How Many Veneers Do I Need?

For a full smile change, a veneer plan often covers the upper teeth that show when you smile broadly. For many people, that means six, eight or ten. If one tooth is chipped or darker than the rest, the answer may be one or two. There is no standard package. The right number depends on your smile, your teeth and your goals.

You may already have a number in mind, perhaps the eight a friend had done. That is a fair place to start. The count still has to come from your own mirror.

Count the teeth your smile actually shows.

Stand at a mirror and give a full, easy smile, the one you’d give in a photo with friends. Count outward from the center. The first three teeth on each side are the central incisors, the lateral incisors and the canines: the six front teeth most people picture when they think of veneers. Behind the canines sit the premolars.

Those side teeth can show more than people expect. In a study of 188 young adults published in the International Dental Journal, the upper first premolars were almost always visible when smiling, and some smiles showed teeth farther back. That is one reason a plan may run to eight (canine to canine, plus the first premolars) or ten (through the second premolars). If your smile shows premolars and only the front six are treated, the natural teeth at the corners can look different next to new porcelain.

Lower teeth count too, if they show. A study of 265 adults in The Angle Orthodontist found that the lower incisors show more with age, while the upper incisors show less. If your lowers are visible and will look different from your new uppers, they belong in the conversation, even if they stay out of the plan.

Buccal corridors, the dark corners of a smile.

When you smile, there is a small shadow between your side teeth and the corners of your mouth. Dentists call it the buccal corridor. Some people want it smaller, because a smile that fills out toward the corners can look broader. Veneers on the premolars can sometimes help, since porcelain can be shaped to sit a little fuller than the tooth beneath it. How much depends on where those teeth sit, and in some mouths aligning the teeth first is the better route.

The research is less settled than you might think. A systematic review in The Angle Orthodontist found that studies using digitally altered photos generally showed larger corridors looked less attractive, while studies that rated real people’s smiles found no link between corridor size and how attractive the smile looked.

A little shadow at the corners is normal. Wanting less of it is a reasonable preference. On its own, it is a thin reason to prepare two more teeth.

Matching the teeth you are not treating.

Every natural tooth next to a veneer becomes its reference point. The American Dental Association notes that part of every veneer process is picking the shade that matches your natural teeth. That works well when you want the veneers to blend in. It gets harder when you want to go much brighter than the teeth that will stay.

Whitening does not work on veneers, according to the ADA. So if you want your natural teeth brighter, it is best to whiten them before your veneer shade is chosen. If the shade you want is beyond what your own teeth can reach, your dentist may talk with you about including more teeth in the plan, so that the difference between porcelain and enamel does not show.

Shape matters as much as shade. A new central incisor has to match its neighbor in length and edge shape, and the teeth behind it have to step back the way natural teeth do. Our porcelain veneers are designed in collaboration with an on site master ceramist, so color, translucency and shape are refined in person rather than mailed back and forth to a distant lab.

When one or two veneers is the right plan.

A single veneer is possible. It can also be one of the harder things in cosmetic dentistry to get right, because a front tooth sits beside its natural twin at the center of your smile, where the eye catches small differences in shade or length. It often takes more care than a full set: detailed shade photographs, and sometimes more than one try-in. Two central incisors treated together can be easier to match to each other, though they still have to sit well beside the laterals.

Fewer can also be the more careful answer. Veneers are a permanent change. As the ADA puts it, treatment is not reversible, because enamel is removed to place a veneer. Every tooth added to a plan will need a veneer, or another covering, from then on. If six veneers and whitening the rest meet your goals, six may be a better number than ten. Sometimes the right number is zero, and a more conservative option such as whitening or bonding is enough.

If a plan calls for ten, it is fair to ask what eight would look like, and why eight isn’t enough. A dentist who has thought it through should be able to explain.

How a consultation settles the number.

The count should come out of records, not a first impression. At a private consultation with Dr. Frey, planning includes:

• A full exam, including your bite and gums. The ADA notes that veneers may not be a good choice if you clench or grind your teeth or have a deep overbite.
• Photographs of your smile and face.
• An iTero 3D scan, which gives a detailed 3D image of your teeth and bite with no messy impressions.

You can also preview a plan. Our virtual smile preview uses digital imaging to show how cosmetic dentistry could change your smile, and for veneers you can also live with a trial smile before anything is permanent. A preview is a guide to what is possible, not a promise of an exact result, and results vary from person to person. If you are still deciding who should do the work, our guide to what type of dentist does veneers covers training and questions to ask.

Bring a few photos of your smile to the visit, ones you like and ones you don’t. We can look together at where your smile ends, which natural teeth will sit beside the porcelain, and the smallest plan that fits your goals. Schedule A Consultation.

This article is general information, not medical or dental advice, and it is not a substitute for an exam by a licensed dentist. Reading it does not make you a patient of Perfect White Smile. If you have pain, or a symptom that concerns you, contact your dentist or schedule a consultation with Perfect White Smile. If you think you have an emergency, call 911.

Published by Perfect White Smile, the Beverly Hills practice led by Dr. David Frey, DDS. Meet the team.