I don’t have any experience with veneers.

I just had to Lol at your statement

”unnaturally white chiclets”…I know exactly what you mean.

”unnaturally white chiclets”

I don't know why people do that. It's a dead giveaway.

I don't know anything about veneers, but I don't understand how they can correct alignment issues without bulking up your mouth.

I have veneers on six front teeth for over 23 years. Only one has come off twice in all that time. Other than that mine have not broken down or changed in appearance. I do regret having my teeth ground down. I think about how this will affect my appearance in advanced age if I needed to have the teeth repaired and could not go through the procedure. I have told my kids that it would bother me and that they should do their best to find a solution if I cannot. I recall learning that veneers can be done now without grinding the teeth. Find the best person to do the work, preferably recommended by someone you know who has veneers. Maybe that would work for you. An alternative to veneers is bonding.

3katz have you looked into Invisalign? What you describe is exactly what sent me to an orthodontist 8 years ago. I had a tooth that shifted a bit and looked shadowed in photos and the correction for that was simple and pretty quick. I had other alignment issues that took longer to address. As for veneers I have no experience but have one tooth that I chipped in my 20s with a bonding. It's lasted a looooong time but I think needs replacement now.

DLM - Invisalign isn't an option for reasons I won't get into here and it wouldn't resolve the chipping problem with the incisal edge. I'll see what the options are for not removing tooth enamel. That is the thing that bothers me most and right now the cons are outweighing the pros in my mind. I'm not one who does much of anything for cosmetic purposes - now that I don't color my hair anymore. 😊

I do not have any opinions about veneers for cosmetic reasons (simply not enough knowlege or any experience). I will say that I've had two molar crowns done and I wondered if that would be a solution for the tooth that is continually chipping away? I know with my molars they reached a point where fillings would not be strong enough due to the size so a crown was a better solution. No root canal done. I will say that the recovery was unpleasant for me. (Nearly 2 months of tooth pain.) However, I think they should be better longer term because decay will be less likely to get under a crown than under the fillings (which was why the fillings were getting bigger).

3katz, I've had some work done to cover a tooth that was partially discolored. It was not done with a veneer but some type of material that hardened with a blue light. I have a very close friend who is a dentist. Will try to ask her.

I had four veneers applied to my teeth more than 20 years ago and I'm very happy with them. One tooth broke fairly recently, but that was caused by a lower tooth eroding it over time, and not the fault of the veneer. My dentist did excellent work and because he matched the colors to my natural teeth, I don't have the "striking white" effect. It's a very natural look.

arapaho - I think it is a composite restoration material - the same thing they use for tooth colored fillings. They cure that with the blue light. That is an option in my case for the alignment but that is the same material I have that chips off over time. My regular appt is next week and I’ve pondered this since my last one six months ago. I have more questions now.

Bonding.. Yes! both my daughter and granddaughter chipped their front teeth in accidents. Both bondings looked gorgeous. At age 18 we were told it was time my daughter switch to permanent veneers. They have lasted and are fine, but are not as pretty a shape as the bonding.That dentist was a better artist. Our granddaughter has had her bonded front teeth for ten years. They are gorgeous. You may need to look outside your dental practice if they do not have examples to show that you like. Best is to look for the dentist where a friend had theirs done. Vice versa, but you get it

My dentist is excellent so no need to go elsewhere. Better than a layperson referral, he was referred by another dental professional who worked there and saw his work firsthand. I always like to get professional referrals if possible because lay people don't have the expertise to effectively assess the skills of health care professionals.

One possible outcome of the veneers that require no tooth reduction is a negative reaction of the marginal gum tissue in the form of chronic gingivitis or eventual recession. Your gum is "used to" essentially, the tooth contours that you have, and changing the contours can sometimes have a negative effect. This occasionally happens with veneers where the tooth is reduced, but more frequently with the type that are applied over the tooth. Personally I consider that type almost like Lee Press On Nails for the teeth, and they rarely have a natural appearance.

I got veneers 30 years ago and kind of wish I hadn’t. Mainly because, I still drank coffee and tea and ate blueberries and now I can’t whiten them. I don’t want chiclets either, but a little lighter would be nice. My dentist did a great job matching to my other teeth, and my wedding pictures looked nice. But I wish I had looked into other procedures. I did it because a friend had gotten them an looked great.

In some respects I think of it kind of like joint replacement. I'm at the age where it will probably hold up pretty well for the rest of my life and/or until I don't really care. There is no rush to do anything other than wanting to do whatever I'm going to do before my dentist retires.

I found the truth that when getting caps they grind down what's there shocking too. It's the process. And the options don't get any easier to bare. The name just gives a different impression. Dental implants is a choice...that's even more macabre to think about. As we age I think many who have had dental whitening's/chicklets etc. will stick out like a sore thumb. Teeth stain over time. It's just a fact. 95 year old grandma with super white bright teeth is just not going to come off well. The teeth won't match the skin/hair/eyes......

Yeah, I see some unsightly chicklets and wonder what were they thinking - and these aren't "old" people. I ended up just getting a composite restoration on one tooth to even it out with the one next to it - problem solved.

I had veneers done a few years ago, and one thing I’d suggest is making sure you really research the dentist’s experience with them. A bad fitting can be really uncomfortable and look unnatural. I’ve heard great things about Colina Dental Clinic for high-quality veneers that look natural and last well. A good dentist will make sure your bite isn’t affected and that they match your natural teeth color perfectly.