Often, patients who come to us for cosmetic tooth repair ask us are curious to know the cost of porcelain veneers. These individuals have run across certain websites that appear to advertise a fixed, flat rate for these devices.
We cannot comment on the prices or advertising of others, but what we can tell you is that in our practice, and in many other Houston cosmetic dentistry practices, the cost of porcelain veneers is variable and based on a number of mitigating factors that have to be determined after a thorough dental exam.
The first thing we have to assess during the course of this exam is just how many teeth are involved. It normally takes a great deal more time and money to repair several damaged or discolored teeth as it does a single tooth.
The location of the damage to these teeth also matters as well. Upper teeth whose outer surfaces have been discolored or damaged are far more visible than, say, the backs of lower teeth. Determining just how many teeth will need cosmetic treatment is the first step in determining the cost of porcelain veneers.
We also have to look at the nature of the bite. Bite refers to how well teeth fit together when the mouth is closed. Teeth that have been impacted by an accident often develop bite problems. They get loosened in their socket by the impact, and then they grow back slightly crooked. Some people, however, have had a challenging bite since childhood.
Regardless, the severity of bite problems directly impacts the cost of porcelain veneers. This is because cosmetic dental veneers are custom-made, thin sheets of porcelain that are bonded to the surfaces of teeth. If the teeth themselves are malformed or out of alignment, veneers must be shaped to compensate for these issues.
Sometimes, as well, we encounter patients who require soft tissue treatment. This is an entirely different dental issue, but it needs to be addressed as soon as it is discovered. In most cases it is needed in order to effectively deal with some stage of gum disease, although there may be other mouth problems that call for action in this arena.
While this does not impact the manufacture or shape of cosmetic veneers, it does add service costs to the invoice due to the fact that we have to apply a separate set of treatments to soft tissues as well as a cosmetic, corrective treatment to the teeth themselves.
To gather the necessary data to make an intelligent decision about the best course of treatment, and to offer each patient the most fair and ethical cost of porcelain veneers, we always ask inquirers to come into our office for a full dental examination.
This examination will include a full set of X-rays, a detailed examination of the mouth with our intraoral camera, and a test for gum disease and oral cancer to make sure soft tissues are in good health.
We can then discuss options with the patient based on these findings, and determine a course of action, a reasonable fee, and arrange for any financial services that may be necessary so that everyone benefits at the end of the day.
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