All about Veneers
In the past decades, cosmetic dentistry has been taking all over the world. Modernity has been turning a perfect smile into a crucial aspect of your personal and professional life.
Nowadays, with new materials, technology, and multiple advances in dentistry, treatment alternatives like dental veneers are becoming top-notch therapies to solve different esthetic problems.
What are dental veneers?
Veneers are cosmetic dental treatments designed to correct teeth’ form, shape, stains, gaps, and size. They are part of a current world trend for better looking and attractive cosmetic treatment, making them a fundamental part of smile makeovers.
This therapy uses different materials to modify and correct the general aspects of front teeth, allowing dentists to deal with multiple clinical situations and even treat complicated cases. Furthermore, a patient can have one or several veneers to achieve natural and harmonic results.
What are the types of veneers?
There are multiple types of veneers. Depending on the material, technique, and equipment used, you can find many classifications. However, there are mainly two types of dental veneers on the market: direct and indirect veneers.
Direct or no-prep veneers are those that are placed over the surfaces directly. They are frequently made out of tooth-colored composite and require a minimal amount of modifications on teeth surfaces.
On the contrary, indirect veneers are usually made from ceramic materials, requiring minimal tooth wear to provide enough room for the new material. Nonetheless, the main characteristic of these types of veneers is that they are made outside the dental office in a dental laboratory.
What are the benefits of having dental veneers?
Veneers are an effective method to treat frequent esthetic dental problems. Sometimes, teeth can get stained, chipped, separated, or broken for different causes. When these problems remained untreated, they can compromise your oral health and image significantly. Thereby, they can jeopardize your social, personal, and professional life.
In that regard, having veneers means offering multiple solutions to single or various esthetic problems that would require more expensive and complicated treatment alternatives. Furthermore, veneers are durable and stable treatment alternatives that can provide you natural-looking appearance, boosting your confidence and self-esteem.
How is the process of dental veneers?
The protocols and steps can vary depending on each case. Your dentist will have numerous considerations, offering you multiple alternatives to choose from. Therefore, every veneer treatment is a unique and customized process. However, these are some of the inherent steps required for dental veneers:
The evaluation and planning
First, your dentist will perform a complete assessment, determining the causes of the problems to achieve a diagnosis. This stage includes a medical story and clinical evaluation to find unhealthy habits (like bruxism and smoking), medical history, a review of your general state, and complementary exams.
After collecting all the relevant information, the specialist will make a customized treatment plan to assess every dental and medical problem that could compromise the restorations’ success. This plan is designed to maximize the time in the dental office and obtain the best results possible.
The veneers’ process
With direct veneers, your dentist cleans the tooth and adds dental composite to your tooth’s surface, reshaping your tooth to the desired state. Later, he polishes and smooths out the surfaces obtaining excellent results. Moreover, the direct veneers’ process is a precise therapy that requires expertise and skill. But it is an alternative that allows achieving extraordinary outcomes with a conservative approach when compared vs crowns.
On the other hand, indirect veneers require wearing a small enamel layer to place the new material. After preparing the surfaces, your dentist will make a temporary mock-up and dental impressions duplicating your bite and, later, sending a gypsum model to the laboratory. The lab then manufactures the ceramic veneers to your fit and sends them back to the office. Finally, with the new veneers in his hands, your clinician prepares the tooth with a specialized bonding agent and fix them in place with permanent cement, ensuring the final results.
How long does it take to have veneers?
Keep in mind that your teeth and gums need to be completely healthy before the treatment. Thereby, your dentist might require performing multiple previous procedures before starting with the veneer’s process.
However, the entire process usually takes a few sessions to have the final results. Moreover, with new technologies like CAD-CAM and oral scanners, this process can be even faster and accurate.
How much do veneers cost?
The exact cost will depend on the type of veneer and the material. Nevertheless, a direct composite veneer can go from $800 to $2000 per tooth, and ceramic ones can cost from $950 to $2500 each. These prices will vary depending on many factors that include your living area, the commercial brand, and the dental office.
What are the cons of veneers?
Among the downsides of veneers, we can find:
- They require replacement eventually.
- Ceramic veneers cannot be fixed if they are chipped.
- Not every person is a candidate as some conditions and habits make their success difficult.
- The reduction of your teeth is an irreversible process.
Are veneers permanent?
No. The medium lifetime of a dental veneer goes from 5 to 15 years. Ceramic materials and especially zirconia offer long-lasting esthetic results that can last for 15 years before requiring replacement. Composite veneers, on the contrary, are less resistant and last about 7 years with proper care.
How can I take care of my veneers?
Once you have your veneers, you will need to change some habits to maximize their effectiveness and lifetime:
- Try avoiding chewing hard objects or foods, including hard bread, pencils, packages, etc.
- Talk to your dentist about your habits like chewing your fingernails or lips as it can compromise their success significantly.
- Use mouth wards if you practice sports.
- Avoid smoking and staining foods like coffee and tea.
Finally, keep your daily hygienic habits as you commonly would:
- Brush your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste,
- Use dental floss and antiseptic mouthwash,
- And visit your dentist at least twice a year to keep your smile healthy
When you and your family are in search of exceptional dental care, look to our partners at Great Lakes Dental. Our dentists, hygienists, and team members share a goal of providing you with a beautiful smile that will last for years to come. Highly trained and experienced in the most successful dental treatments, we want to help you achieve a polished and healthy smile that illuminates your face. You’ll find all the tools you need to create a healthier mouth right here at our dental office in Plymouth, MI.
Let’s get started. Request An Appointment for Veneers
Dr. Rahaf Suede, DDS at Great Lakes Smiles Dental is trusted by many patients in Plymouth and surrounding areas for comprehensive dental care. She is recognized for her high quality dental treatment and patient satisfaction. Contact her now for an appointment Call (734) 459-9360
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