The cost of veneers varies depending on many factors. In this article, we will talk about these veneers – traditional porcelain veneers, composite veneers, CEREC veneers, and Lumineers veneers, although there aren’t that many other brands worth mentioning other than what we’ve just listed.
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Porcelain Veneers Cost
What is the porcelain veneers average cost? Well, the cost of veneers made of porcelain is around $750-$2000 per one veneer. Expect higher prices in places like Beverly Hills (2000 dollars per one veneer) and lower costs in cities like Las Vegas And Austin (850-1200 dollars per veneer is the average). Veneers that are made of porcelain are incredibly durable, stain-resistant, and esthetic. You should be able to find plenty of dental offices that offer porcelain veneers as they are trendy.
There is one aspect you might not like about them, though, and that is the traditional methods of bonding porcelain veneers require your teeth to be ground beforehand. While the thickness of tooth enamel that gets shaved is usually around 0.5 mm, some dentists file more than that. There were instances where the amount of tooth removed was almost equivalent to the amount required for a dental crown – all for the sake of aesthetics and improved ease of application.
This is a permanent procedure, and the amount of removed tooth structure will not grow back. (For more information, refer to our porcelain veneers pros and cons article)
Composite Veneers Cost
How much are veneers made of composite material? Well, the prices of composite veneers are usually much lower than the prices of porcelain veneers – around $400 – $1500. Some dentists, though, will quote more than that because it is in their opinion that the difficulty of adequately applying these veneers to the teeth and the difficulty of getting the necessary accreditation from AACD justify the higher price (even though direct composite veneers are inferior to porcelain ones in almost all aspects). It is not surprising why many dentists don’t offer these composites anymore.
However, composite veneers do have certain advantages over their porcelain alternatives – the whole treatment can be completed in just one appointment, for example, and they can be easily altered and reshaped, unlike porcelain veneers. They also require no grinding of the tooth’s surface, which means that specific dental veneers problems, like gum diseases due to overexposure of the teeth and slight tooth sensitivity after the operation, are much less likely.
CEREC Veneers Cost
CEREC veneers are created with the help of specialized computer technology, which allows the veneers to be virtually modeled and designed on a computer. The time required to make the calculations and manufacture a CEREC veneer is approximately 4 hours. Of course, the amount of time depends on the proficiency of the dentist and how well he is accustomed to the technology. Patients who have had their teeth covered with CEREC veneers are usually delighted with the results.
The cost of CEREC veneers is usually lower than the price of porcelain veneers – around $400 to $1100 since the process of making them is often both faster and easier.
Lumineers Veneers Cost
Lumineers have been heavily advertised as veneers that do not require your teeth to be “ground,” and that can be applied directly to your teeth without removing a significant amount of tooth structure. Moreover, they need only two visits and dentists say that they are easier to bond than porcelain veneers. (according to Lumineers reviews, these claims are mostly accurate, although certain Lumineers problems do exist) As for the prices, the cost of Lumineers is a quarter less than the cost of porcelain veneers, which means that they are usually between $560 and $1500.
Different Types of Veneers
Composite Veneers vs. Porcelain Veneers
If we put composite veneers vs. porcelain veneers, we will see that they have many differences. To understand these differences, it is crucial that we first understand the differences between direct and indirect bonding (because veneers are a result of using the tooth bonding technique). When you want to fix the aesthetics of your teeth with tooth bonding, there are two ways to go about it – with an indirect and a direct technique.
When a dentist makes composite veneers, he uses the direct bonding technique. The composite material is bonded to the surface of the teeth. When we use composite veneers, the teeth do not need to be “shaved” and prepared, and the composite material is shaped in front of your eyes and bonded directly by the dentist to your teeth.
When a dentist wants to make porcelain veneers, he will use the indirect bonding technique. He doesn’t make the veneers himself but sends an impression of the teeth to a dental lab which manufactures the veneers. The teeth need to be prepared and “shaved” a bit, unlike when we use composite veneers.
Here is why porcelain veneers can be better:
- Composite veneers last for 2-5 years max and then need to be replaced. Porcelain veneers last up to 5 years.
- Composite material gets stained. Porcelain does not wear over time, and it can remain shiny indefinitely. While the early versions of porcelain were very brittle, but nowadays, the material is very sturdy.
Here is why composite veneers can be better:
- Composite veneers can be completed and given to you in the course of just one appointment. So, if you want to have porcelain veneers, you need to go through several appointments, because the dental lab needs time to finish the veneers for you.
- Composite veneers usually much cheaper, although there are dentists who will charge more for them just because they think that making these veneers consumes too much time.
- Composite veneers do not need your teeth to be prepared as much as they need to be prepared for porcelain veneers. Sometimes composite veneers can be applied without any teeth preparation at all.
Many cosmetic dentists will say that composite veneers have no real advantages over porcelain veneers. Surely, you can get composite veneers in just one appointment, and they require no preparation of your teeth, but dentists argue that these are pretty small advantages. Even the cost of veneers made of composite materials is not always cheaper.
Moreover, a lot of dentists will say that making composite veneers is too hard and consumes a lot of time. Indeed, to be successful with direct tooth bonding, a cosmetic dentist needs to possess a significant amount of patience, skill, and good artistic vision.
It seems, however, that there are dentists who will defend the no-prep veneers. The only reason why a lot of dentists do not like composite veneers is that they are not “cost-effective.” While the cost of making them is lower, which is good, on the one hand, but the time that is needed to ensure the creation of good-looking ones is too much, and the effort-to-reward ratio is just not satisfactory so relegating the task of manufacturing veneers to dental labs is preferred (time is money in the world of dentistry). The argument that tries to defend the composite veneers states that there is a more streamlined and straight-forward method, usable by both novice and experienced cosmetic dentists, that can deal with this deficiency.