Veneers have fast become one of the best cosmetic dental solutions on the market. They are minimally invasive and can reliably hide a number of issues with the natural teeth that they are placed over. We love veneers, and more importantly, we love when our patients see their brilliant results and are changed forever.
But here at Marylebone Smile Clinic, we often get asked questions from patients about what they should do specifically with their bottom teeth. Some are under the impression that you can’t get veneers for bottom teeth or that they don’t need them, while others think that lower jaw veneers are a given.
Well, in truth, the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Let’s try and give you some examples of cases where veneers on the lower teeth may be needed, and some examples of when they will not be needed. We’ll also include our reasoning on why, and how we explain this to our patients so that they are happy and leave our clinic with their dream smile.
Can you have veneers on bottom teeth?
Yes, you certainly can have veneers on your bottom teeth. The process is the same as having veneers on your upper teeth and the same techniques and materials are used.
The professional term for your lower teeth is the mandibular teeth. Just like your upper, or your maxillary, teeth, they are made up of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Most people also have the same number of teeth on their lower jaw as they do on their upper jaw.
Your lower teeth are also prone to discolouration if not looked after properly. They can also become damaged or grow in crowded or in undesirable positions.
The only difference between the two is that that the maxillary (upper) teeth are generally bigger and take up more of a focal position within the mouth, which there makes them more visible when smiling.
Therefore, the question that you should be asking is…
Do you need veneers on bottom teeth?
This depends on your specific case. If you show a lot of your bottom teeth when you smile, then yes you may need veneers on your bottom teeth.
However, if your bottom teeth are not visible when you smile then you may be able to avoid having veneers on your lower teeth. This is an even more likely scenario if your mandibular (lower) teeth have fewer issues than your upper teeth.
You may be able to get away with just a whitening treatment on your lower teeth so that they match the new shade of your upper teeth and your smile will look nearly just as good when viewed from a distance.
Of course, there is the possibility that you could develop issues with your lower teeth in the future. This is why some people prefer to receive what we call an ‘all on four’ treatment to place veneers throughout their mouth so that they don’t have to worry about discolouration developing in the future.
Veneers on bottom teeth also allow us to correct severe wear of lower teeth, by raising your bite to where it was 10-15-20 years ago. The technical term for this is the Dahl effect, and is commonly used to treat tooth wear in a manner that preserves the teeth instead of cutting them down. Lower veneers using a Dahl method allow us to simply ad ceramic to the teeth making them a better shape and control your bite reducing your long-term risk of damage.
Veneers on bottom teeth pictures
We will show you some examples of our patients from our Smile Gallery that have had veneers on their bottom teeth, and some that have just had veneers on their upper teeth. See if you can spot which is which just from the pictures.
This patient has received both upper and lower veneers. There were problems that the patient wanted to address with their lower teeth, and they also had a smile where their lower teeth were somewhat visible. In this case, receiving a full-mouth makeover was the right choice.
This patient has received solely upper veneers. As you can see, the patient is smiling and the lower teeth are barely visible. In this case, the patient’s lower teeth were healthy and they were pleased enough with them that they chose not to opt for bottom veneers.
Crowns or veneers for bottom teeth?
Veneers are often the better choice for the bottom teeth provided that your teeth are eligible for them.
Crowns are much thicker than veneers. Oftentimes, for the preparation of fitting a crown, a lower tooth will need to be shaved down to such an extent that it would no longer be capable of receiving a crown as it would not retain its strength.
Whereas ceramic veneers are ultrathin as they only cover the front of your teeth. Some enamel may need to be shaved, but we try to preserve as much as we can which is usually as much as 95% of the natural tooth structure.
Marylebone Smile Clinic veneers
If you are unhappy with your smile then don’t wait any longer, schedule a consultation with us today and we can tell you exactly how we can give you your dream smile.
Veneers require two appointments: one for taking measurements and one for fitting. So you can walk away a brand new you in just a couple of weeks with veneers that were custom-made for your teeth.
If you want a head start on your appointment, send us pictures of your current smile and we can perform a virtual consultation, letting you know whether you are eligible for veneers or not without you even needing to step out of your front door.