My left and right incisor teeth are pegs. My dentist wants to place porcelain veneers over the canines and my center four teeth. The cost for all four teeth is a little more than $5000. I did not consider porcelain veneers as an option, so I asked my dentist about bonding. She says that bonding is 1/5 the cost of veneers, but it will not last, and the color will probably be off from my natural teeth. My dentist says that I would need to keep replacing the bonding anyway, so it is best to get porcelain veneers and pay for them over time. Is bonding really that bad? It was my first option. Thank you. Natalia from NM

 

Natalia,

Thank you for your inquiry.

Your dentist’s description of the results you could expect with dental bonding suggests that she is not a skilled cosmetic dentist. She is almost guaranteeing that if she places dental bonding instead of veneers on your canine teeth, the color will not match your natural teeth. And her cost for bonding—1/5 the cost of veneers—does not reflect quality work.

What Are Peg Lateral Incisors

Peg lateral incisors are underdeveloped, often pointy teeth. The lateral incisors are next to your front center teeth (central incisors). Lateral incisors have a significant impact on your smile.

Porcelain Veneers for Peg Lateral Incisors

A skilled cosmetic dentist can place veneers on peg lateral incisors to reshape them. The veneers will perfectly match the surrounding teeth. Unless your center front teeth (central incisors) also need cosmetic work, a dentist does not need to place veneers over them.

Dental Bonding for Pet Lateral Incisors

Dental bonding for peg lateral incisors does not last as long as porcelain veneers. But a trained cosmetic dentist has bonding materials and tools to match the shade of your natural teeth perfectly. It seems that your dentist lacks the skills to achieve beautiful results with bonding, so she recommends veneers. But be skeptical about that.

Get a Second Opinion

We recommend that you find a dentist with advanced cosmetic dentistry training to examine your teeth. The dentist will explain your options and the results you can expect. But regardless of which option you choose, an advanced cosmetic dentist will give you beautiful results that look natural.

 

Cosmetic dentist Mohamed Imam, DDS of San Antonio, sponsors this post.