Dental procedures aren’t the first ones we think of when talking about aesthetic work, but cosmetic dentistry is a booming facet of the industry—with teeth straightening, teeth whitening, and veneers topping the list of most common procedures.
Veneers, specifically, seem to be more popular than ever in the Instagram age—Lindsey Vonn recently documented the process of getting hers on the app—but many people don’t realize what goes into the dental treatment. Unlike dentures, which replace missing teeth, veneers are thin coverings placed on top of your natural teeth after shaving them down and then attached with a composite resin. They’re considered a cosmetic treatment and can correct gaps and chips, improve shape and texture, and create an overall whiter smile for those with discoloration.
How do veneers work?
Veneers are different from dental crowns, although both result in an improved smile. Crowns are coverings that go over the entire tooth and are often required in more severe situations, such as decay, a large crack in the tooth structure, or a broken tooth. The same goes for dental implants, which simply replace the entire tooth. Both are considered restorative instead of cosmetic, which is why they’re usually covered by insurance and veneers aren’t.
There are different variations of veneers. Many traditional veneers are made out of porcelain, while composite veneers tend to be more affordable but less durable, and therefore have a shorter lifespan. Then, there are “no-prep” veneers, such as Lumineers, which don’t require any teeth shaving and are simply attached to the tooth enamel.
For a better idea of what the veneers process looks like, we spoke to two women who recently underwent the cosmetic procedure.
Michelle, 23
Where: Las Vegas
Cost of veneers: $12,000
Michelle had veneers placed on her top eight teeth in June 2020. She’d been thinking about getting the smile makeover since getting her braces removed in the eighth grade.
“After braces, I still knew my teeth journey was not over. I had very small teeth in the front, one tooth on the side of my front teeth was missing, and the other one was a peg lateral. For a while, I was wearing a retainer with a fake tooth on it that popped in and out,” she explains. “I eventually got bonding on my front two teeth, because there was a slight gap and bonding on the peg lateral tooth. After multiple years, they just started to look discolored, and I was just never fully comfortable with my teeth or smile.”
She says she can’t specifically remember the first time she heard about veneers but “noticed, one day, how all celebrities had very perfect teeth” and looked into how that was possible. In her research, she found that many celebrities were able to get these beautiful smiles via veneers. When two of her older cousins also got veneers, she started considering the treatment more seriously.
Naturally, Michelle says, she was hesitant to get veneers, because it’s a more involved approach to smile correction. The fear of having her teeth shaved down also made her nervous. After weighing all the pros and cons though, she did feel like it was the best option for her.
Why I got veneers
“I finally made the decision to get them because I have never been confident in my smile. I am a dancer who wants to try out to be on a professional team soon, and I need the confidence in my smile to not hold me back,” she says. “My parents are amazing and were fully on board with me getting veneers. They knew I was not happy with my smile and that it was something I have talked about for a long time, so they were ready for me to get this done.” Her parents split the cost with her.
In total, the process took about four weeks, and Michelle says everything went even better than she had expected it would. Her primary concerns beforehand were pain or a long recovery, but she says it was a surprisingly easy process.
What the procedure was like
“The first process was the main and most invasive procedure, where they prepped my teeth and had to shave them down. It was a four-hour procedure, but I was completely numb and it was painless. Dr. Tozzi told me not to look at my teeth yet because they were shaved, but I couldn’t help it and sent a photo of myself, with them shaved, to my friends,” she recalls. “Then she took molds of my teeth for the finals and put the temporary veneers on.”
It usually takes about two weeks to get the final veneers from the lab, but Michelle’s initial procedure was around the Fourth of July, which tacked on a delay of another week. While she had the temporary veneers in, she sent pictures of teeth styles and the color choices she preferred so the dentist knew exactly what she wanted.
Veneers recovery
“After the final veneers were in, I only was slightly sore for about 24 hours, max. It was amazing—and I tell everyone I would get the procedure done over again a million times, because it was that painless and easy,” she says.
What I wish I knew before getting veneers
Michelle says the one thing she wishes she knew in advance was just how happy she would be with the results. “I am absolutely obsessed with my new teeth. I love the way they came out, and I feel so much more confident with my smile now. I actually want to smile in photos, and my friends and family are all noticing how much more I smile.”
Related: 8 Ways to Take Care of Your Teeth When You Can’t See a Dentist
Jaime, 42
Where: Westfield, New Jersey
Cost of veneers: $7,500
Jaime had veneers placed on her two front teeth by a New York City cosmetic dentist in 2013. Unfortunately, she had a “veneer-chipping incident” after chewing at her gel nail polish. Because it was such an obvious chip, she decided to have a second round of veneers done in June 2019, with a dentist in Jersey City, New Jersey. The first set cost $5,000, and the second set cost $2,500.
Why I got veneers
Her ultimate goal was to fix the gap between her teeth. Braces didn’t wholly remedy it, and once they were removed, she noticed her teeth began shifting further apart again.
“I loved my smile, but I was self-conscious about the gap. My mother kept telling me Madonna had a gap, Lauren Hutton had a gap, that it adds character… but I didn’t care. I wanted it closed, stat,” she says.
What the procedure was like
Her second round began with an initial appointment, to discuss goals and solutions and to assess her teeth. After taking X-rays, her dentist measured her for veneers and applied a temporary bonding, to conceal the chip for the short term. Jaime then met with a porcelain artisan, to discuss the right color and sizing so that the veneers would blend in seamlessly with her natural teeth.
Her teeth were already shaved down from the initial appointment, so at this point the veneers just needed to be custom-made. This process took about two weeks. Once they were ready, her dentist removed the temporary bonding and applied the new veneers.
Veneers recovery
In total, the process took about three weeks, which Jaime says felt very long. She stuck to soft foods, as recommended, but still ended up having to see her dentist two or three times in that time frame in order to fix some temporary bonding issues. The temporary bonding was done on top of her previous veneers, and bonding is not meant to stick to porcelain as a long-term solution.
“Also, because my gap is front and center, I had to be ultra-careful with chewing and biting—no biting down directly on any foods,” she says. “They told me to use a fork and knife to cut everything, from an egg and cheese sandwich to apple slices to pizza. Also, there was no gum chewing, of course.”
Despite the shaky three weeks, she’s thrilled with the results. “I think my dentist did a fantastic job with the shape and color; the veneers totally blend in with my smile and look natural, not like Chiclets.”
What I wish I knew before getting veneers
The biggest surprise, says Jaime, was just how drastically the natural teeth are shaved down to make way for the veneers.
“My two front teeth are probably two-thirds or less of the original size. I remember when the dentist removed the temps and handed me a mirror before they put in veneers—I was in shock and couldn’t believe the mouth I was looking at was mine,” she recalls. “Not only were the teeth smaller, but since I’d had my teeth whitened in the interim and the two in front had been covered in veneers, the natural tooth looked so discolored. I couldn’t get those new veneers in quick enough.”
Even thinking about it today makes her shudder, she says. However, that’s not to say she is regretful of her decision to get veneers. “I would do it over again in a heartbeat.”
