Shiny, thank you for a more detailed explanation. It's hard for me to be objective, because I have tens of thousands of dollars in my mouth (lol, too bad it's not in cash). I've had problem teeth all my life, lots of cavities, lots of crowns, now one implant -- all despite very good dental hygiene. My teeth are not perfectly aligned either, but my dentist comments every time on how pretty they are, which makes me feel better. In short, dental work has and will always be a priority for me. ETA: I should have married a dentist!

The question of the veneer's longevity is the main obstacle to me. If money is no object, I'd say do whatever is necessary to make sure your smile never makes you feel self conscious. Unfortunately, I think a lot of our self-consciousness stems from deep inside, and no amount of cosmetic intervention can fix that.

P.S. I finally got a Sonicare toothbrush recently. It's a miracle! Feels like a I'm getting a cleaning at the dentist every time I brush.

I also have some minorly chipped teeth - snowboarding fall. My dentist filed/ground them down a little to help.
As an aside, I see several people mentioned not going to the dentist when they didn't have dental insurance. I only have had it for a few years out of my adult life, mostly I've been without, and I find it very odd to not go just because the $175 cleaning and exam isn't covered. I mean, we spend probably that much on our hair each year (which is already dead!), and our teeth are SO much more important. Anyway, I thought I'd throw that out there. My dentist would just cut back on frequency of x-rays and such if everything else looked okay. Preventive medicine is the best course - insurance or not!

Going through the thread again... I never thought about spending the extra $ for more frequent cleaning! That is a great idea.

Also, what is a cap? How is it different than a crown?

As for veneers having a less than perfect gum, I'm okay with that, because the gum line has already receded enough as it is. My gums certainly don't look perfect. Though they are healthy.

Diana -- yes veneers are damaging, it is true they have to destroy the tooth to give you a new one. But, I already had that done with one front tooth, which required a crown. I waited a long time (too long, now I regret not doing it sooner) to get a crown, for precisely this reason.

As for the other teeth that would be affected, they have already been damaged -- though the roots are still alive. My second front was chipped off in half. So half of that tooth is already fake. A third and fourth tooth suffered more minor chips which were repaired with bonding.

I guess what I wonder -- if anyone knows? -- is there a limit to the amount of times a tooth can be bonded? In other words, is it possible that eventually I'll no longer be able to bond these three teeth, leaving me with no other choice but veneers? In which case, sooner rather than later may be the better strategy.

Right before I had the accident last year, my dentist had told me that the dead tooth could no longer be bonded. The tooth had become too fragile to handle it. She did one last touch up but then said next visit I had no choice but to finally get the crown. So, that was in the plan already... and then I fell and whacked my mouth... and the fragile dead tooth broke in two, then off completely. At that time (emergency visit) she did bring up veneers as an option but said I couldn't get them for at least a year, because the gums had been severely bruised and needed to heal first. I was sore for a long, long time...

Shiny, we're nearly birthday buddies! (Mine is today).

After reading your more detailed explanation, it sounds like you are perhaps a good candidate for veneers. If several teeth are damaged, plus you don't love the shape of them, and you already have a crown anyway, it might be worth it. The crown will not, of course, change colour over time, but your natural teeth will, and then they won't match. Also the bonding on the damaged teeth won't match, and it tends to need to be re-done periodically because it falls out. Veneers will take care of that problem. Your teeth will match the crowned tooth perfectly, and they will all be white and nicely-shaped. (Also bear in mind that the gum issue is really NOT an issue for most people; only for me, because I have such a gummy smile and an annoyingly nitpicky eye).

As far as them needing to be re-done? The dentist will tell you the average lifespan of a front crown or veneer is 10 to 15 years. It's an average. Some can last far longer than that, some far less. Of my six front crowns, two needed replacing within the first five years (one because it was defective from the beginning; the other because I cracked it while eating a sandwich at the beach, and the darned thing eventually fell right off). The other four are going strong and still look great, ten years on.

One of the biggest reasons front crowns/veneers need replacing is that as you get older, your gums recede, and will show the edge of the veneer (which originally would have been hidden below the gumline). Functionally the veneers could be fine, but it'll look bad, so people replace them. And it's hard to predict how fast the gums will recede. Taking care of your gum health is thought to help.

Hope that helps! Good luck with it all.

Declawed -- "Unfortunately, I think a lot of our self-consciousness stems from deep inside, and no amount of cosmetic intervention can fix that." EXACTLY! That is what I wonder. Maybe this is all in my head?

Re, sonicare toothbrush: I also use one of those. My dentist complains about it, says that it wears the bonding down faster. But I love it ...

Mo -- I agree with you. My only defense is that this was a period of 4 years when I was going through a custody battle with my ex. All of our finances were locked by the courts, until we could reach a settlement which took 4 years. I had been a SAHM for years and was only getting my career back on track. I had no choice but to live in a high-rent area because the custody battle meant I couldn't move farther than 15 minutes from my ex. I also had NO credit cards because after 7 years of marriage I had no credit history in my own name. Those were very, very tough years for me. Every last cent went to my kids, not to me. There were many days I didn't eat and went hungry because I had no money. Food and keeping the heat on was a higher priority than teeth. The stress of the situation only compounded matters -- stress does a number on one's health overall.

your (own) teeth are so important to your good health, regardless of how they look.

whiten, straighten, fix. but veneers-- too much damage to the underlying teeth. not so concerned about the 5k, more about how long will your "real" teeth last.

i have no issues with cutting into my face for vanity--in fact i am considering an eye tuck. but as someone with extensive dental work, i have an unnatural desire to keep my own teeth until science can grow one for me to implant.

Elisabeth -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Thanks so much for your post; you've outlined everything quite well. Yes, the difference in color is annoying... crown vs real teeth vs areas that were bonded. It looks fine right after a cleaning. More frequent cleanings may help. Then again... hmm.

Possibly dumb question: what is the difference between veneers and a crown? Is there a difference?

10-15 years... that would put me around retirement age.

Not a dumb question.

A veneer is more conservative than a crown. They drill some enamel only off the front surface of the tooth, and bond a thin veneer over it. A crown, on the other hand, covers the whole tooth. They grind off all the enamel, leaving only a little peg, and the crown fits like a little hat over it!

In my experience, crowns are less likely to fall off, but the more enamel you remove, the more traumatizing it is to the pulps. I haven't needed a root canal on a front tooth yet, but it could certainly happen. With veneers, it's very unlikely that the pulps will become damaged enough to require root canals.

Understood - we all have times in life that 'the squeeze' is on. I've lived on friends' couches with all my stuff in the back of my car. I didn't mean to single you out necessarily, just the comment came up a few times about not going without insurance. And unfortunately, it can very often cost more in the end if we don't keep up with it every year.
I hope you find the solution you are happy with!

This is why I'm fiercely passionate about health care reform. But let's not get started on that.

I know I'm extremely fortunate -- here I am debating about whether or not to drop $5K into my teeth for vanity reasons, or would I rather spend that money on clothes or a trip. #firstworldproblems!! It wasn't always that way. I've been through some tough economic times, and I have not forgotten what it was like, and the very real challenges. In fact, that is playing into this: there is still a part of me that is frugal and cautious about how I spend my money and this seems extravagant.