The Health Benefits of Cosmetic Veneers

Cosmetic veneers, which are thin layers of porcelain or some other tooth-colored material used to cover up damaged teeth, are known mostly for their cosmetic benefits.

It turns out that in addition to those cosmetic benefits, there are health benefits to veneers as well.

The Consequences of Not Repairing Chipped, Cracked, or Broken Teeth

Unless you’re going for a rugged hockey-player sort of look, you probably find damaged teeth to be pretty ugly. Veneers will solve that appearance problem for you.

But there’s more at stake than just looks here.

Enamel is the only thing that’s standing in the way between very sensitive nerves and the outside world. And the “outside world” of the inside of your mouth is rife with bacteria. When you crack your tooth, and therefore crack your enamel, you open up a space for bacteria to flow in and possibly infect that nerve.

Just think of all the chewed-up food that goes through your mouth on any given day. This is not an environment you want to expose your nerves to.

An infected nerve is going to require a root canal, which are expensive and uncomfortable (although not near as painful as you may have been led to believe). Or, if you neglect to treat an infected nerve with a root canal, the resulting complications may require you to simply extract the tooth.

So, there’s the possible chain of events: a cracked tooth leading to an infected root leading to an extraction. One less tooth than you had before. And it all could have been avoided in the first place if you had just had a veneer applied to the tooth before all that bacteria found its way in.

Has all this talk about cosmetic veneers got you interested? Maybe you already have a chipped, cracked, or broken tooth that could stand to be covered up. In that case, here are a couple quick facts that will help you be prepared for the cost of veneers before you even step foot into your dentist’s office:

Veneers typically cost somewhere between $600 and $1,200, and they are usually not covered by insurance. But, you will want to check with your insurance to ensure you are taking full advantage of your dental benefits.

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Dr. Jonathan Everett

Dr. Jonathan Everett received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Washington and completed his undergraduate studies in biochemistry at Washington State University. During this time, Dr. Everett served as both the President of the American Student Dental Association chapter as well as the Student Council Vice President. As a board-member of DentPAC for the Washington State Dental Association, Dr. Everett fought to maintain the quality of dental care provided in Washington State by working with state legislators and advocating for patient-centered dentistry in Olympia.

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