Porcelain Veneers – Advantages and Procedure

There is an old stigma surrounding having false teeth, but in today’s modern age of technological and medical advancement, this stigma doesn’t need to exist any longer.

The advancements that have been made in the dental industry have meant that patients can benefit from new and exciting treatments and procedures, giving them the natural and white smile they have longed for.

For many of us, a bright smile is elusive, but this is where your dentist can step in and fit false teeth or porcelain veneers.

In many areas, porcelain veneers are a very popular and often endorsed option to consider for natural-looking false teeth due to the benefits they have over other cosmetic dentistry false teeth options such as crowns, bonding, and orthodontics.

What Are Porcelain Veneers?

Porcelain veneers are a false teeth option that makes it feasible to possess beautiful, nicely aligned teeth without having to go through extensive surgery. If you have crooked, chipped, or stained teeth you may want to consider a consultation with a highly skilled Veneer Specialist. Speaking to a specialist is really a very good choice if this procedure is anything of interest.

What precisely are Veneers? Porcelain veneers are very thin layers of porcelain that are fused to the surface of your tooth. Porcelain is chosen because it is the longest-lasting material for such a procedure. It’s harder than enamel so it lasts quite a long time. Veneers appear really natural because dentists can mimic the translucency to the level of an actual tooth. You will notice that veneers seldom stain unless they become damaged on the surface.

Check out the video below that shows you a new set of veneers, and how good and realistic they look.

Porcelain Veneers Procedure

If you visit your dental specialist, an initial consultation will be performed to determine whether you are a suitable candidate for veneers. Once you are identified as a good candidate for porcelain veneers, you will be booked in for the 1st of a few procedures.

The outer layer of the tooth, known as the enamel, is a smooth and lustrous surface which means it doesn’t give the dental adhesive much to bond to. Also, if we were to bond dental veneers to an unprepared tooth, we would end up with a bulky looking smile. We need to allow for the few millimeters of thickness that the veneers add, to ensure that the final result is a natural-looking smile.

You can guarantee that your cosmetic dentist will carefully calculate how much of the tooth structure to remove based on a diagnostic model created from impressions of your teeth done during your initial consultation.

The dentist will apply a local anesthetic to the desired area of the mouth. Once the anesthesia has kicked in, the dentist will create some reference points on the tooth to shave it to the appropriate depth; only afterward is the majority of the tooth reshaped.

Once your teeth have been reshaped, they are much more vulnerable due to the loss of enamel. So to protect against sensitivity and decay between appointments, temporary dental veneers will be placed. These are usually based on the final product, so you will get a sense of how the final veneers will look.

Temporary veneers are used as a mock-up, which can be tweaked until both you and the dentist are happy. Impressions, as well as photos, are then taken and used by the dental lab so that the final permanent veneers can be made up to exactly fit your mouth.

Note that temporary veneers are not made of porcelain, so although you will see the outline of the smile, it won’t capture the shine or translucency of the dental veneers. The preparation work is essentially complete once the temporary veneers are in place.

Applying the Dental Veneers and Adhesive

The final appointment involves removing the temporary veneers and bonding the final veneers into place with dental adhesive. The dentist will clean up the excess dental adhesive along the margins of the tooth. The veneer is then strongly bonded into place permanently. Lastly, a unique light is held to the area to further harden the newly bonded tooth.

In the case of composite veneers, both prep and delivery are conducted during the same visit. Although this mitigates the need to wait on the dental lab for fabrication, the process can still take time in the chair. The dentist must layer on a composite material to replicate the nuances of a natural smile.

How precisely do dentists produce such natural-looking teeth replicas? Light is not instantly reflected off natural teeth. Light in fact goes through teeth and reflects off the “tooth dentin” that lies beneath the surface of your tooth. Porcelain veneers replicate this and give the newly surfaced tooth its natural luster. It really is remarkable how today’s technology allows us to obtain anything that at one time seemed impossible.

Beyond some mild discomfort from tooth sensitivity, most patients don’t report any symptoms after either type of treatment. Overall, new patients can rest assured that the process probably won’t be as painful as they would imagine, the dental adhesive will hold your dental veneers in place, and the benefits post-treatment may just change your life.

So What Are The Advantages of Porcelain Veneers?

Natural Appearance

One of the most celebrated advantages of veneers is their natural appearance. The porcelain accurately imitates the texture and light-reflecting characteristic of natural teeth.

Match the Color of Existing Teeth

Also, there’s no need to worry that your tooth will stand out; your dentist can select the color of the porcelain veneer to perfectly match your other teeth. And if you are getting a whole set of veneers, your dentist can select a more lustrous but still natural hue for your whole smile.

Long Lasting

The durable nature of veneers makes them a stronger, longer-lasting alternative to false teeth and crowns. Additionally, they do not require as much reshaping as crowns do.

Match the Shape of Other Teeth

Veneers are also a step-up from dental bonding because they can manipulate the appearance of your teeth in more ways; since they consist of a thin shell around the tooth, using veneers gives the dentist the ability to reshape the tooth, whereas bonding merely applies resin to the surface of the tooth.

Can Address Multiple Issues

Furthermore, veneers address a slew of conditions requiring repair including gaps between teeth as well as rotated, discolored, chipped, worn down, and abnormally shaped or sized teeth. Their versatile nature eliminates the need for several different procedures to get your smile where you want it; many problems can be fixed with this single practice.

Can Hide Imperfections

Veneers also provide the opportunity to instantly hide imperfections. Following a quick process consisting of just a few appointments, you will go home with that dream smile you have envied for years. Since results are virtually immediate, patience is not required as part of the cost of veneers.

Stain-resistant

Porcelain veneers are particularly appealing because, unlike resin, porcelain is non-porous and stain-resistant. This means there is no need to abandon your favorite red wine, tea, coffee, or tobacco product, all of which generally stain tooth enamel.

Alternatives to Porcelain Veneers

There are a few different veneer options. Each have their positive and negative points. For a look at the different veneer options, please check out this article.

Porcelain Veneers – A Natural-Looking False Teeth Option

The old-fashioned stereotypical images of false teeth that exist are no longer valid, as there are many new and exciting false teeth options available. So why not consider a bright, white natural-looking false teeth smile with porcelain veneers.

Speak to your dentist to see if porcelain veneers are an option that will work for you.