We all know to brush, floss, and take care of our teeth every day to keep them healthy. For the most part, we are very good at heeding this advice. We know only due diligence will keep our teeth healthy and our smiles bright.
However, sometimes not even our best efforts are enough. We may have missed a brushing session, forgot a dentist visit, or a number of other bad oral hygiene habits. Either way, our teeth suffered, or we no longer have beautiful white teeth. Our teeth may even be cracked or fractured, and sit crocked in our mouths.
Fortunately, all is not lost. Dr. Praff and his team have a number of tools at their disposal that give you back that smile such as dental veneers.
What are Dental Veneers?
Dental veneers (also called porcelain veneers or dental porcelain laminates) are wafer-thin pieces of durable, tooth shaped shells made from porcelain, resin, or another tooth-colored material. They cover up the front surface of your teeth to improve their appearance and your smile.
Veneers completely change the shape, size, and color your teeth and serve as alternatives to crowns and other more costly treatments. They are very durable and will last for years before needing a replacement.
Reasons for dental veneers
We use veneers to fix:
- Discolored or stained teeth
- Chipped, cracked, or broken teeth
- Misaligned, uneven, or irregularly shaped teeth
- Teeth with gapes between them
- Teeth that are too small or too large
- Cosmetically, to create a uniform, white, beautiful smile.
Advantages of Dental Veneers
- Provide a natural tooth appearance
- Gum tissue tolerates porcelain well
- Porcelain veneers are stain resistant
- You can select the color of a porcelain veneer to make dark teeth appear whiter.
- Offer a conservative, stronger, and more aesthetic approach to changing a tooth’s color and shape.
What’s the Procedure for Getting a Dental Veneer?
Dental veneers usually take three visits to install, with little or no anesthesia required during the procedure.
During the first visit, we evaluate your dental situation and finalize the color, look and feel you want and need. We also determine if veneers are appropriate for your situation while we discuss the procedure and its limitations with you.
During the second appointment, we prepare your teeth for the veneers by lightly buffing and shaping the surface. We also create a mold or impression of your teeth that we will use to create your veneers.
Dental veneers take about 1 to 2 weeks to make, but we may give you temporary veneers right away if you need them.
Once we receive your veneers, we will contact you to schedule the final appointment. During this visit, we will clean your teeth, affix your veneers, make final adjustments, and check them for defects and other issues.
We will then give you care instructions to extend the life of your new veneers.
Do Dental Veneers Require Special Care?
The dental veneers process is not reversible, and the veneers are usually not repairable. You cannot recolor them once in place either. They also may leave your teeth more sensitive to hot and cold beverages, and you cannot get veneers for unhealthy teeth.
Still, they are the best option if you can have them. With proper oral hygiene and care, you can go 5 and 10 years before needing to replace your veneers. They do not require special care. Just follow good oral hygiene. You may want to stay away from stain-causing foods and beverages, but you just need to brush and floss as you normally would.
Plan ahead for your veneers.
Like with anything in life, if you want the best results from your veneers, you need to plan before you procedure. Veneers are not for everyone, and we take many things into consideration to ensure you get long-lasting results with minimal complications. For instance, you should get your teeth whitened before you have your veneers installed.
To see if you can benefit from dental veneers, feel free to schedule a consultation with us. We can use this time to determine if veneers will work for you, before we go ahead with the treatment, or if something else will give you better results.