How Veneers Can Make Your Teeth into Great Teeth
If you are not satisfied with the way your teeth look and you want a dental makeover, porcelain veneers may be just what you need. These ceramic covers for your teeth can totally change the way your teeth look and will give you a great smile. They can also improve your self-esteem, enabling you to enjoy being around people again.
About Dental Veneers
Dental veneers, which may also be called veneer teeth or smile veneers, are porcelain covers made to fit over the front of your teeth. This cosmetic dentistry procedure is an excellent way to cover up problem teeth. Veneers can be used to hide many dental problems, including discolored teeth, chipped teeth, cracked teeth, short teeth, and can even hide gaps between teeth. They can also correct the appearance of teeth that are slightly misaligned.
Construction of Porcelain Veneers
Although veneers are made of a few different substances, porcelain veneers are considered to be the most natural looking. These covers are very thin porcelain. They come in various thicknesses.
Preparation for Veneers
Because the thickness of the veneers will add to the thickness of your teeth, some enamel is often removed beforehand. This is a non-reversible process. The goal is to keep your teeth about the same thickness after the veneers are added so that your teeth will continue to feel natural.
Some newer veneers that are made of porcelain are so thin that no enamel needs to be removed. These are also called no prep veneers. This is true of the veneers called Lumineers, and others.
The Making of the Veneers
Porcelain veneers are customized for the patient in every way. The dentist starts the process by removing some of the enamel on your teeth – if required. Then a mold will be taken of your teeth. The dentist will also choose a color for the veneers. The mold is sent to the lab that will make your teeth.
Once the dentist gets your veneers, an appointment will be made. You will go in, and the dentist will carefully fit each veneer to your teeth. They will be trimmed and adjusted to ensure the right size and look. Then they will be bonded to the tooth.
Candidates for Veneers
Before you can have veneers applied to your teeth, you will need to meet some qualifications. When you do, it will help to ensure that they will last longer. In order to qualify, you will need to:
- Have good gum health – no gum disease
- Have healthy teeth – no decay
- Have good habits or oral hygiene – brush twice a day and floss
- Know what you want the result of the veneers to look like
- Not grind or clench your teeth – this can chip or destroy veneers
- Have enough tooth enamel so the dentist can remove some.
Although patients may not meet these qualifications at first, they can be treated for any problems beforehand. Once they are treated, it will help ensure that you can enjoy the veneers for years to come.
Staining
Porcelain veneers do not stain very easily. This means that you can drink coffee or tea and not need to worry about them becoming stained – but there is another problem.
Because veneers will be made to match the color of your other teeth, you want to get teeth whitening first. The veneers will be given the color of your other teeth after being whitened. Otherwise, if you get it afterward, the veneers will no longer be the same color. Although the veneers will not stain – your other teeth will, which may be a good reason to avoid coffee, tea, and red wine altogether.
Durability
Porcelain veneers are made of porcelain, which is a very hard substance. However, porcelain is also brittle, and it will chip or crack under certain pressures. If you tend to grind your teeth, you will need to wear a bite guard at night – which your dentist can provide for you. Without it, the veneers will be damaged rather quickly.
In most cases, porcelain veneers can be expected to last from 10 to 15 years, but some will last as long as 20 years. After that, they will need to be replaced.
Things to Avoid
A chipped or cracked dental veneer cannot be fixed. They will have to be replaced. Once you get veneers, if enamel had to be removed, you will always need to wear them. This means you need to avoid things like biting your nails, chewing on pens or pencils, chewing on ice or other hard objects, because this can crack your veneers.
If you want to get a new look with porcelain veneers, you can even see how they will look beforehand with digital scanning. This will help you select the look you want. Dr. Kumar T. Vadivel, DDS, FDS RCS, MS, a Board Certified Periodontist, can provide you with everything you need to make you ready for the veneers procedure – including teeth whitening. He provides dental makeovers in his Carrollton, Cedar hill. Mockingbird/SMU and Grapevine, TX offices. Most dental insurance plans are accepted. For a consultation or information about periodontal treatment, you can contact his office today
