Hollywood smile cost in 2026: Turkey, the UK, Germany and the US compared

A Hollywood smile is a full cosmetic makeover that covers the teeth that show when you smile, usually 16 to 24 of them, with thin porcelain veneers. A tooth that is too damaged to hold a veneer receives a crown instead. The name promises a look, not a fixed treatment, which is why two quotes for “a Hollywood smile” can describe very different work.

Prices are counted in units. A unit is one restored tooth, whether it receives a veneer or a crown, so a “20-unit” plan treats 20 teeth.

• 16 units: the upper and lower front teeth, from canine to canine, plus the first premolars (the teeth just behind the canines). Enough for a narrower smile.
• 20 units: our most common plan, for a smile where the second premolars show, or a lip line that shows more of the lower teeth.
• 24 units: both arches (the upper and lower rows of teeth) further back, usually because several teeth already have large fillings or old crowns that need replacing anyway. Where needed, we can go back to the second molars.

Our Hollywood smile treatment guide explains how the design is built on your face, and our E-max veneers page covers E-max, the strong, translucent porcelain most plans use. Whether a given tooth needs a veneer or a crown is a clinical decision we cover in veneers vs crowns, tooth by tooth.

A Hollywood smile costs less in Turkey because salaries, rent and laboratory time cost less there, not because the porcelain is different. An E-max block or a zirconia disc costs a clinic in Istanbul roughly what it costs a clinic in London, Munich or Chicago.

In the UK, Germany and the US, the patient usually pays the full private fee for this treatment:

• United Kingdom: veneers are generally available only privately unless there is a clinical need, so a cosmetic makeover is paid in full.² UK private fees for a single porcelain veneer typically sit around £950.
• Germany: veneers count as a private service, and statutory health insurance usually pays no subsidy. Stiftung Warentest reports a wide range per tooth depending on technique; our estimate of about €1,000 per veneer sits within it.³
• United States: veneers are treated as cosmetic dentistry and are often not covered by dental insurance unless there is a medical reason.⁴ Fees vary widely by state; about $1,500 per veneer is a typical private estimate.

In Istanbul, a clinic that treats international patients every week keeps its dentists and laboratory busy, and many clinics have a laboratory on site or close by. The wider picture, including how to judge a clinic, is in our honest guide to dental treatment in Turkey.

A fair Hollywood smile price covers everything from the first scan to the night guard you take home, so the figure you are quoted is the figure you pay. At Dentsway, every plan from €3,840 to €5,760 includes:

• Consultation, X-rays and a 3D scan.
• A digital smile design on your own photos, then a mock-up in your mouth (a trial version of the new teeth placed over your own) before any enamel is touched.
• Temporary veneers between appointments.
• Whitening of the teeth that are not veneered, worth €180 on its own, done first so the shades match.
• Gum contouring (reshaping an uneven gum line) where it is part of the design.
• A night guard, a warranty certificate and written aftercare.
• A 4★ hotel and airport transfers, which we include on every plan over €2,000.

Elsewhere, check each line. Some quotes price the veneers alone and add the scan, temporaries, whitening or hotel later.

Crowns are the other line to read carefully. Where a tooth genuinely needs one, a zirconia crown at Dentsway is €190; the same work typically costs about £520 privately in the UK. If a plan proposes crowns on healthy front teeth, ask why: a crown removes 1 to 1.5 mm all round, a veneer 0.3 to 0.5 mm. Our plans explain the choice for each tooth, and you decide. See also how Turkey teeth went wrong.

For most European patients, travel to Istanbul adds only one return flight to the treatment price, because the hotel and transfers come with the plan. At Dentsway, a Hollywood smile is done in a single trip of about 6 days: we advise arriving on a Sunday and starting on Monday.

• Hotel: included on all our smile plans, since every one is over €2,000. If you want to stay on for a holiday, extra nights at the same 4★ hotel are €75.
• Flights: Istanbul is about 4 hours from London, 4 hours 15 minutes from Dublin, 3 hours 30 minutes from Amsterdam and 3 hours from Frankfurt. Outside school holidays, a return fare is usually a small fraction of the treatment price.
• From the US: the flight is about 10 hours non-stop from New York, and fares are higher. The saving is still large, but plan for jet lag and do not book appointments on the day you land.
• Time off work: about one working week. Many people combine it with a few days of rest, which our day-by-day Istanbul itinerary plans around the appointments.

UK, Irish and most EU passport holders need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in 180 days. Check the current rules for your passport before you book.

Five things explain most of the difference between two Hollywood smile quotes: the material, the number of units, how many units are crowns, the laboratory and the dentist.

1. Material. E-max and other glass-ceramics are thin, strong and let light through like natural enamel. Composite veneers are cheaper per tooth but need polishing and repair sooner. Zirconia is used for crowns on damaged teeth.
2. Number of units. Each tooth is priced separately, so going from 16 to 24 units raises the bill by half: €3,840 becomes €5,760 at Dentsway.
3. Crowns needed. Root-canal-treated teeth (teeth whose nerve has been removed), cracked teeth or teeth that are mostly filling need crowns, which adds steps and appointments.
4. The laboratory. Hand-layered ceramics take a skilled technician much longer per tooth than pressed or milled ones. Both can look good, but ask which you are getting.
5. The dentist’s time. Planning, a mock-up and careful, minimal preparation take longer than filing teeth to a standard shape. A very low price often means less of this time.

Published research supports paying for good porcelain. A systematic review of 13 studies found that about 89% of ceramic laminate veneers were still in place after a median of 9 years, with glass-ceramic veneers at about 94%.⁵

A 24-unit plan is usually not better value than 16 veneers. If the extra teeth do not show when you smile and talk, they cost more without changing how you look, and they commit more healthy teeth to lifelong maintenance.

Preparing a tooth for a veneer removes a thin layer of enamel, usually 0.3 to 0.5 mm, and that tooth will always need a veneer afterwards. More units also mean more edges where decay can start, more porcelain that can chip and more work to replace later.

In most of our cases the plan is 20 units, because the second premolars show when people smile. A narrower smile may need only 16 veneers with whitening of the rest, and 24 units make sense when several back teeth already need crowns. A prosthodontist should be able to show you on your own smile photos which teeth are visible and which are not.

A Hollywood smile should be budgeted as a long-term cost, not a one-off purchase, because veneers eventually need replacing. Well-made porcelain veneers can last many years if they are looked after,¹ typically 10 to 15 years or more.

• Replacement. Expect to renew some or all veneers at least once if you are treated in your thirties. The bill then depends on the number of units, which is the strongest reason to keep the plan small.
• Check-ups and hygiene. See a dentist every 6 months at home, as you would anyway. Bring your records and the material details.
• The night guard. Wearing it protects the porcelain, and when we prescribe one, it is a condition of our warranty.
• Repairs. A veneer that comes loose can often be bonded back on by any dentist. Our 10-year written warranty covers the treatment to remake a failed veneer or crown, subject to its conditions. Flights and the hotel are not included.

How long each material lasts, and what shortens its life, is covered in detail in how long veneers last.

Start with a plan for your own teeth, then compare it line by line with any other quote you have.

1. Take three photos: a full smile, a relaxed face and your teeth slightly apart. Add a recent X-ray if you have one.
2. Ask for a free, itemised plan through our quote form. A prosthodontist replies within 24 hours with a tooth chart and a fixed price.
3. Check what the plan includes against the prices and inclusions on our Hollywood smile page.
4. Put the eight questions above to every clinic on your shortlist, including us.
5. Book flights only once your plan and dates are confirmed in writing.