Veneers · Widney Dental, Knowle
The front of a tooth, remade.
A veneer is a wafer-thin shell of porcelain or composite made to cover the front of a tooth and change its colour, shape, size or length. At Widney Dental a porcelain veneer is £400 – £500 a tooth, planned at a consultation where your dentist says plainly whether a veneer, a crown, whitening or a filling is the right thing for the tooth.
In short
What a veneer is.
A custom-made shell of tooth-coloured material bonded to the front surface of a tooth. Porcelain veneers resist stains better and reflect light the way enamel does, so they look most like a natural tooth; composite veneers are thinner and need less of the tooth surface removed before they go on. Which suits you is a conversation with your dentist about the tooth, the result you want and how long you want it to last.
Is it right for the tooth?
What veneers fix, and when something else is better.
A veneer changes how the front of a healthy tooth looks. It is not a repair for a weak tooth and not a substitute for whitening, and your dentist will say which you need before any tooth is touched.
Veneers are used to fix
- Discoloured teeth: after a root canal, staining from tetracycline or other drugs, too much fluoride, or a large resin filling that has discoloured the tooth.
- Teeth that are worn down.
- Teeth that are chipped or broken, where the tooth beneath is sound.
- Teeth that are uneven, misaligned or irregularly shaped, with craters or bulges in them.
- Gaps between teeth, closed by widening the teeth either side.
Something else is better when
- The tooth is weak or heavily filled. A veneer covers the front only; a tooth that needs strength needs a crown, which covers all of it.
- You want whiter teeth all over. Whitening lightens your own enamel for a fraction of the cost, and comes first if you have veneers planned, so they are matched to the lighter shade.
- Teeth need moving, not disguising. Clear aligners move them; a veneer over a crooked tooth is a compromise.
- You are under 18, or the tooth is still settling: veneers are for adult teeth that have finished moving.
How it runs
Planned, prepared, tried, bonded.
- 1
Consultation
Your teeth and gums examined, the tooth or teeth in question looked at honestly, and the choice between a veneer, a crown, whitening or a filling made with you. The figure is written down before anything starts.
- 2
Design
The shade chosen against your other teeth, and the shape and length agreed, so the laboratory makes what you have both pictured.
- 3
Preparation
Under local anaesthetic, a thin layer of enamel is taken from the front of the tooth, less for composite than for porcelain, and an impression goes to the laboratory. A temporary covers the tooth meanwhile.
- 4
The try-in
The veneer is tried on the tooth and checked for fit, shade and shape before it is fixed; a porcelain veneer is bonded only when you are both happy with it.
- 5
Bonded
The veneer is bonded to the tooth and the bite checked. From then on it is brushed and flossed like the tooth it covers, and looked at at every check-up.
What it is like
Numb for the preparation, a temporary for a while.
The preparation is done under local anaesthetic, so you feel pressure rather than pain, and a prepared tooth can be tender to cold for a few days; the temporary protects it until the veneer is fitted. The try-in is the moment people remember: the veneer held against the tooth, in daylight, before anything is final.
A veneer is not a licence to bite into things you should not. Nails, pen tops, ice and grinding at night shorten the life of any veneer, as they do a natural tooth; a night guard protects the work if you grind. Kept clean at the edges and seen at every check-up, porcelain veneers commonly last ten to fifteen years, composite ones fewer, and either is replaced rather than repaired when the time comes.
What it costs
Priced per tooth.
Veneers are cosmetic, so they are private treatment for NHS and private patients alike; the NHS does not provide them. The figures are the fee guide’s, and the range covers the tooth and the laboratory work it needs; your own figure is written down at the consultation.
Private figures are Widney Dental’s fee guide. NHS figures are England’s band charges as nhs.uk publishes them.
Veneer, crown or whitening
Three ways to change a front tooth, set side by side.
