My teeth aren’t as nice as they could be so I recently asked my Dentist father in law to fit me for braces. After taking impressions, he counseled me on the alternatives and said vaneers would be much easier and much more practical for me…since ortho would require jaw reset, crossbite fix, class 2 (overbite), etc. Plus braces aren’t easily handled by 30 yr old men.
He and my wife (dental hygeinists) both say my teeth aren’t that bad (of course they’re worse to me) and that if anything vaneers would be much easier since I really just want to straighten them out a little and improve the color. The only problem is that in order to put on the vaneers they have to file my teeth down really small (like little pegs) and this scares the crap out of me.
Anyone have vaneers…what do you think of the results?
I’m getting veneers as soon as I can afford it ($700-2,000 a tooth is death to a college student’s budget) to lengthen a few too-short teeth, but my aunt has them and LOVES them.
At the appointment when they filed her teeth down, she said they offered her nitrous oxide or local anesthesia if she wanted it, but she declined and found that there was no pain at all. 
From the way she described it, it didn’t sound like they filed her teeth down into little pegs…more like they took the top layer of enamel off and slightly reshaped the tooth so the veneer would affix more easily. They gave her the option of wearing temporary veneers for the week between appointments (in case she thought they looked a little funny, and to help with possible hot/cold sensitivity) but she declined, saying they were fine.
I think veneers are great-they don’t stain, so you get the look of permanent white teeth sans bleaching, they give that perfect Hollywood smile, are very strong and durable. and make it just about impossible to get a cavity on the areas they’re covering.
The only downside is the aforementioned cost, although I believe that some offices have a financing program where you can pay off your cosmetic dental work in installments, much like you would a new car. Also, it’s recommended that you replace your veneers every 15 or so years.
If in the end you decide you really don’t want veneers, there is an invisible brace system called Invisalign. Many regular and cosmetic dental offices offer this, and instead of being the permanent, conspicuous braces most people probably think of, they’re custom-fitted clear plastic trays that can be removed at any time, just like a retainer. It does the same job as regular braces do, in the same amount/less time, and only slightly more expensive. Good luck with whatever option you choose.
Forgot to add this in my original reply - you can do a search for “porcelain veneers” or “veneer laminates” and come up with lots of dentists’ pages that feature before-and-afters. Some of these pictures are remarkable… http://www.cosmeticdentist.com for example. This should give you a basic idea of what you can expect.