Veneer Replacement Made Me Excited to Look in the Mirror Again
"Practicing your smile" for your wedding sounded like just another TikTok trend I'd be happy to scroll past the first time it crossed my For You page. Of the hundreds of wedding checklists I'd found on The Knot and Pinterest, "smile practice" was nowhere to be found. But 10 videos later, I found myself wedging it onto my to-do list between scheduling dress alterations and confirming the seating chart for the third time.
When you've had as many years of extensive dental work as I have (silver crowns, braces, root canals, veneers) staring at yourself smiling isn't necessarily an easy task. Smile practice quickly became one of the most anxiety-inducing boxes to check off my wedding prep list. But, after shelling out thousands on a photographer and a professional glam squad, it became increasingly clear how important it was going to be for me to feel comfortable smiling at my wedding. Four months prior to the big day, I found myself consumed for three hours in the afternoon nit-picking my smile in the mirror. Maybe I could hold my lips just so or turn my head 20 degrees more to the left to hide the gap, I thought.
Of all my dental work, the most noticeable was the veneer on my front right tooth. I’ve had it for 17 years; it was a cover-up job for a cheerleading accident that resulted in a root canal procedure and a single gray tooth. In the past five years, it became clear I needed to have the veneer replaced. The bonding on my adjacent front tooth began to stain, my gum had started to recede and a gap appeared at the top of my two front teeth.
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I’d looked into replacing it over the years but never made my way to the dentist, chalking it up to the pandemic. In between smile practice sessions, I hopped back onto TikTok, hopeful that the algorithm would help me discover the easiest and quickest solution to "fixing" my smile for my wedding. I settled on professional teeth whitening.
In September, I found myself at the doors of Apa Aesthetic in New York City. I was there to document my teeth whitening experience for Allure. As the elevator doors opened to their VIP floor, Apa on Six, I was greeted by spotless white terrazzo, sleek bookshelves filled with a mix of posh decor, and a neon white sign reading 'apa.' It felt more like the Four Seasons than somewhere where I was about to have long cotton rolls and bleaching agents in my mouth. The anxiety that had ratcheted up while I was in the elevator fell away as I was greeted by the ultra-friendly team and taken to a treatment room.
As they wrapped up my teeth cleaning prior to the whitening, I met the man whose name was on the neon sign: Dr. Michael Apa. He took one look at my teeth and pronounced that I needed a replacement veneer. And just like that, I joined the ranks of his storied clients, which include Chloë Sevigny, the Olsen twins, Huda Kattan, and at least one African princess.
A look at Apa on Six at Apa Aesthetic.
To make sense of why replacements and restorations are needed, you've got to understand that veneers are razor-thin shells of porcelain or composite designed to cover the front side of the tooth. The shell is crafted to the specifications of your smile and bonded to the tooth's enamel to improve the overall shape, size, position, and color of your teeth. While they aren't exactly fragile, they do take on wear and tear just like the rest of your teeth.
And the days of "chiclet" teeth? Long gone. Doctors, like Apa, have turned to more natural looking smiles with advanced painting and ceramic techniques. "Restored teeth should look like teeth," says Dr. Apa. "A veneer is more than just 'cosmetic dentistry,' it’s also restorative dentistry, with real functional benefits. People can forget that once they hear the word 'cosmetic,' but veneers are restorations just like a crown or filling."
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I already knew I needed more than just whitening. When I first got my veneer I was more concerned about no longer having a gray tooth than what veneer maintenance might look like down the line (teenage priorities). In fact, I had nearly missed the doctor mentioning that I would need to have my veneer replaced down the line. At the moment, it felt like a problem for Future Kassidy to deal with. But that Future Kassidy is now present-day me — and I had a lot to learn about what replacement actually entails.
"For a replacement, a cosmetic dentist will need to strategically cut off the veneers with a bur [drill] or a laser technology to remove without cutting the natural teeth. You don't know what’s underneath, which can be more complicated," says cosmetic dentist Daniel Rubinshtein, adding the procedure is more complicated than that of installing the initial veneer.
In the world of cosmetic dentistry, you get what you pay for.
