What is dental veneer?
Dental veneers are thin pieces of material that cover the front surface of the teeth and can dramatically improve the appearance of your smile. Whether you’re looking to transform the shape and size of your teeth for a complete smile makeover or improve the look of just one or a few teeth, veneers are tailored to match the desired shape and color, offering a natural and seamless result.
Why should I consider dental veneers?
If you’re not completely satisfied with the look of your smile, dental veneers are a fantastic option. Because they are custom-crafted, our doctors can design a smile that is both aesthetically pleasing and functionally optimal. Veneers can correct a wide range of cosmetic dental issues, including:
- Stained or Discolored Teeth: Especially effective when traditional whitening methods have not worked.
- Chipped Teeth: Restores a smooth, natural appearance.
- Cracked or Broken Teeth: Covers and protects the damaged tooth.
- Misaligned Teeth: Creates a more even and aligned smile.
- Gaps Between Teeth: Closes uneven spaces.
- Worn or Short Teeth: Restores and lengthens teeth.
- Narrow or Small Teeth: Enhances the fullness and balance of your smile.
What is the process of getting dental veneers?
Consultation: Our doctors will evaluate your teeth and discuss your goals to determine if veneers are the right option.
Smile design and diagnostic wax-up: Our doctors will take digital scans, photos, and create a model of your mouth to design the shape and color of each veneer. This ensures that your new smile will not only look beautiful but also function comfortably and optimally. When the design process is completed, you will meet with our doctors to review and discuss the model of your potential new smile, and can make modifications, if necessary, before approving.
Temporary veneer placement: Using the approved design, our doctors fabricate temporary veneers. These allow you to experience the look, feel, and function of your new smile for a few weeks. Any adjustments needed for an optimal result can be made during this trial period. It is important to take this time and really pay attention to how everything looks and feels because once approved the next step is the permanent placement of your final veneers.
Permanent veneer placement: After final approval, your permanent veneers are fabricated. These are then bonded to your prepped teeth using a strong dental adhesive.
After permanent veneer placement: With proper care, dental veneers can last for years looking as naturally beautiful as the day they were placed. Regular visits with our team for a professional cleaning and evaluation from our doctors will ensure that your natural tooth structure remains healthy and can continue to support the veneer, and your beautiful smile as designed.
What type of dental veneers are there?
There are two different materials that dental veneers are made from: Porcelain and composite.
Material:
Porcelain dental veneers are made from thin layers of porcelain that are customed designed by our doctors and stained and glazed in a lab, then bonded to the front of your teeth by our doctors.
Composite veneers are made from a tooth-colored resin that is layered onto the tooth in our office using a form that is custom-designed by our doctors.
Longevity:
Porcelain is a strong material that can last for decades, looking as it did the day it was placed, if cared for properly.
Composite veneers can remain looking beautiful for a few years with proper care but may need to be refreshed or replaced more often compared to a porcelain veneer because the material is not as strong.
Appearance:
Porcelain is resistant to staining and has natural light-reflecting properties like the enamel of your natural teeth. The durability of the material means that your veneer is not likely to chip or break easily.
Ceramic is a porous material and will darken over time especially for a coffee lover or someone who eats a lot of teeth stain-causing foods. Because it is a porous material ceramic can chip or crack more easily than the stronger porcelain material.
Treatment Timeline:
Porcelain veneers are designed to be a long-term placement and strongly bonded to your teeth, they take multiple visits and a longer time to reach completion. To attach to your teeth, it requires our doctors to prep the front of your tooth where the veneer will then be bonded to. The process takes the top layer of your tooth away and is irreversible, meaning you will always need to keep a veneer, or another type of dental restoration on your tooth.
Ceramic veneers can be placed in one visit and do not require tooth structure to be taken away to be attached on the front surface. This means that you have more options should you not want to replace a ceramic veneer that has fallen off or broken at a future date.
Who is a candidate for dental veneers?
It depends on the condition of your teeth and your smile goals, but dental veneers are an option for most patients.
You are a jaw clencher or grinder: If you are a clencher or grinder there is a higher likelihood of your veneers chipping or breaking under the constant pressure of your biting forces, if you do not address the cause. There are many treatments and options to help alleviate clenching and grinding and wearing a mouthguard at night will protect your teeth and dental restorations (such as crowns, veneers, and implants) from damage while you are unconsciously clenching and grinding your teeth during sleep.
You have active disease in your mouth: Cavities or gum disease will need to be successfully treated before a dental veneer can be placed. Dental veneers do not resolve the cause of the disease and having them placed without treating the underlying problems is not in the best interest of your health.
You use your teeth as tools: nail biting, pen chewing, or using your teeth to open things are all bad habits that can chip and break your natural teeth as well as veneers. Before you invest in dental veneers, our team can help you break those unhealthy habits so your veneers can look beautiful for many years without needing to be replaced.