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Transcript

Invisalign vs. Veneers: Which Is Better for a Smile Makeover? · SmileMoreDentistry with Mariliza LaCap, DDS

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you're deciding between Invisalign and veneers, here's the first thing I want you to understand.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: They can both dramatically change your smile, but they do it in completely different ways.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Invisalign moves your teeth.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Veneers change the teeth themselves.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: I've been a dentist for 35 years and treated more than 15,000 patients, and I'm often guilty of talking people out of the procedure that would make our office more money.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get into the difference between Invisalign and veneers and which one actually makes the most sense for you.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Let's say you walk into my office and show me a picture of the smile you want.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Beautiful straight teeth, bright, even, no gaps, nothing sticking out.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: You may look at Invisalign and veneers and think, okay, both of these can get me there.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: One takes a year, one takes a couple of weeks.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Why would I wait a year?
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: That is exactly where this decision gets interesting.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because those two smiles may look very similar in the final photograph.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: But what we had to do to your teeth to get there can be completely different.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: So let's start with Invisalign.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: With Invisalign, I am taking the teeth you already have and moving them.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: If one is rotated, we turn it.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: If they're crowded, we create room.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you have space, we close them.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: If your front teeth have slowly shifted over the years and now one is sitting in front of the other, we move them back into a better position.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: And the whole time, the goal is to keep those teeth as your teeth.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: That is why Invisalign becomes very interesting when I look it in somebody's mouth and think, these are actually beautiful teeth.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: They're just sitting in the wrong place.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now the trade-off.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: It takes time.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: A case in our office may take around 12 months, sometimes less, sometimes a little bit more, and you have to actually wear the aligners.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: You cannot put Invisalign in the box in your bathroom counter and have it straighten your teeth from there.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: You have to actually wear it.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: And there are people who hear 12 months and immediately say, absolutely not.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: I want this fixed now.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's talk about veneers.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because veneers can be spectacular.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: I can change things in Visaline simply cannot change.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you hate the shape of your teeth, I can change the shape.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: If one tooth is too small, I can make it look larger.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: If the edges are worn down, I can rebuild them.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you want a dramatic color change, veneers give us control over that too.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, I can often do that much faster.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of waiting around a year, you may be looking at a couple of weeks.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And this is the moment where veneers sound like they win.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Why would anybody choose 12 months over two weeks?
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Now we have to talk about what a veneer actually is.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: A veneer is not a little sticker we slap on the tooth.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: We are restoring that tooth.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Depending on the tooth and the case, that can mean removing some enamel so the veneer has room to sit properly and look natural.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: And once I alter healthy teeth structure, that is something I cannot undo next year because you changed your mind.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: That is why I get very cautious when somebody comes in with 25-year-old healthy teeth and says, I want veneers because I hate that these two teeth overlap.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm looking at that mouth thinking, you may not have a veneer problem.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: You may have two perfectly good teeth sitting in the wrong place.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: And this is where my husband would probably tell you, I am a terrible businesswoman because veneers make our office more money.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: But I have talked plenty of people out of them.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: If I can move healthy teeth and leave them intact, I want to at least have that conversation before we start cutting anything.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now, that does not mean Invisalign automatically wins, because the next patient may walk in and have the exact opposite problem.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe your teeth are already heavily filled, maybe the eggs just are chipped, maybe they're worn down, maybe the shapes have bothered you your entire life.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you have old bonding everywhere and you hate the color.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now moving those teeth 12 months does not solve the thing you actually dislike.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: They will be straighter, you may still hate them.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: That person may be a fantastic veneer patient.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: And now you can see why I do not like answering this question with Invisalign is better or veneers are better.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: I need to know what I am fixing.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're looking at your smile right now thinking, I have no idea which one of those people I am.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: That is exactly what we help patients figure out in our office.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: We look at what is healthy, what is worn, what is at a position, what you want to change, and how much dentistry it actually takes to get you there.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes people come in convinced they need 10 veneers and find out they do not.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Other times somebody thinks Invisalign will solve everything.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I have to tell them, moving those teeth is not gonna fix the thing that's bothering you.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are near one of our offices and you want our team to take a look, you can contact us through the link in the description.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's make this even easier.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: There are really four questions that usually decide this.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: The first, are your teeth healthy?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: If I have strong, healthy enamel and the main issue is crowding, spacing, or position, that pushes me towards moving the teeth.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: But if those teeth already have large restoration, wear chips, or other cosmetic problems, veneers may make more sense because we need to work on the teeth themselves anyway.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Second, what bothers you when you smile?
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: This is a question people skip.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: They say, I want a smile makeover.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, but what exactly do you hate?
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: If I magically moved every tooth into perfect alignment tonight, would you love your smile tomorrow morning?
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: That is a very useful question.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: If you say absolutely, I just hate how crooked they are.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now Invisalign becomes more interesting.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: But if you say no, I still hate the shape, the length, the worn edges, and the color, then straight teeth alone may disappoint.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Third, how fast do you need this?
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes this one wins.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: If you tell me you're getting married in three weeks, I'm not going to give you a speech about patience and hand you 12 months of aligners.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: You have to deal with reality.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: There are people who value speed enough that veneers are worth the trade-off.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: But I want you to know exactly what you are trading for that speed.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, how much dentistry are you willing to commit to?
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is the part I think gets buried underneath all the beautiful before and after pictures.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Veneers are restorations.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: They can last many years, but they can also chip, break, or eventually need replacement.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: If you put veneers on healthy teeth at 25, I want you thinking beyond 26.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: What happens at 45, 65?
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: That does not mean never get veneers.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: We do veneers all the time.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: I love what they can do.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: It means I want the reason to be good enough.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: And the funny thing is, sometimes the best answer is neither Invisalign nor veneers by themselves.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we straighten the teeth first, then we look again, and suddenly the person who thought they needed 10 veneers needs two, or a little bonding or whitening.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: That is one of my favorite outcomes because the patient still gets the dramatic change they wanted.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: But we did not have to do nearly as much dentistry to get there.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Then there's cost.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Invisalign is usually one treatment fee to move the teeth.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: Veneers are priced by the tooth.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: So the cost can climb pretty quickly depending on how many teeth you're changing.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I also want you thinking beyond the first bill.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Invisalign ends with your natural teeth in a new position.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Veneers are restorations, which means over the years they may chip, break, or eventually need to be replaced.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: So when somebody tells me veneers are faster, yes they are.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: But I also want to know how many teeth we're talking about, what those teeth look like now, and what you're committing to long term.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, age does not automatically decide this either.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: People constantly tell me I'm too old for Invisalign.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: My oldest Invisalign patient was 79.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: So no, being 60 or 70 does not automatically mean your only cosmetic choice is covering the teeth.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: If the teeth and the supporting bone are healthy enough to move, moving them may still be an option.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: So here's the question I want you to ask yourself before you decide on anything.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: If somebody could straighten the exact teeth you have right now without changing their shape, would you love your smile?
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: If your answer is yes, be very careful before you start cutting healthy teeth.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: But if the answer is no, if what you really want to change is the shape, the wear, the damage, the color, then veneers may give you something Invisalign never will.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: And if you need a dramatic change quickly, that matters too.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: That is why I do not believe there is one winner here.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: There is a wrong treatment for the wrong problem.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: And after 35 years in dentistry, I would much rather talk you out of a procedure today than have you realize 10 years from now that we did more dentistry than you ever needed.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Because to me, the best dentistry is still the least amount of dentistry that gets you where you want to go.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want more videos like this, subscribe.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have been dealing with bad breath that keeps coming back no matter what you do, watch this one next.
• 9:07
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