Ted Murray, DDS

Every patient presents with a different situation and their needs differ accordingly. Yes.... sometimes teeth are too far gone for veneers and a crown might be the answer. In a smile makeover of the upper 6 or 8 front teeth it is not unusual for some of the teeth to need crowns and some need veneers. As long as the cosmetic dentist knows how to handle the case and uses a terrific dental ceramist you won't be able to tell which teeth have veneers and which teeth have crowns. They will be a dead match with each other.

Without SEEING your situation it's not possible to even guess the cost. Are the teeth worn and broken down from grinding? Are they broken down from big cavities? From a fight? Car accident? Are the back teeth in a stable bite position or are they broken down too. Maybe even missing some back teeth? Is there any gum disease present?  Before a dentist can answer your question there are many questions the dentist needs answered first. Wish I could have been more help.

While it's a great idea to want to look better through cosmetic enhancement of your smile....it will probably have no effect on bad breath. The causes of bad breath should be looked at separately. Could be anything from brushing and flossing habits to periodontal disease or more. 

Depends on the individual. Most people are fine and go back to work immediately. Some might need an additional day. It's not as stressful as one might think.

Most dentists can provide you with a couple of options to whiten your teeth a little..... or more than a little..... depending on what you want. Small chips in teeth can be treated most conservatively with Direct Resin Bonding. How well this works depends on what is causing the chipping and if it is an ongoing threat to the teeth. Clenching, grinding or even nail biting can seriously damage any type of cosmetic dentistry.

This looks like a FUN CASE for the right cosmetic dentist. It's a perfect case for DIRECT RESIN BONDING. The nice thing here is the dentist could do a quick diagnostic mock-up with the composite directly in your mouth and you could see how everything might fit into place. Without having to re-shape or cut the teeth and sending the case to a dental lab direct resins veneers are the most conservative approach. To make the bonding material emerge from the gum in the right place for the teeth to look natural you might need a little reshaping of the gums with a laser. 

Nicely done porcelain veneers are pretty resistant to the typical things that stain teeth. That does not include smoking. Deposits from smoking are just plain tough to clean off porcelain without the porcelain losing some of it's beautiful surface luster. In addition abrasive or acidic foods, drinks or even tooth pastes can ruin the beautiful finish and result in dull looking porcelain. 

PORCELAIN VENEERS and CROWNS both have their place in restoring a smile to optimal BEAUTY and FUNCTION. Which to use depends on the pre-existing conditions and positions of the teeth. It's almost always better to choose veneers because they leave the underlying tooth stronger. However, teeth that have already been weakened due to large fillings on the back and in between probably need crowns.  It's not unusual to use both in a smile makeover. 

It's my belief that an IMPLANT TOOTH WILL OUTLAST A BRIDGE.  There are still situations where a bridge may be the best choice.....if the teeth on either side of the empty space already have fillings or are in need of repair, and the supporting bone is really good, then a bridge is a valid consideration. However, with the success and long-term statistical predictability of implants they would be my first choice. Also if any part of a bridge fails, the entire bridge fails and it would need to be redone. As far as the cost difference between the 2 they are usually about the same.

It's difficult for the consumer to understand all that goes into placing and restoring dental implants. It's not like a trip to the hardware store, it's more like a trip to the operating room. There is the surgical training and the strict surgical criteria required, plus medications, expendable supplies, the specialized equipment and instrumentation are just the beginning. The surgeon has to purchase the implants from the company which has it's own employees and expenses. The surgeon staffs his operating suite with capable people. The restorative dentist also has big upfront expenses, staff, facility, dental lab costs for the abutments and crowns, etc. And after all of the office bills have been paid the surgeon and the dentist want to take something home for themselves after working so hard. In reality it's amazing that something this complex, which restores missing teeth to withstand the extreme functional demands of chewing doesn't actually cost more. Hundreds of expenses both large and small come out of implant fees.