Many people who are looking to upgrade their smile at a low cost are looking for cheap veneers. That's because veneers can make your teeth appear whiter, straighter, and more uniform, but quality veneers from the dentist can be pretty expensive.
In this article, we'll talk about:
- How to find cheap veneers
- Options to finance your dental treatment
- Reputable online brands
- Risks of too-cheap options
We hope this information helps you find veneers that are safe, comfortable, and that look good. But remember, veneers are never a replacement for addressing underlying dental health issues.
You can compare the best dental insurance plans for veneers in your area now! Enter your zip code and DOB below to get your free quote.
Veneers overview
Before we talk about the types of cheap veneers available, let's do a quick overview of what exactly veneers are.
What are they?
Veneers are typically thin shells of either porcelain or a resin composite that are bonded to the fronts of your teeth. Their purpose is to make teeth appear whiter, straighter, or more uniform in shape.
Veneers can last from 5 to 20 years, so they do require you to make return trips to the dentist. Also, with most types of veneers — except Lumineers which we'll talk more about below — your dentist will shave down the surface of your teeth in order to make room for the veneers so they don't appear bulky.
This is an irreversible process, so you need to take some time to truly consider if you want this procedure or not.
What can they fix?
Veneers cannot be used to treat dental health issues — if you have any decay or gum disease, or a severely misaligned bite; this needs to be addressed before you get veneers.
Veneers can, however, improve the appearance of your teeth in the following ways:
- Color: Veneers can make your teeth appear whiter, and give your teeth a uniform color
- Shape: Many people achieve a more uniform appearance to the shape of their teeth, especially if they want to increase the appearance of tooth size
- Chips: Veneers can cover up chips in teeth
- Alignment: Veneers can make teeth appear more aligned if there is a slight misalignment or gap
Cost of veneers by type
- Porcelain: Porcelain veneers are the most expensive material for veneers and can cost from $500 to $2,500 per tooth
- Composite: Composite veneers are still a quality material but they have a shorter lifespan than porcelain and cost less — from $250 to $1,200 per tooth
- Lumineers: Lumineers are thinner than normal veneers, and cost between $800 and $2,000 per tooth
- Snap-on: This is the cheapest type of veneer, typically ordered online — you can find them anywhere from $40 to $500
Associated costs
There are also extra costs associated with treatments that come along with veneers when you get them from the dentist:
- Dental exam
- Wax-up
- X-rays
- Cleaning
All in all, you'll pay from $300 to $500 for all of these extras.
Cheap veneer options
The cheapest options for veneers are those that you can get online. But even cheap veneers online can vary greatly in cost and quality. The lowest cost and lowest quality options are types that you can mold to your teeth by warming in hot water, or that you can simply snap on right out of the packaging.
While these will be the cheapest veneers you can find, they won't fit your teeth well, they might hurt, they won't look good, and they could even cause damage when worn too much. You can read more about the risks with this type of veneer in our snap-on veneers article.
And watch the video below where a dentist shows what these veneers really look like.
Ok, all jokes aside, there are some types of cheap veneers for teeth that you can buy online, like the brand TruSmile, which requires you to take molds of your teeth before ordering, so the veneers you get are actually made to specifically fit your smile.
This is a much better option than one-size-fits-all, but it's still not nearly as good as going to the dentist.
The pros of this type of veneer are:
- Less expensive: These cost from $300 to $600 depending on if you want both arches and if you pay all at once or in installments.
- Simple procedure: You order an impression kit online and make molds of your teeth. The company then creates the veneers based on your tooth impressions and sends them back to you — there are no in-office dentist visits.
- No shaving of teeth: Veneers you get from the dentist often require the surface of your teeth to be shaved down to make room for the veneers — this is an irreversible process.
The cons of these veneers are:
- Safety: If they don't fit perfectly, they could end up damaging your teeth and gums. Plus, if worn too long, food debris could get caught beneath and cause decay. Additionally, many people use these as a band-aid to cover up actual oral health issues that should be dealt with by a dental professional.
- Quality: The lower quality of these veneers can cause the problems mentioned above and means that they won't last as long as real veneers.
- Inconvenience: Since these veneers are removable, they can be easy to lose and you might not remember to put them in and take them out.
- Appearance: Veneers ordered online may appear bulky and not look like your natural teeth.
Financing veneers
Quality veneers from the dentist are expensive and thus not accessible for most Americans. But there are ways you can finance your veneers to make them easier to pay.
These methods include dental loans, dental insurance, dental savings plans, and dental payment plans. You may even want to consider dental tourism.
Check out the table below to learn more about some of these options.
Cheap veneers near me
To find a dentist near you who offers veneers at the best prices, you'll have to call around clinics to ask about costs and shop and compare.
Summary of options and costs
Have a look at the table below for a summary of the types of veneers, their costs, and the pros and cons that we discussed in this article:
Pros | Cons | Cost | |
Porcelain |
|
| $500 to $2,500 (per tooth) |
Composite |
|
| $250 to $1,200 (per tooth) |
Lumineers |
|
| $800 to $2,000 (per tooth) |
One-size-fits-all |
|
| $40 to $100 (rough estimate) |
Order online (custom-fit) |
|
| $200 to $600 (varies by brand) |
Conclusion
Quality veneers aren't cheap, especially those made from composite or porcelain, or those from the brand Lumineers. If you're looking for cheap veneers, your next best option is to order custom-fitting veneers online.
The cheapest option is to buy a one-size-fits-all veneer, but we don't recommend this as the negatives outway the positives. These veneers could actually damage your teeth and gums and may hurt when you wear them.
You may want to consider dental financing options, such as loans, savings plans, or payment plans to fund your veneers.
Whatever you decide, it's far more important that you have a healthy smile than a perfectly aesthetic smile — so keep that in mind before you spend money on expensive and irreversible treatment, and get any dental health issues checked out first.
FAQs
Is there a cheaper alternative to veneers?
If you want veneers to whiten your teeth, then a teeth whitening procedure is a good option. You can also get your teeth bonded if you want to fill in chips or cracks.
How much is a full set of veneers?
A rough estimate for a full set of veneers is anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000. It's a wide range because the cost depends on the material, the size of your veneers, and where you go.
What is the cheapest price for veneers?
The cheapest price for quality veneers will probably be for composite veneers, which cost around $250 per tooth at the starting price. Some dentists may offer lower prices.
Do snap-on veneers work?
In short — no. Snap-on veneers don't look like real teeth and they might be uncomfortable or even painful. The worst part is that they could even damage your teeth and gums.
NIH: The Success of Dental Veneers According to Preparation, Design and Material Type. Consulted 2nd September 2022.