How old do you have to be ?

[hellokitty97x]

Hi,

I am a 14-year-old girl and have one badly chipped front tooth (with the three other front teeth slightly chipped) and most of my teeth are slightly stained and discoloured. For about 2 years I have had a small filling put on the badly chipped tooth by my local NHS dentist but this falls out or crumbles on a regular basis (which can be very frustrating), I am currently wearing a fixed brace to fix an overbite and some crowding and I think this helps keep the filling in place because while wearing it the filling hasn't come out once, but when the brace comes off the filling will most probably fall out again. I do not wish to replace the filling again that could fall out again in a matter of weeks after it being done. my fixed brace will come off near Christmas of 2011 by then i will be almost 15.

1. What is the clinic's minimum age for fitting either lumineers/veneers/(or other treatments for chipped teeth) ?
2. For a chipped tooth what course treatment or treatments are recommended ?
3. What are the different prices for the treatment or treatments and what is the cheapest ?
4. And how long will the treatment/s last for ?
5. And is there any guarantees or warrantees for after the course treatment?

Any advise or information that can be given to me will be much appreciated, I really would like my teeth fixed as soon as possible

Thank you

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thank you for your post.

1. Lumineers/veneers are usually not recommended for anybody under the age of 18. The reason is that the gums can change position a lot upto the age of 18 and we dont want to fit veneers/lumineers that are short of the gums. Composite bonding however can be done at any age including 14 or 15.

Also lumineers/veneers can involve tooth shaving which are best avoided on very young teeth as it can cause tooth sensitivity.


2. For your case, the recommended treatment is composite bonding/veneers.

3. Lumineers/veneers £495 Composite bonding £195-£245 and all prices are per tooth.

4. Lumineers/Veneers 7-10 years Composite bonding 3-5 years

5. 12 months guarantees are given on all composite/veneer/lumineer treatments.

Have a look at the composite bonding/veneers page, its probably the best solution for now. Later on you can always go for porcelain veneers/Lumineers when you are 18.

Best regards