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As long as you are willing to spend, getting that perfect smile is not hard anymore, thanks to cosmetic dentistry. In recent years, cosmetic dentistry has come a long way, and most of the procedures are extremely safe. For this post, we will be focusing on dental veneers, simply known as porcelain veneers or just veneers.
What are dental veneers?
Veneers are custom-made shells that are designed to match the color of patient’s teeth and are finally cemented to the surface to improve appearance. While porcelain is an obvious choice for veneers, resin composite materials are in use too. You can go to this website to find more on this.
Should you use veneers?
If you have discolored teeth, in-clinic teeth whitening might be your choice of treatment. However, in some cases, whitening doesn’t work, either because of other reasons or because the teeth are worn down or extremely cracked. Dental veneers are ideal for chipped, cracked, and broken teeth, and even for cases where the teeth are uneven, crooked or misaligned. Talk to your dentist in detail if veneers can work for your concerns, and if yes, also ask about the material. If you are concerned about staining, porcelain should work best.
The process at a glance
Most people can get dental veneers¸ but dentists like to consider the final results before giving a nod. Usually, impressions of the teeth and additional X-rays are done to know things better. Once you are ready for the procedure, the below-mentioned steps are followed.
- Since veneers are cemented to the surface of the tooth, it is important to remove some of the top enamel, just around 1/2 millimeter. For the same, the dentist may use a local anesthetic agent, so that you don’t feel any pain or discomfort.
- After this, an impression of the tooth will be taken, which will be sent to the lab, so that the veneers can be designed. You may have to wait for at least two weeks, before the veneers come from the lab. If you are concerned about your smile, you can talk to your dentist about temporary veneers.
- On your next appointment, the dentist will match the color of the veneer with your teeth and check the size measurements. Additional trimming is often required to get the right shape. The tooth will be then cleaned and polished, and some etching is usually done to help the bonding process. A special kind of cement is then used to place the veneer, and a beam of light is used on the veneer. The light activates the chemicals that are present in the cement, which causes the bonding between the tooth and veneer. You can check this page to find more on the procedure.
Your doctor will usually ask you to come back for a checkup after a week or so. Please note that the cost of veneers is not covered by insurance, and it is not an ideal solution for people who have unhealthy teeth and gums. However, with good care, veneers should last for about 15 years.