People ask for veneers when what they want is one of three different things. Here is which does what.
| What happens | Tooth removed | How long it lasts | Price here | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porcelain veneer | A thin shell bonded over the front of the tooth | A thin layer of enamel from the front | Ten to fifteen years | £400 – £500 a tooth | Changing the shape, length or colour of a sound front tooth for the long term |
| Crown | A cap over the whole tooth | The tooth shaped all round | Ten years, often longer | £450 – £550 | A weak, broken or heavily filled tooth that needs strength as well as looks |
| Whitening | Dentist-strength gel lightens your own enamel | None | Years, with top-ups | From £275 | Teeth whose only fault is their colour |
A veneer means removing enamel that does not grow back, so the tooth will always need covering. For a small change that is a poor trade; for a lasting change to a sound front tooth, it is the right tool. The consultation says which yours is.
Who does it
Restorative dentists, with a laboratory behind them.
Veneers at Widney Dental are planned and fitted by the practice’s dentists and made by a dental laboratory to their prescription. Dr Hayley Freedman’s interests are minimal intervention and restorative dentistry, which is the frame of mind a veneer should be planned in: the least tooth removed for the result you want.
- Dr Hayley FreedmanAssociate dentist · minimal intervention and restorative dentistryGDC 252053
- Dr Mohammed BinaminPrincipal dental surgeonGDC 71019
- Dr Amelia ReedAssociate dentistGDC 194478
What patients say
In their own words.
Great support for nervous patients★★★★★I have recently completed treatment for an implant at Widney Dental Care and although nervous at first and some initial discomfort at the beginning the whole process has been managed efficiently and professionally at all times. The care and attention to detail is second to none and the support during and after the treatment is reassuring. I am delighted with my implant.
For the whole family★★★★★My family and I have been receiving treatment at Widney Dental Care for a number of years. I am grateful for the level of care I have received at this practice.
Quality care worth travelling for★★★★★I find this a first-rate practice in every respect. Efficiently run including first-class patient care and treatment. Having moved out of the area several years ago and having full confidence in my dental care and treatment I still remain a patient being more than happy to travel some distance for my dental care.
Google review★★★★★Adam takes great pride in his work, treating the fillings like a work of art.
Questions
Asked before people decide.
How much do veneers cost?
A porcelain veneer at Widney Dental is £400 – £500 a tooth; the fee guide’s cosmetic grade of veneer, crown or bridge is £650 – £750 a unit. The figure for your own teeth is written down at the consultation, which is £75 for a new patient.
Porcelain or composite?
Porcelain resists stains better and looks most like enamel, and lasts longer; composite is thinner, needs less of the tooth removed, and is quicker and cheaper, but marks and wears sooner. Your dentist sets the two against your tooth and what you want from it.
How many visits?
Usually three: the consultation, the preparation with the impression, and the fit about two weeks later once the laboratory has made the veneer. The try-in happens at the fit, before anything is bonded.
Does it hurt?
The preparation is done under local anaesthetic, so no. The tooth can be tender to cold for a few days afterwards, and the temporary protects it until the veneer is fitted.
How long do veneers last?
Porcelain veneers commonly last ten to fifteen years; composite ones fewer. What shortens them is what damages teeth: biting hard things, grinding, and gums left uncleaned at the edges. A night guard protects them if you grind.
Will a veneer whiten?
No. Porcelain and composite keep the shade they were made in, which is why whitening comes before veneers, never after, and the veneers are matched to the lighter shade.
Can I have veneers on the NHS?
No. Veneers are cosmetic, so they are private treatment for everyone. Where a front tooth is broken or weak, a crown may be clinically necessary, and that can be NHS treatment as a Band 3 course for an NHS patient of the practice.
Why do some dentists advise against veneers?
Because a veneer means removing a thin layer of enamel that does not grow back, so the tooth will always need covering. For a small change that is a poor trade. For a large, lasting change to a sound front tooth, a veneer is the right tool. The advice against them is advice against using them where they are not needed.
Where are you, and how do I book?
76 Widney Road, Knowle, Solihull B93 9AW. Open Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 6pm and Friday 8.30am to 5pm. Call 01564 773080, or request a call-back.
The right thing for the tooth, first.
A consultation that says whether a veneer, a crown, whitening or a filling is the answer, and the figure in writing before the tooth is touched. Porcelain veneers £400 – £500 a tooth.
Knowle, Solihull
B93 9AW
Friday 8.30am to 5pm