‘Clip On Teeth’ Or Dental Veneers?

Widely advertised online, a clip on temporary smile might seem like a good idea but are they all they seem?

One of the most natural things in the world is to want to have a great looking smile. Far fewer of us now accept discoloured or missing teeth as we become older, and cosmetic dentistry is far better known and more affordable than it once was.

Increasingly, we are seeing a number of new companies being set up which offer products without ever seeing the patient. Treatments such as orthodontics are now being offered online, with photographs and self taken impressions being used to create the new braces. We have covered before why it may not be a good idea to use these rather than a dental clinic but today we want to take a look at another popular product that is more widely available and that is the snap on smile, or teeth.

Produced from impressions and photographs, a clip on smile is usually made from cost effective materials such as a resin polymer and is designed to clip directly over your natural teeth. They are usually quite affordable and can offer an improved smile without too much fuss. Undoubtedly, they seem like a good idea and we can see why some of our Burton and Ashby patients might find them appealing, but we believe that their uses are far more limited than the porcelain veneers that we offer at Alexandra Dental Care.

First … the pluses

Prices vary and a quick Google search finds these ranging from £25 (yes really!) to £450. We presume the £25 ones are for fun purposes only and we certainly wouldn’t recommend those for any practical use. At the higher end though, you probably get a reasonable quality that can improve your appearance. The benefits though, arguably end there.

The negatives

Having accepted that these are affordable and can produce a reasonable looking smile, let us take a look at some of the negatives of this product.

Although they can improve the appearance of a smile, they are adding additional material to your teeth and can make them look both longer and thicker. This can produce an unnatural appearance and can also make speech a bit of an issue as our mouths become used to them. Perhaps a little unkindly, they have been accused of producing a ‘horsey smile’.

One thing that few, if any, of these online manufacturers do, is to check the health of your teeth beforehand. You might think you are improving your smile by using these, but you may well be simply covering up a host of oral health issues like tooth decay and gum disease. Any cosmetic dental treatment that we carry out at our Swadlincote clinic will require that your teeth and gums are healthy before we proceed to the treatment stage. There is no point in having an attractive smile if your teeth are also decaying beneath the facade.

Although you can eat when wearing clip on teeth, you will be limited in the type of foods you consume. Generally, you will need to restrict yourself to soft foods and ones that won’t stain your teeth. It is often recommended that you remove them before you eat, which at least partially defeats the purpose of them and makes their use more restrictive.

Dental veneers

Although the initial financial outlay may be a little more, porcelain veneers will probably last for two or three times longer than clip-on smiles are likely to do. They are also fixed and allow you to eat without having to remove them. Your veneers will be produced following a thorough examination which will not only ensure that your mouth is healthy, but also allows the veneers to be produced in the same thickness as the enamel that will be removed from your teeth during the procedure. This ensures that not only will your smile be whiter, but your teeth will look entirely natural, without the extra thickness that clip-on smiles provide.

Unlike the materials often used in clip-on smiles, veneers are usually made from porcelain, a non-staining material, so providing that you clean your veneers as you would your natural teeth, you can have a great looking smile for much longer.

Although times might be difficult financially, it isn’t always advisable to opt for the cheapest method to improve your smile. In the long run, this could prove to be more expensive and produce an inferior result. At Alexandra Dental Care, we offer our patients a selection of payment plans to help you to spread the cost so please do ask us about these when discussing your treatment with the dentist.

If you would like to find out more about dental veneers or other cosmetic treatments, you can call us today on 01283 216347.

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