A Guide to Cosmetic Dental Veneers and How We Use Them
Dental veneers are versatile tools dentists have to help repair and revitalize your smile. These shells, occasionally called porcelain veneers or porcelain laminates, are slimy customized surfaces fabricated from tooth-colored materials to hide the front surface of teeth with imperfections to improve their appearance and your smile. The shells are bonded to the front of the teeth to change their color, length, size, and shape.
Porcelain and composite resin materials help make dental veneers. Porcelain resists stains better than composite resin veneers. Porcelain can also mimic the light-reflecting features of natural teeth. If you have teeth with imperfections, you must discuss the best veneer material choice suitable for you with the cosmetic dentist near you.
What Are Dental Veneers Used for?
Dental veneers routinely help fix discolored teeth from stains due to endodontic therapy, drugs, tetracycline, excessive fluoride, large tooth-colored fillings, et cetera. Dental veneers also help repair worn, chipped, broken, uneven, and teeth with misalignments or irregular shapes and gaps between them.
Discuss getting these shells with the veneer dentist near you if you have the above-described dental issues impacting your smile.
How Are Dental Veneers Placed
If you desire dental veneers to improve the looks of your teeth and your smile, you must set aside time for three appointments with the dentist in St Petersburg, FL—one for a consultation and two for fabrication and application of the surfaces. You can have one or more teeth undergoing the veneering process simultaneously.
Dental Veneer Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
During your first appointment for a consultation, you can discuss your smile goals with the St Petersburg provider. Expect to have your teeth examined by the dentist to ascertain whether dental veneers suit you. The dentist also discusses the procedure and its limitations. They may take x-rays of your teeth and mouth besides making impressions. The dentist will organize an appointment for you to proceed with the treatment if they determine dental veneers best suit your needs.
Tooth Preparation
Your second appointment for cosmetic dentistry veneers with the St Petersburg dentist is for tooth preparation. The dentist must remove tooth structure equal to the thickness of the dental veneer to ensure it fits snugly over the targeted tooth. You will receive anesthesia to confirm discomfort during the reshaping. The dentist will make models of your teeth or impressions for the dental laboratory to custom-create the ultra-thin shells to bond over your teeth. Dental laboratories require 3 to 4 weeks to fabricate the surfaces. Therefore the dentist provides temporary acrylic veneers to protect your teeth from additional damage.
Dental Veneer Placement
Your final appointment with the St Petersburg dentist is to have the customized shells cemented to your teeth. During the meeting, removing the temporary acrylic veneers starts the procedure before the dentist examines the surfaces customized for you for color and fit. They will place the veneers on your teeth and permanently bond them using tooth-colored dental cement. After dental veneer placement, the dentist will harden the dental cement using ultraviolet light and remove any excess adhesive from your teeth. They will also check your bite and request you return for a follow-up appointment to check the placement and gums.
Dental Veneer Benefits
Dental veneers offer many advantages. Some notable benefits of these shells are a natural tooth appearance, stain-resistant features, colors to make darker teeth appear whiter, and minimal tooth structure removal, unlike dental crowns, when getting a durable restoration.
Dental Veneer Downsides
The process for porcelain veneers is irreversible, and the prices for these shells are higher than cosmetic dental veneers. Repairing porcelain veneers is challenging if damaged by chipping and cracking. The tooth structure removal process can increase temperature sensitivity to hot and cold foods and beverages.
Are Dental Veneers Right for You?
April Lee, DMD, does not recommend dental veneers if tooth decay or gum disease affects you. If you have weak teeth from large dental fillings or enamel erosion from teeth grinding, the dentist will likely recommend alternatives like dental crowns to fortify your teeth and restore their appearance.
Dental veneers are excellent for covering the dental imperfections described earlier. These shells have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years. Still, you can extend their longevity by caring for them appropriately and maintaining excellent dental hygiene, besides getting regular checkups and cleanings from your dentist. Investing in your teeth ensures instant smile enhancement hiding the dental flaws impacting your teeth and your smile.
If you want to change the looks of your teeth because they impact your smile, veneers are an excellent option to achieve your goal. Consider consulting Flash Dentspa for making smile enhancements using dental veneers they provide to display a beautiful smile to everyone around you if eligible for these surfaces.