A genuine smile is always your best feature but, sadly, many people feel too self-conscious to smile in public. If you find yourself shying away from photos or covering your mouth with your hand when you laugh, you’re depriving the world (and yourself) from seeing you at your happiest.
Fortunately, cosmetic dentistry makes it easy to enhance your smile and boost your confidence. With a wide range of treatments available, any imperfections can be addressed and resolved to give you the smile you’ve always dreamed of.
Although cosmetic dentistry is now widely available, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s accessible. The cost of many treatments is relatively high, which means many people are unable to access the treatment they’d like. Similarly, a significant proportion of people spend months or years saving up for dental treatment and spend the intervening time unhappy with their smile.
If you’re eager to get the perfect smile but you’re wary of the costs involved, read on to find out what the most popular cosmetic dentistry treatments are and how much they’re likely to cost:
Table of Contents
1. Dental Implants
A dental implant can be a great way to replace damaged or missing teeth. An implant, typically made of titanium or titanium alloy, is integrated into your jawbone and a dental crown sits atop the gum, affixed to the implant with an abutment, to create the appearance of a natural tooth. As the implant integrates into the bone so well, it provides a stable point for the crown to be fixed to and ensures the implant doesn’t move.
Dental implants can be used to replace one missing tooth or several teeth, depending on what you need. If you have lost multiple teeth due to a trauma, for example, your dentist may be able to fit four crowns on two implants or six crowns on three implants. This minimises the amount of dental work required (and reduces the cost), while still ensuring you have the perfect smile.
What’s the Cost of Dental Implants?
Although dental implants are a fantastic way to improve your smile, they can be costly. Most people need to pay for this type of treatment privately and the exact cost will depend on how many implants you need, the extent of your treatment, and the materials your implants and crowns are made from. Some patients may require bone grafting as part of the implant process, for example, which can increase the cost.
In general, dental implants can cost anywhere from £1,000 – £2,500 per tooth. If multiple crowns are fitted to a reduced number of implants, it may work out to around £1,500 per tooth. Despite their popularity, the cost of dental implants does prevent many people from moving forward with this type of treatment. However, crowns, bridges and dentures do provide a more budget-friendly way of replacing missing teeth.
2. Braces
As your ‘adult teeth’ erupt through the gum, they don’t always do so in a straight line. In fact, it’s far more common for teeth to erupt at slightly different angles, which can result in alignment issues later in life. This is why many teenagers wear braces when their teeth are still finding their natural position.
Your teeth continue to move throughout your life, which means alignment issues can occur at any time. Even if you’ve worn braces in the past, it’s not uncommon for subsequent movement to impact the alignment of your teeth.
Fortunately, a new set of braces can resolve the issue and restore your smile. In the past few years, there have been great advances in orthodontics, so you don’t have to wear fixed, metal braces if you don’t want to. Instead, you can fix mild to moderate alignment issues with clear aligners. These are a great option if you feel self-conscious about wearing braces or you want to keep your dental treatment under wraps.
How Much Do Braces Cost?
Before you consider having any orthodontic treatment, it’s important to ask, how much do braces cost UK? If braces are purely for cosmetic reasons, they can be fairly expensive, so it’s vital to ensure you’ve got the budget for the full course of treatment ahead of time.
It’s not unusual for adults to spend upwards of £4,000 – £6,000 when accessing orthodontic treatment, so you may want to plan ahead and budget for your braces. Of course, this can mean that you’ll have to wait quite some time and potentially deal with more severe alignment issues by the time you can afford treatment.
Fortunately, there is another option. If you want to reduce your braces cost UK, you can have custom-made clear aligners produced for you without having to visit your dentist at all. Straight My Teeth dispatch a professional dental impression kit straight to your door and you can take moulds of your mouth at home. Upon returning the kit, technicians plan your treatment and create a bespoke smile projection. If you’re happy with the plan, they’ll send you custom-made clear aligners to wear. As well as being simple and straightforward, this method of treatment is also super budget-friendly, with many people accessing treatment for under £1,000!
3. Dental Veneers
Dental veneers are made from extra-thin material that’s affixed to the front of the tooth to improve its appearance. As dental veneers are used to cover the whole of the front of the tooth, they can be used to remedy a variety of issues, such as discolouration, chipped teeth or mild alignment problems.
Traditionally, dentists grind a small portion of the enamel away before affixing the veneer to the tooth, although ‘no-prep veneers’ are now available too. Then, the veneer is permanently bonded to the surface of the tooth. As part of the planning process, your dentist will ‘colour match’ your veneers so that they are in-keeping with your existing teeth to create a natural smile.
How Much Do Veneers Cost?
Veneers can be made out of a variety of materials, which affects how much your treatment will cost. Porcelain veneers are most commonly used as they tend to last for longer and are more resistant to damage. However, some ‘no-prep veneers’ use a composite material in order to keep costs low and minimise the amount of tooth preparation that’s required.
The cost of veneers varies significantly from one dental practice to another and, of course, the total cost will depend on the number of veneers you have. In general, dental veneers can cost between £400 – £1,000 per tooth. It’s worth noting, however, that porcelain veneers have a limited lifespan and are only expected to last around 10-15 years. Due to this, you may need to budget for additional treatment in the future, if you choose to have veneers.
Choosing the Right Cosmetic Dentistry Treatment
Having the right cosmetic dentistry can transform your appearance and make you feel much more confident. With so many options out there, however, it’s important to do your research in order to determine which treatments are right for you. With professional advice and planning, it is possible to find budget-friendly cosmetic dentistry treatments that will enhance your smile without putting a dent in your wallet.
