Feeling like your smile is unattractive can have a negative influence on your self-confidence. It can cause you to refrain from laughing in public and can have an overall negative effect on your quality of life. You might feel like there isn’t much wrong with your teeth other than that you don’t like the way they look, causing you to feel like visiting your dentist is unnecessary.
While it’s true that a bad smile isn’t always an indication of unhealthy teeth, fixing your teeth so they look nicer can still be a great option if you feel like your unsightly smile is getting in the way of living your life to the full.
A good option for getting a beautiful smile within a reasonably short time is to use porcelain veneers.
What Is A Veneer?
A veneers are like thin shells that are applied to the front surface of your teeth to make them look whiter, straighter or more symmetrical and even. Veneers are primarily used for cosmetic reasons, so they aren’t meant to restore and protect teeth in the same way tooth caps do. Minor gaps, discoloration and badly contoured teeth are common problems that can be fixed with veneers. Veneers aren’t a viable alternative to corrective orthodontic procedures, like wearing braces, for instance.
About Porcelain Veneers
Dr. Stone uses daVinci veneers (the first laboratory to introduce porcelain veneers to the west coast over 3 decades ago).
If you’re considering to get porcelain veneers, you’ll be happy to learn that porcelain veneers look almost just like real teeth. As an added bonus, porcelain veneers also tend to last longer than acrylic veneers and don’t stain as easily.
To get porcelain veneers, your first step should be booking an appointment with a good dentist. Try to talk to a dentist that regularly performs the procedure and has a high success rate. Don’t assume all dentists are equal. Chances are, you’ll get the best results if you choose to see a dentist specializing in cosmetic procedures. An experienced prothodontist is a good choice.
There are a few things you need to know before getting veneers:
- Getting veneers isn’t considered a reversible procedure. Because a thin layer is removed from your teeth, you can’t have your veneers removed. Even if a veneer does break, it will need to be replaced and can’t simply be removed.
- Veneers can chip or break. You’ll have to avoid biting into hard things and grinding your teeth. If you suffer from bruxism while sleeping, you’ll need to wear a mouthguard at night to protect your teeth and veneers from getting damaged.
The Placement Procedure
In order for the veneer to be bonded with your tooth, your dentist will have to remove a thin layer of its surface. This isn’t painful at all and doesn’t even necessitate the use of local anesthetics in most cases. Once your dentist has prepared the teeth that need veneers, he or she will make an impression of your teeth using dental putty. The impression is sent to a laboratory so your veneers can be made, this usually takes about a week or two.
While waiting for your veneers to be made, you can either leave them in the same way your dentist trimmed them, or have temporary veneers placed. Leaving your teeth without any veneers isn’t a problem is most cases, but they’ll feel rough and be more sensitive to heat and cold. In some cases leaving your teeth without temporary veneers won’t be an option, as too much of your natural teeth will be trimmed away before placing the veneer.
Talk to your dentist about what how much of the surface of your teeth will have to be removed and whether or not leaving them without temporary veneers would be an option for you. It’s better to know exactly what you can expect from the procedure in your particular case, as every individual patient is unique and you can’t assume your dentist will do things a certain way.
Once your porcelain veneers are ready, you’ll go back to your dentist to have them placed. During this visit, your dentist will examine how the veneers fit and make small adjustments to the veneers so they’ll fit your teeth perfectly. After all the necessary tweaks have been made, your dentist can bond the veneers to your teeth.
Experiencing more sensitivity to heat and cold after having veneers placed is normal. Usually, this should only last approximately two weeks. Your dentist will want to check up on your veneers a while after they were placed to ensure the procedure was successful. If everything went well, your porcelain veneers can last as long as ten to fifteen years without needing to be replaced.
