A complete guide on how much dental veneers cost in the UK
The cost of dental veneers can vary a lot and often it can be confusing to figure out if you are getting a good deal or not. In this blog post, we’ll provide a comprehensive guide to dental veneer prices in the UK and also explain why exactly prices vary so much so that you can make a well-guided decision on which dentist to see.
Summary
Dental veneers are not available on the NHS for cosmetic purposes.
Prices range from £500 - £1950 per tooth and are influenced by the following:
The condition of your teeth and which teeth they are
The skill and experience of the dentist and lab technician
The quality of the porcelain material
The quality of the dental practice
On the cheaper end of the scale, your veneers are more likely to look dull and flat and have poorly finished margins. This means that they won’t look as good for long and will require replacing more often. Cheap veneers are often very obvious in your mouth as well.
On the more expensive side, your veneers will look seamless, natural, easy to clean and hard to spot in your smile; however, prices can be very high for high-quality dentists.
To get a more accurate idea of how much your treatment is likely to cost, you can use our online veneer cost calculator to get an instant quote for veneer treatment.
Here are some rough figures for the prices of good quality dental veneers:
£1500 for a single central incisor tooth
£1200 per tooth for front teeth
£800 - £1000 per tooth for a full arch
You will find several dentists offering treatment at cheaper rates but read below to find out why you should research before accepting cheap veneer offers.
What exactly are veneers?
Dental veneers are thin shells of tooth-coloured materials like porcelain, composite resin or acrylic. They are designed to cover the front surface of your teeth to enhance their appearance and restore dental function.
Why do veneer prices vary so much in the UK?
Every person, tooth and dentist are different and that is why the price of veneers can vary a lot. 5 main things impact the price of your veneers:
Your teeth
The skill level of the dentist and lab technician
The quality of materials used in your veneers
The quality of the practice and your experience
Your teeth
It is much easier to plan and execute high-quality veneers for teeth that are healthy, well aligned and start with a good base colour. The following factors make it harder for your dentist to make good veneers, and therefore, they may be more expensive:
Crooked teeth
Dark teeth
Lots of existing old fillings that need replacing
An uneven bite
A high lip line (where your gum line is visible)
Lower teeth (these are more complicated to treat than upper ones because of the way you bite)
Single central incisors (these teeth are in the middle of your mouth, so getting an accurate colour match becomes much harder)
The skill level of the dentist
Every dentist you see will be qualified to provide safe dental treatment. However, veneers are not taught to a great extent at dental schools as they are cosmetic treatments. Dentists will invest in several post-graduation courses to learn how to provide high-quality veneers.
The more time and effort a dentist spends practising and perfecting their skills, the better the quality of your veneers, but that dentist will charge more for their services.
A more experienced dentist will:
Spend more time planning your case to get the right shapes for your smile and face
Plan your veneers to be as minimally destructive of your teeth as possible
Make sure the veneers are fitted with precision to avoid rough edges and visible joins
Quality of lab technician and materials
Your actual veneers are not made by your dentist but by a lab technician who most often works at a different site from the clinic. Just like the experience of the dentist, the skill of your technician will make a great difference to the outcome of your treatment.
higher quality labs will use premium porcelain products to make veneers that match your teeth and are strong enough to avoid chipping and breaking.
Quality of the dental clinic
As well as thinking about the veneers themselves, you must remember that you will spend a lot of your time at the dental practice for your appointments. Many higher-end dental practices will invest in making the entire experience more pleasant for you. This can range from small luxuries like free coffees and drinks whilst waiting for appointments to TVs and entertainment on the wall during your treatment.
A clinic that invests in its equipment will also produce better work as the precision of the machines will be higher.
Many clinics will now have 3D scanners instead of manual impressions to improve your experience.
Good quality staff will be at hand to answer your questions and manage your appointments well, leading to a smoother journey with minimal delays.
Any further questions?
We hope you’ve found this article helpful in understanding what goes into veneers and how they are priced. If you have any questions you can contact one of our online dentists directly, who will be able to answer them for you.
