Movie stars seem to have the perfect body, the perfect hair, the perfect smile and the perfect teeth. But like many people, they're perfect with a little help from their friends. A trainer helps them to tone their muscles, a hairstylist does magic with their glossy locks and their dentist can transform a crooked smile into a million-dollar-watt beamer with dental veneers.



Dental veneers are custom-designed sheets made from ceramic that can be applied over the surface of a tooth to filled chips or cracks. It's also used to cover worn tooth enamel and aligned teeth. Today's veneer is composed of a translucent ceramic material that provides a natural look. It's used to solve a host of cosmetic dental issues, including discoloring. Strong and durable, you can get a veneer that matches the color of your teeth, or go whiter. Veneers can also fill in big gaps between teeth, or elongate a too-short tooth It's a quick, easy option for people looking to correct their appearance and transform their smile.

A crooked smile can be repaired with a few visits rather than months of wearing braces. The procedure usually requires taking an impression of the mouth, then sending them to a laboratory where technicians carefully crafts porcelain into veneers. The dentist then bonds the veneers onto the teeth, improving appearance and smile in some instance with just two visits.

There are two types of dental veneers: porcelain and composite. Porcelain veneers are ultra-thin porcelain that is bonded to the front of teeth. Other veneers are made with composite resin. Composite resins about the same color as your teeth are often used to fill in gaps.

Costs vary, but generally porcelain veneers will start at about $500 per tooth and composite resin veneers run about $200 per tooth. Costs also depend on your dentist and quality of the veneers, so it pays to shop around and asks questions before getting your veneers.