My daughter is in her forties and she has what they call “peg” teeth. So, she’s looking into getting porcelain veneers on her canine teeth. But, the dentist is trying to talk her into getting porcelain veneers done on all four of her front teeth. I was wondering if dental bonding will work? It seems to be much less expensive. She simply cannot afford porcelain veneers. She had dental bonding done years ago and it doesn’t look good. I’m wondering if we could get by with some dental bonding and a couple porcelain veneers, while she’s saving up for all four veneers? Or can she just get dental bonding done on all four front teeth instead? Please tell me you have some insight.

-Shannon in Texas

The most important question that needs to be asked – is this a cosmetic dentist that is making these recommendations? You may not realize it, but only a very few cosmetic dentists can do beautiful cosmetic dentistry. General dentists have a more functional mindset about fixing a problem. A cosmetic dentist is an artist. They are passionate about creating beauty. Only two percent of dentists have the ability and expertise to provide truly stunning results. So, if you’re seeing a general dentist, it’s time to move on and seek a second opinion from a cosmetic dentist. Preferably, one that can show you specific before and after examples of cases similar to your daughter’s issues.

Dental bonding takes a highly skilled hand and can take just as long as porcelain veneers to do. So, when you are saying it’s much cheaper, you need to consider the source. If it is drastically cheaper, it may not be the quality you are expecting. Proceed with caution.

Your daughter may not have a handle on the explanation given by the dentist either, because typically “peg teeth” refer to the lateral incisors. This would make sense as to why the dentist is recommended your daughter get four veneers (two lateral incisors and two central incisors). That said, this may speak volumes. An expert cosmetic dentist wouldn’t need to do all four porcelain veneers, if they could blend in the two teeth that need to be done to the surrounding teeth. This may be an indicator that the dentist doesn’t have the confidence in his or her work. Again, it may be worth your while to get a second opinion by an expert.

It is difficult to give specific recommendation without having seen your daughter’s case. So, these are all assumptions and may not be the correct. But an expert cosmetic dentist should be able to do two porcelain veneers (not all four) if they are skilled at cosmetic dentistry.

Just keep in mind that dental bonding can be made to look beautiful, if it’s done by an excellent cosmetic dentist. But it will need to be replaced and redone over the years.

Thank you for your questions.