Veneers for Teeth

As the term suggests, dental veneers are veneers for teeth. They are custom-made shells that are wafer-thin that come in tooth colors, designed to improve the appearance of your teeth by covering the teeth’s front surface. The shape, size, color and length of your teeth will look changed once the veneers are bonded to the front surface.

The following are fixed through the use of dental veneers: broken or chipped teeth, worn-down teeth, teeth with discoloration (due to fluorosis, presence of resin fillings, tetracycline or other similar drugs, or root canal treatment), teeth with spaces between them (veneers can be used to close the gap between these teeth), irregularly-shaped teeth, and veneers for crooked teeth or misaligned teeth.

In getting porcelain veneers for teeth, the first thing you must do is consult the dentist. Your teeth will be examined to ascertain if dental veneers are suitable for you. This will also determine what procedures will be involved in your case. Your dentist may also make impressions of your mouth and teeth, and perform some X-rays of your teeth. You will also go over the costs of veneers for teeth to make sure that you find the procedure in your budget.

After the consultation part, you will move on to the preparation. About half a millimeter of enamel will be removed by your dentist from the tooth’s surface and add almost the same amount of thickness of veneer to the surface. This will definitely hurt so you and your dentist will talk over the type of anesthetic that will be used to numb the tooth. Your dentist will also make impressions of your teeth and mouth, if there are none yet, and have them sent to a laboratory for the construction of your dental veneers. It would usually take 1-2 days to get constructed.

The last part is the bonding. Once your veneers are constructed, they will be cemented permanently to the surface of your teeth. A lot of trimming is usually done to achieve the appropriate fit. The shade of cement could also be adjusted so it will blend more with the color of your teeth. After cementing, they will be cleaned and polished. The final procedures include trimming off excess cement, evaluating the way you bite, and making any further adjustments as needed.

Veneers could last from 5-10 years. After that period, you would have to replace them. Special care is not necessary for veneers. Just continue with your usual flossing, brushing, and gargling approach. Also, even if porcelain veneers are resistant to stain, your dentist may advise you to refrain from tea, coffee, and other stain-causing foods or beverages.

The advantages of dental veneers are the following: resistant to stain, provide natural teeth appearance, gum-friendly, and color can be modified. However, there are also some drawbacks. First, this is a permanent process. You can no longer reverse the process once it has been done. Thus, you must make sure that you really want dental veneers before you embark on the process. Also, the color of veneers is not exactly the same as the color of your teeth. It can be modified to look close to the color of your teeth, but it will be almost impossible to achieve the exact same color. In addition, if a veneer gets chipped, it usually can no longer be repaired.

Bondings and crowns are your alternatives to veneers for teeth. Veneers, however, are your immediate option especially if you are in a hurry to get your teeth’s shape and appearance fixed up. For the cost, this varies according to state and the procedures involved. In general, the cost for dental veneers could range from 500 dollars up to a maximum of 1, 300 dollars per tooth.