Everything You Need To Know About Getting Veneers For A Perfect Smile

Veneers are essentially super-thin, custom-made shells made out of porcelain or resin, that are bonded to the surface of teeth to "improve your smile." Thanks to the hyper-visibility that comes with living in the age of social media, more people than ever before are turning to veneers to disguise small teeth, discoloration, gaps, and more.

The process of getting veneers is long and involved, so you really have to be ready to commit! It starts by talking to your dentist about what exactly you're looking to fix, and the two of you can decide if veneers are actually the right course of action for you.

Once you settle on veneers, you'll have to have the enamel of your teeth shaved down by about a half a millimeter to account for the space the veneers will take up in your moth (you can totally be anesthetized for this, by the way). Afterwards, your dentist will make an impression of your teeth to use as a model for your veneers. If you need them, temporary veneers can be placed at this point.

When your final veneers come in, the dentist will place them on your teeth to examine the fit and placement, or even trim or shave down the veneers if needed. Then, your teeth will be cleaned and prepped for the bonding cement. Yes, veneers are glued to your teeth with cement.

And that's that!

Porcelain veneers are slightly more pricey than their resin counterparts, and will run you anywhere from $925 - $2500 per tooth. Resin versions are slightly more affordable at $250 - $1500 per tooth.

Time should be a factor in your cost calculations, as well. Porcelain veneers last 10 - 15 years, and resin veneers can last from five to seven. 

The overwhelming majority of celebrities have veneers. Sivan Finkel, DMD tells Refinery29, 

"The first thing that happens when someone starts their career and moves out to LA is their agent tells them, 'You've gotta get veneers now.' I do a lot of work on up-and-coming people, or people who think they're up and coming, because they're competing with everyone who has quote-unquote perfect teeth."

This has started a chain reaction: celebrities have perfect, white teeth so the general public wants perfect, white teeth. The result? Veneers are everywhere.

Veneers should make it look like your teeth are just naturally beautiful - not out-of-this-world perfect. Therefore, any good cosmetic dentist will avoid giving patients veneers that are too uniform, too white, or too smooth. "Good veneers have the texture, the translucency, and the irregularity of a real tooth," Dr. Finkel says. "The problem is, those take a ton of time, money, and skill to make - and most dentists don't have the training or patience for it."

Which has led to...

The term "Instagram veneer" is a relatively new one, encapsulating the influencer craze of accepting free veneers from dentists looking to increase their social media following. 

Cosmetic dentists have taken to Instagram to find patients, and are now offering free veneer services to social media influencers in exchange for a mention on their Instagram page. And while the offer of free veneers may seem too good to pass up, the truth is that most truly capable dentists won't work for free. 

Tons of influencers and celebrities have accepted these offers, only to be left with too white, too square, too big teeth that scream, "I HAVE VENEERS!" Not a good look.