Dental Veneers

By far, one of the most popular and budget friendly options available to give you that gleaming, Instagram worthy smile of your dreams are dental veneers.

Laminated, porcelain veneers are indeed, the smile make-over, game changing dental treatment that you'd been hoping for. Your cosmetic dentist will utilize years of experience, together with an artistic and sensitive set of hands, to transform an average smile into something very special. You will achieve a brand new smile that you'll be proud to show off to the world. And don't be surprised if your friends and co-workers will want to know how they can get a similar Academy Award winning smile.

There's nothing very complicated about the concept of veneers. They are designed to "change" the shape, size and overall look of your teeth. These tiny miracle workers are wafer thin shells of tooth colored material, (usually pressed porcelain), that are bonded onto the front surface of your existing teeth. Each veneer is custom designed and made with care by your dentist in concert with his or her dental lab.
To be a not just a good but, a really great , cosmetic dentist, you have got to have a little Da Vinci or Michael Angelo inside you. Veneers call for precision and creative craftsmanship.

Veneers look and feel totally natural. You won't have any trouble getting used to them. Veneers are akin to the thickness of contact lenses, around 1/2 to 1 mm. They are easy to care for. Just keep up with your usual routine of daily brushing and flossing.

Veneers can also be made from composite resin materials. Many dental professionals, however, prefer porcelain for a couple of very important reasons. Veneers comprised of porcelain have better stain-fighting properties than do their resin based counter parts. But you still have to be careful about drinking too much coffee, tea or red wine. Porcelain is also far superior when it comes to imitating the light reflecting properties of your natural teeth.

Laminated veneers are multi-taskers where improving your teeth's appearance is concerned. There's no longer a need to hide your smile if you have chipped or cracked teeth. Veneers were made to hide severely stained or discolored teeth.
If you have unsightly gaps between your teeth, a carefully fitted veneer will do the trick. They are great at covering up uneven or badly shaped teeth. Keep in mind, however, that veneers are only cosmetic in purpose. They won't fix misaligned teeth. Braces are still the way to go, as far as correcting crooked teeth.

This is a conservative cosmetic dental procedure. Crowns require more shaping of the tooth that is to receive the restoration. To prepare your tooth for a veneer, the dentist will need to remove only about 1/2 millimeter of your tooth's enamel. That is much less than is needed to get the tooth ready for a crown.

In most cases, the steps that include Consultation/diagnosis , prep and the actual bonding of the veneers , can be done in only three visits.
During the initial consult, your dentist will conduct an examination and decide if veneers are appropriate for your particular case. He will tell you what veneers can and cannot accomplish. Some patients do tend to have unrealistic expectations.

The bonding process for veneers is very, very strong. But try not to tempt fate. Veneers have, occasionally, been known to become loose or fall off completely. This can occur if you habitually grind your teeth, chew on hard objects like ice cubes, pencils or even if you nervously bite your nails.

During the prep visit, impressions will be taken of your teeth and, possibly, some x-rays as well. Each session can last from about forty minutes to a couple of hours. Much depends on how many teeth are going to receive veneers as well as the general state of your oral health.
When the dentist takes the sheen of enamel off your tooth, a local anesthetic may have to be used, depending on the patient. Usually, no anesthetic is needed for the actual application and bonding of the veneers. So, it is a fairly pain free procedure. Gum tissue is sensitive to a lot of things, but it tolerates porcelain veneers very well.

Facial measurements and the bite of the patient are also taken into consideration. When everything is done, the information, impressions and x-rays will be sent over to the dental studio or lab, where your veneer will be crafted. 

During your final visit, the veneers will be placed, very lightly onto your teeth, with water or glycerine to make sure that they fit properly. The shade and color of the veneer has to be a good match, as well.

Once both dentist and patient are satisfied, your tooth will be polished and cleaned thoroughly. After that, an etching process will buff the tooth so it can better hold the laminate veneer to the tooth.

A special cement will then be applied to the veneer prior to it being placed onto your tooth. Space age technology now comes into play. The dentist will use a laser that emits a high intensity beam of light This light cures the cement on the veneer, causing it to harden in a matter of seconds.

It is fairly common for most dentists to request that the patient comes back for a follow-up visit, a couple of weeks after getting their veneers. He or she will want to make certain that the placement is okay and there are no unforeseen issues.

Veneers generally last from five to ten years. But, in many instances, they can last longer, up to fifteen years.

Porcelain laminates or veneers are one of the most exciting dental innovations to come around in a generation. Veneers level the playing field when it comes to achieving that all elusive Hollywood smile. Now, having a perfect smile is no longer the exclusive preserve of the rich and famous.