Porcelain Veneers
What Are Veneers?
A veneer is a very thin shell of material that is custom made to your specifications for perfect fit, shape and appearance. Veneers require minimal tooth preparation and can effectively transform the way your smile looks by concealing gaps, crooked teeth, chipped teeth, discolored teeth or misaligned teeth. Our doctors take a very conservative approach to cosmetic dentistry, and will retain as much of your natural tooth structure as possible so you can benefit from beautiful, seamlessly natural results. In order to achieve this, our veneer treatments will take around three weeks to complete and will involve taking an impression of your teeth to create your veneers. We will create a temporary aesthetic created from your impression so you can determine whether you will experience any speech issues, discomfort, etc. Any issues are then addressed and corrected to ensure your final veneers fit perfectly and look naturally beautiful.
Benefits of Porcelain Veneers
Are you ready for a complete smile transformation? Porcelain veneers allow us to cosmetically solve a wide variety of issues with just one treatment. Porcelain is a premium material often used by high quality dentists such as our doctors at Agnini Family Dental as it is:
- Strong
- Durable
- Stain resistant
- Able to be color-matched to the teeth
By using porcelain our doctors can ensure the quality of your veneers for a more effective, long lasting solution to your cosmetic dental concerns.
Most of us have at least a couple flaws with our teeth. We place veneers on just a single tooth or two, or we cover all of the visible teeth to create a perfect smile. If you have any of the problems listed above, then porcelain veneers could be a great answer for a cosmetic solution. This could preclude the need for a more involved treatment, such as orthodontics, to rectify a problem such as a gap between two teeth. If you have problems such as decay, gum disease, or severely damaged teeth, however, those problems must be addressed first before veneers can be applied to your teeth.
At Agnini Family Dental, we use porcelain veneers to mask a variety of flaws or damage to the teeth of our patients:
- Revitalizing the surface of a tooth
- Concealing chips
- Covering badly stained, discolored teeth
- Closing gaps between teeth
- Masking alignment problems
- Covering cracks or wear
- Providing an alternative to orthodontic work
But you do need to remember that porcelain veneers are only a cosmetic solution and are applied atop healthy teeth. Issues such as decay or gum disease must be taken care of before veneers are applied. Veneers simply cover cosmetic problems.
The difference really is function. Crowns are usually a fundamental tooth restoration. A crown covers the entire tooth surface above the gumline. Crowns are used to restore function to teeth that are heavily decayed or have an extensive chip or crack. Crowns are also used as the abutment anchors for bridges that replace missing teeth. Unlike placing a full set of veneers, crowns aren’t a realistic option for covering all of the patient’s visible teeth. Porcelain veneers do not strengthen the teeth or restore function; they simply cover up cosmetic issues, giving you a beautiful smile.
Part of the reason we use only dental porcelain for our veneers at Agnini Family Dental is because they are so resistant to staining. Your porcelain veneers don’t require any special cleaning or maintenance at home, just regular brushing and flossing. While you can eat basically whatever you like, you may want to avoid sticky foods like taffy or chewing on bones, as veneers can sometimes detach. If this does happen, we can usually reattach the veneer.
Porcelain veneers are quite durable. A set can last from seven to 20 years. The difference in duration is due to the health of the underlying teeth holding the veneers, along with the health of the surrounding gums. If you take care of your teeth, your veneers will last a long time.
When our patients are considering porcelain veneers, we remind them this is a lifetime commitment. This is because placement of veneers on your teeth requires our dentists to shave off from 0.3 to 0.5mm of the enamel from the front side of each tooth receiving a veneer. Because their enamel is thinned, these teeth will forevermore require protection in the form of a veneer (or a crown). You cannot go back to your teeth without veneers. Once your current set reaches its lifespan, you’ll need to have another set created and attached to your teeth.