Depending on your treatment, your doctor will assess what type of veneer fits your smile and your budget. On the lower end, composite veneers (often referred to as "same day veneers") can cost between $250 and $1,500 per tooth while a high-quality porcelain veneer, which is more durable and artfully designed in a lab, can cost between $500 to $2,500 per tooth. If you're going to a premiere dentist, well, I should say artist, like I did, the price tag can be upwards of $5,000 per tooth. There is a laundry list of factors that determine the cost of your new smile including where your doctor is located, what materials they will be using, how many teeth you need done, if there is any extra dental work you need done in tandem… the list goes on.
When deciding if you should get veneers, your replacement costs should factor into your planning. And no, there's no 50% off discount when you need a replacement — the prices are the same. With good upkeep (brushing, flossing, actually going to the dentist for routine cleanings), composite veneers can last between four to eight years, while high-quality porcelain veneers have a much longer life, lasting between 15 to 20 years. Every case is different; your age when you get your veneers and your maintenance routine will influence when you'll need a replacement, or if you'll need one at all.
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If you're not sure if you're due, Dr. Rubinshtein says there are signs you can self-assess. "Substantial chips and or cracks are a red flag," he says. "[Or] if your gums have recessed or exposed clearly between the tooth and veneer." When deciding whether or not to get veneers, replacement costs should weigh into your decision-making process.
After 17 years — and the aforementioned wear and tear — I was right on schedule for my veneer replacement. The process began with a nearly hour-long consultation session which included taking x-rays, 3D scans of my teeth, and dozens of photos. Once we established the current state of my mouth, Dr. Apa was able to suggest improvements we could make to my smile. He recommended we add three additional veneers to my top teeth in addition to replacing my current one. My face, jawline and smile had changed over the past two decades; I had certainly lost the ultra plump cheeks of my youth. It is not unusual for your doctor to make updates during the replacement process — and if it's your first time getting veneers, your consultation session is when you will decide on the overall vision of your new smile.
Once we agreed on what my new smile would look like, his team began the process of prepping my teeth and making temporaries, which are constructed from composite resin, which I wore for two weeks. It's standard for your consultation and the process of getting temporaries to be split up between two separate appointments. In my case, we were working on a razor-thin timeline to get the final look completed for my wedding day.
To "prep" your teeth for temporaries — and eventually, veneers — your dentist will take off an ultra-thin layer of your teeth. (Don't worry, the days of whittling your teeth down to pointy nubs are gone — but depending on your desired look they may need to take a few millimeters off the teeth.) I felt almost zero pain during this process. Keeping my redhead genetics in mind, Dr. Apa was extra cautious with numbing my mouth; I was so comfortable I was snapping photos for my now-husband, texting him photos throughout the procedure. During the same appointment, I also had molds taken to create the composite resin teeth that would last me until my final installation. The process flew by in three-hours; the Brunello Cucinelli cashmere blankets, smart TV (with unlimited Top Chef) and Beats noise-canceling headphones at Apa Aesthetic certainly helped.
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As you are completely numbed for the temporaries process, I came back the next day once the swelling had gone down for my first check. "We go over everything and make on-the-spot changes, so that you can see a vision of what the final result will look like," says Dr. Apa of the process. "Once we are in agreement on the design and have your sign-off, we take digital scans, pictures, and measurements for the lab, where your new smile will be duplicated in porcelain."
Temporaries are delicate, so just as with veneers, it meant extra caution: no biting into hard foods, avoiding anything that would stain a white shirt, applying gum relief gel five times a day. While I sat around sans red wine, master ceramicist Murilo Calgaro went to work hand-crafting my new teeth in Apa Aesthetic's in-house ceramics lab, including painting the teeth to match the ones surrounding them. After two weeks of pure craftsmanship, I returned for the installation.
The author's teeth before (top) and after veneer replacement at Apa Aesthetic.
I was a ball of emotions when I returned two weeks later, but the serene feel of the office helped calm me down. There weren't doctors buzzing around or the noise of patients flooding the halls. I was back on my happy cloud as I made my way to the treatment room. I loved
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25 of April 2024
