Can I get veneers for lateral incisors only? (photos)

Question

I don’t hate my smile, but I do feel like my lateral incisors for quite small. I don’t like the “fake” look of a whole mouth of veneers when all the teeth look the exact same shape and size. I’d like to keep some “character” to my smile, but improve the look. Can I get veneers just for the lateral incisors? Or should I do something else?

Beau Keller, DDS · Answer

Yes, veneers on just the two upper lateral incisors can be a very reasonable option, and this is actually one of the more common situations where only a small number of veneers may be needed.
The reason is that the upper lateral incisors are among the teeth most commonly affected by developmental size differences. Some people naturally have laterals that are noticeably smaller, narrower, or more tapered than the surrounding teeth. When that happens, the rest of the smile may already look good, and there may be no reason to place veneers on healthy teeth that the patient already likes.
In your case, if your main concern is simply that the lateral incisors look too small, the goal would be to increase their width, length, or overall proportion so they blend more naturally with your central incisors and canines while still preserving the character of your smile.
That does not mean the veneers need to look overly perfect or identical to the surrounding teeth. A skilled cosmetic dentist can intentionally preserve natural differences in shape, texture, translucency, and proportion so the two restored teeth do not stand out as veneers.
There are also two main ways this can sometimes be approached: composite bonding or porcelain veneers. Composite can be a very conservative option and is easier to modify later. Porcelain generally offers better long-term color stability, surface polish, and durability. Which one makes more sense depends on your bite, the position of the lateral incisors, how much size needs to be added, and how long-term of a solution you want.
Because you are trying to match only two teeth to the rest of your natural smile, the dentist’s aesthetic skill becomes especially important. I would look for someone with a large before-and-after gallery showing very natural veneer cases, particularly cases involving small or undersized lateral incisors.

Michael Ayzin, DDS · Answer

Thank you for reaching out. Short answer is yes, you can have veneers done only on the laterals. I have done several successful cases only on those 2 teeth.
If you would ask though what would be ideal treatment, my answer would be to involve more teeth. The reason being is laterals are looking much smaller then centrals on the picture provided. They are looking not proportional. If you would be open to doing more veneers, the whole overall smile will look more symmetrical and even. When done right, porcelain veneers look very natural.

Richard Gochman, DDS (retired) · Answer

You are absolutely correct! If you are happy overall with your teeth - improving the 2 laterals only will be a great way to fix what you are bothered by. The biggest part is getting a good shade match to your existing teeth. Dont worry though, I have done several cases just like this, and they worked out great.

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