How Much Does Cosmetic Dentistry Cost?

The cost of cosmetic dentistry may vary depending on which particular procedure you are choosing, diagnostic tests, and materials used for dental treatment. If a patient chooses professional in-office teeth whitening treatment, then the cost will range from $500 to $850 whereas if you choose over-the-counter whiteners, it will cost from $4 to $100. 

Dental insurance may or may not include cosmetic dentistry depending on the choice of the dental plan. Functional and restorative dentistry are often covered in dental insurance whereas elective cosmetic treatment is not included. Before knowing about the cost of different procedures in cosmetic dentistry, let’s understand cosmetic dentistry. 

What is Cosmetic Dentistry?

Cosmetic dentistry refers to a dental procedure that focuses on improving the patient’s gums, teeth, and smile. General dentistry deals with diagnosis, analysis, prevention, and oral disease treatment, cosmetic dentistry is more concerned with improving the aesthetic aspects of teeth and maintaining oral hygiene. 

There are different types of cosmetic dental treatments that help to address different issues such as chips, cracks, crookedness, teeth gaps, discolored teeth, stained teeth, or irregular shapes of the teeth. Cosmetic dentistry can help you fix these dental issues by giving you a brighter and attractive smile making you more confident.

What are the Factors influencing Cosmetic Dentistry Costs?

Some factors that influence the cost of cosmetic dentistry surgery and treatments are discussed as follows:

• Type of Procedure: The cost of cosmetic dentistry will vary depending on the procedure chosen. If a patient chooses teeth whitening, it will be less expensive than full mouth dental implants. 

• Dentist's Expertise and Location: Apart from the procedure chosen, dentists' experience and expertise are also fundamental factors that may change the cost of cosmetic dentistry. Dentists who have expertise in advanced training or have special certifications will charge more than others. Dental offices in urban cities will also charge higher than in rural areas owing to the additional overhead cost.  

• Materials Used: The type of material that a dentist is using will impact the cosmetic dental treatment cost. Porcelain veneers cost more than composite resin veneers owing to their aesthetic appeal and durability.

• Diagnostic Tests and Preparatory Work: Some diagnostic tests that are important for cosmetic dental procedures are X-rays, consultations, and impressions. Other things that cause additional costs are gum treatments, tooth extraction, and orthodontic alignment.

• Complexity of the Case: The cost of cosmetic dental procedures will also be higher depending on the complications. Complex cases require multiple treatments, detailed planning, and specialized techniques that may increase the overall cost.

Breakdown of Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures and Their Costs

There are different procedures of cosmetic dentistry that may differ in cost. Let’s discuss some of them below.

• Teeth Whitening: The cost of teeth whitening treatment may vary depending on the procedure used and the number of sessions required by individual patients. However, the cost may range from $550 to $1,100.

• Dental Veneers: The cost of dental veneers may be around $880 to $2,750 for every tooth. For durability and aesthetics, porcelain veneers are preferred over composite veneers.

• Dental Bonding: Dental bonding that applies tooth-colored resin, cracks, gaps, or repair chips, may cost approximately $330 to $660 for every tooth.

• Dental Crowns: Dental crowns cost may vary depending on the materials used such as porcelain-fused, metal-fused, zirconia, and all-ceramic. However, the cost per crown will be from $880 to $3,300. 

• Orthodontic Treatments: If a patient chooses to go with traditional metal braces, it may cost between $3,300 to $7,700 whereas clear aligner treatment such as Invisalign may range between $3,300 to $8,800. However, the cost will vary depending on the duration of the treatment and the complexity of a particular case. 

• Dental Implants: If a patient wants to choose for single dental implant, it will cost between $1,650 to $6,600 which may not include bone grafting and preparatory procedure expenses. The cost may differ based on whether you want to replace missing teeth with artificial crowns or tooth roots. 

FAQs on cosmetic dentistry

1. Can cosmetic dentistry cause damage to your teeth?

Some cosmetic treatments such as dental veneers may cause removing of a small amount of enamel which can cause risk. However, dentists do minimal removal, excessive removal may weaken your teeth after some time leading to decay and increased sensitivity.

2. Are there financing options available for cosmetic dentistry?

There are various dental offices that provide different ways to help manage cosmetic dentistry expenses. Some are dental savings plan, payment plans, or other financing plans that are given by companies. Your dentist may help you how you can manage your cosmetic dentistry cost.  

3. How do I know whether a cosmetic dentist is good or not?

While choosing a cosmetic dentist, you need to take care of the experience, qualifications, reviews, recommendations, consultations, and pay attention to minute details. 

4. Why can’t smokers undergo certain procedures?

Some restrictions with smokers are that they cannot undergo dental implants as it causes problems with bone tissue integration and teeth whitening as smoking can cause strains on the teeth owing to which teeth whitening may not last for much time. Therefore, smoking must be prevented while undergoing dental procedures. 

5. Are dental implants suitable for children?

Dental implants are not suggested for children and teenagers. However, implants are the greatest choice for tooth replacement for grownups.