. They also can be more costly than other options. Be sure to check with your insurance carrier about possible coverage for the procedure. Here are some others:

Because some enamel is removed before veneers are placed, you may experience sensitivity to hot and cold.
They may not exactly match the color of your other teeth. If you want to whiten, you’ll need to do so before having veneers placed.
Although not a frequent problem, veneers can sometimes pop off. To avoid that, don’t bite your nails, or chew on ice or any other hard objects.
Those who grind their teeth are not good candidates for veneers. The pressure can cause them to crack or chip. And, if that happens, the veneers cannot be fixed.

If you’re considering dental veneers, talk with your dentist. He or she can evaluate your teeth and together you can decide if this is the right option for you—and your dazzling smile!