Guest Blog: Patient’s Perspective of Getting Veneers for the First Time

Hi – my name is Rosie. Being a writer and having recently had veneers placed at the Gentle Dental, they kindly asked me to write a blog about my experience. 

*This is not a sponsored post, nor have I received treatment for free in exchange for writing this. 

I know that when I was Googling about the veneer process and procedure for the first time, I was pretty disappointed how everyone just said the same thing.

So, here is my honest account of having porcelain veneers – it really wasn’t quite what I expected…

My story

For years I have always joked about getting veneers, never really thinking it would be my reality. But lockdown allowed me to start making positive changes in my life, and increasing my confidence was my main priority.

If you hate your teeth like me, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say it holds me back from a lot of things, especially feeling my best at networking events, which I have to attend frequently.

Now, we all have our qualms about how we look, but for me, my teeth have always been a bone of contention.

My lower arch had crooked teeth, and my upper arch had gaps. And whilst everyone tried to tell me my smile was fine, and it didn’t matter, I could not help but be hard on myself.

But I’m sure you don’t want to hear a sob story how, for years, I’ve hated my smile, but instead, now that I’ve had veneers placed – how do I feel?

Honestly, great. I wasn’t expecting to be this pleased and in love. I’ve had many other cosmetic procedures like lip fillers and remember not being hugely overwhelmed with the results.

But with my new teeth, I cannot stop staring and feel so much better within myself and my appearance.

To learn more about my journey to the perfect smile, keep reading.

First, the significant bit, how much did I pay?

The total cost of my treatment was £4,510, which meant that I paid £93.92 per month through finance over five years.

The cost of veneers here is actually relatively cheaper than other fees, as I saw for other dental practices in London.

So, whilst it may seem that I was paying a lot of money – I was getting an excellent deal.

The price of veneers can vary, depending on where in the UK you are and the type of veneer you opt for.

The kind of dental veneer I received (porcelain veneers) is made in a lab, making them more expensive – with some practices charging up to £2,000 per tooth.

What to expect from the veneer process

I’ll let Dr Rifai takeover for the technical explanation: 

When looking into receiving veneers, different dentists might tell you other things.

For example, many patients we treat with veneers start concerned that their teeth have to be “shaved down” to pointed nubs and covered with crowns. But this is not the modern way of providing veneers.

Crowns are protective false teeth covering the whole tooth, whilst a veneer sits on top of the tooth’s surface.

The veneer application does not involve carving the tooth down to anything but rather instead takes around 0.4mm (the thickness of a fingernail) from the tooth’s enamel.

Sometimes, we do not need to remove anything – as is the case with composite veneers, which make no difference to the underlying tooth’s structure.

The procedure from a patient’s perspective

I’m not a nervous or anxious patient, and initially, I thought I would be knocked out for the veneer procedure. However, I was given local anaesthesia and gas.

Dr Rifai explained to me that I could be put to sleep, but it’s preferable to respond to certain things during the temporary phase so that the dentist could make the veneers blend seamlessly.

During the consultation, I had moulds of my mouth to create temporary veneers, which were placed during the preparation appointment.

During the preparation stage, my gums were shaped, and my natural teeth were prepped before being fitted with the temporary veneers.

I tested out the temporary veneers for a week and then revisited the dentist to talk about how it went and if there were any changes, I’d like to be made.

Following this, the order was sent to a ceramist to manufacture, and my final appointment saw the final veneers bonded to my teeth.

Side effects

When I wore my temporaries after the procedure, I experienced some slight gum sensitivity, which was to be expected. I was also aware that some people experienced bonding sensitivity when the final veneers were placed. However, I was lucky enough to avoid this altogether.

However, the sensation I was feeling did disappear the next day.

Everything was managed with painkillers – I took them as directed, rinsed with warm saltwater and slept appropriately. This all helped me recover.

My veneer before and after image

Why did I choose Gentle Dental? The price was right, and I was confident in the skills and expertise of my dentist. After a consultation, I was satisfied with the results that could be achieved, and after seeing previous work, I felt even more excited and at ease. More than this, the Gentle Dental was close to where I lived in southwest London.

Interested in dental veneers or learning more about the procedure, get in touch with Gentle Dental.