When I was 13 I was referred to an NHS dental hospital. They attempted to build the worn down teeth back up to offer some extra protection. They used something called composite resin to do this. It's a a tooth-coloured filling material and often used as a cheap alternative to veneers to resolve minor issues like small gaps and chips. I cried my eyes out when I got home. I hated them. They were flat and bulky and looked nothing like the natural teeth that all my friends had. I continued to be miserable with these and avoided talking and laughing - especially if I knew there was a camera about. A further two years went by and it became apparent that composite didn't seem to be very hard wearing and was discolouring as time went by. I fell out of bed one night (my dreams can be very odd!) and managed to crack the composite off of my two front teeth. I had it restored and thought this was the end to the problem, but I was incredibly wrong. I'm not sure if it was because of the angle, or the dentists poor skill but the composite would slowly break off every couple of months. I had this restored numerous times over the next couple of years which wasn't cheap and the problem grew very frustrating. I hated the ledge the composite gave and it made flossing very difficult. The gum eventually started to inflame and mould around the top of my tooth which didn't look nice.
Fed up, I began searching the internet for a long-term solution and came across porcelain veneers. They are a thin, custom-made material that covers the front of your natural tooth, similar to a false fingernail. They improve the appearance and can change the colour, shape, size or length. Prices start from around £400 a tooth, and depending who you use can go right up to around £2,000 a tooth. Reading through further information online it felt like it was only celebrities and rich people that got these. When I left college I got a full time job and began to save some money away. The next time my composite broke off I decided to book an appointment with a private cosmetic specialist dentist instead of my usual. He fixed this temporarily and encouraged me to find out more about veneers.
I was a little hesitant about the whole process because of the large amount of money involved, so I decided to book a couple of consultations with other companies, as well as the one that encouraged me to find out more about veneers. Some consultations were free, and others charged around £75. The first consultation cost me, but I didn't feel like the dentist was really listening to me. He just wanted my money, told me veneers would be fine (without even checking if I'd had any previous oral issues) and tried to get me to sign up there and then. The second dentist didn't charge a consultation fee but suggested we try removing all the composite bonding and re-doing it before putting on veneers if I didn't like it. She didn't really listen when I stressed my worries about the 'join' between my natural tooth and the composite. I was made to feel like I was just being vain. The third dentist was the same man who repaired my composite the last time. He owns his own practice and specialises in cosmetic dentistry. He didn't charge me a fee for the consultation and I felt like he had all the time in the world to listen to my requirements and worries. Although his prices were slightly more than everywhere else I'd seen, I felt the most comfortable with him so I made another appointment to begin the process.
At the second appointment I had x-rays and moulds taken so they could create a 'wax up trial smile' for me. He listened to what I didn't like about my teeth and talked me through all of the options. At this point we decided to add teeth whitening and gum contouring to the treatment plan for the best results. He also informed me that there was a 0% finance option available to me, meaning I wouldn't have to dip into my savings. This allowed me to spread the cost across 6 to 12 months without paying any extra fees.
At my third appointment I got to see what I'd look like with veneers. We originally thought I needed the top 8 doing, but ended up deciding that 4 would be fine. I'd really like my bottom teeth done in the future but at the moment my top teeth are my priority just to get rid of the horrible composite. They provided me with my whitening trays which I had to use for 40 minutes each day for 2 weeks. We then booked another appointment for 3 weeks time to start preparing my teeth for veneers.
At home I soon became familiar with the Zoom2 whitening kit and found it very easy to use. I'd squeeze the gel out of the syringe into a mould of my teeth and pop it in for 40 minutes whilst I watched Hollyoaks. In the past I used Crest 3D whitening strips which gave me good results but left my gums very sore. I've seen some users of Zoom2 complain online that their teeth are very sensitive, but personally I had no issues with the kit. It didn't taste too bad either which was a bonus!
Click here to read my stage two post about living with the temporary veneers...
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