Now that you are familiar with some of the fabulous procedures available to you, here’s a quick overview of the pricing and costs.
A quick word on pricing ranges: where you live greatly influences how much a procedure will cost you. Why is that? It’s because of the availability of cosmetic dentists and specialists (this is a simple supply/demand relationship.) The greater number of professional cosmetic dentists in your city, the lower the cost will be due to competition and availability.
How are the fees charged? What am I paying for?
As with any professional service, a lot of education, training, and certification is required to become a dentist. Then in order to specialize in cosmetic dentistry, your dentist will have to go back to school and spend thousands on additional education requirements to specialize. Then there is the overhead of running a dental office and the regulatory costs involved, insurance, staffing, drugs and equipment… The fees for cosmetic dentistry reflect all of these factors.
Veneers: Roughly $1000 – $2300 per veneer, depending on the material used and the amount of preparation required.
Crowns: Cost about the same as veneers as they are similar in fabrication and installation.
Bonding: Between $300 to $1600, depending on how much composite material is used and the preparation of surrounding teeth. Bonding is technically complicated thus it requires a skilled dentist.
Braces: Vary greatly depending on the material used, the installation method, the length of time they are kept on, and the number of teeth that are braced together. It is normal to spend upwards of $7000-$8000 on complete braces.
Whitening: For in-office whitening, expect to pay somewhere around $500 depending on how many sessions you need. If you dentist makes custom trays for you to take home, that will cost about $400 more for that service.
Remember what your Mom always said: You get what you pay for. This is absolutely true in cosmetic dentistry. When it comes to your smile, you need to be realistic in understanding that cutting corners for detailed and complicated restoration procedures is a fast way to poor results or temporary fixes. Quality materials and installation is certainly expensive, but the durability and longevity of your perfect smile makes it worthwhile.
