Yeah! You keep on thinkin' that! Then, one day, when you're an old fart (like me), it'll catch up with ya. Then you can really take advantage of the fullness of dental work.

Last time I had some work done, the dentist emptied three syringes into my gums. After they got done with the work they were doing (painful), the nurse told me not to eat for several hours, until the feeling returned. I asked her why, and she told me that I'd most likely bite my tongue. I asked if they had left any cotton in my mouth, and she told me that the inert mass was just my tongue.

I took her advice.

Just think, you could wait until you're 40 to take care of your teeth and enjoy the same thing!

I'm not really sure what a veneer is, but an onlay is kind of like a crown, but less invasive. My understanding of a crown is that they shave off most of the outside of the tooth, on all sides, and put porcelin (or gold) around it as a replacement. With an onlay, they don't have to remove as much of the original tooth.

I got the onlay because my tooth was cracked. If I ignored it, the crack would have continued to develop and I would have needed a crown. If that happened and I ignored the need for a crown, I would have needed a root canal.

It's not really painful -- the pain and discomfort that I did experience was worth it, 'cause my tooth is gonna give me fewer problems now. Heck, today -- less than 24 hours later -- it already feels better than it has in a year.

To get the onlay, there were two visits to the dentist. The first visit consisted of carving away the existing tooth, making a molds, and installing a temporary. They used the molds to create an onlay for me, which was ready about three weeks later. The second visit was to replace the temporary with the onlay.

Here's a breakdown of the treatment discomfort. First visit: one (or two, if you're me) shots of novocaine to numb the area. No more pain throughout the procedure. Discomfort as the dentist had her hands in my mouth, shaving away my cracked tooth. Discomfort as they put a huge metal tray full of goop in my mouth to take and impression used to make a mold. Between visits: don't chew on the temporary, 'cause pressure tends to make the protected tooth nub sore. I think that's mostly 'cause the temporary isn't a great fit. A few days before my second visit, the tooth started acheing a bit more frequently than usual -- the dentist said the temporary was probably leaking a little bit. Second visit: one (OK, two) shots of novocaine. No more pain for the extent of the visit. Some discomfort as they end up having four hands in my mouth at the same time, cleaning the tooth nub and installing the onlay. A few hours after the second visit: the novocaine wears off and my jaw is sore. Again, I suspect it's cause they had four hands in my mouth at one time.

So if veneers is anything like an onlay and the're likely to be longer lasting or better protection than bonding, I'd go with the veneers if I were you. Some discomfort during the installation is probably worth it.