Dental veneers are thin tooth-shaped porcelain pieces cemented on the tooth’s front surface to recreate the natural tooth appearance and give you a beautiful smile. With the evolving cosmetic dentistry, veneer procedures have improved the look of chipped, fractured, worn out, misshaped, or cosmetically compromised teeth. At The Lakewood Dentist, we can eradicate these dental concerns that prevent you from achieving the smile and appearance you have always longed for through porcelain veneers.
Porcelain Veneers at a Glance
Porcelain veneers are extremely thin and tailored shell-type structures cemented directly on the front surface of the enamel. The purpose of the shells is to resemble the original tooth color and restore a winning smile. The bonding or application of the material is done to give the targeted tooth a new shape, size, and color.
Veneers are manufactured in a dental lab to your exact specifications, and once they are done, they are inspected before being applied or cemented to the front tooth enamel. You can use these veneers for one or multiple visible teeth, depending on how much you want to enhance your smile.
During the introduction of dental veneers, materials and techniques were not as advanced as they are today. Many dental patients who received the treatment in the past improved the beauty of their smiles, but the restoration did not entirely mimic the natural tooth enamel’s color. At The Lakewood Dentist, we have assisted many patients in obtaining beautiful smiles through porcelain veneers. We recommend them because the material refracts light and is translucent, giving you a natural and flawless-looking smile.
You must understand that even though porcelain veneers are for cosmetic reasons, as they bring back your beautiful smile, they play a protective role by preventing far-reaching dental procedures.
Porcelain Veneers Purpose
Candidates for the treatment are people looking to fix the following dental issues to enhance their appearance:
- Chipped or fractured teeth
- Stained, yellowed, or dark teeth
- Too small teeth
- Misshapen teeth
- Diastema or wide spaces in the mouth
- Worn tooth enamel
- Unwanted tooth surfaces
You should consider porcelain veneers if you are free of cavities or periodontal disease. If you have periodontitis, you are ineligible for the treatment. It would help if you treated the underlying condition before this cosmetic procedure.
Porcelain Veneers Benefits
At The Lakewood Dentist, we endorse porcelain veneers because of the following reasons:
- Veneers are Not Susceptible to Staining
Porcelain veneers are more resistant to stains than composite resin ones. It means that you will not be asked to avoid foods and beverages that could stain the teeth. Also, you preserve a beautiful smile for an extended duration.
- The Treatment Involves Little Extraction of the Tooth Enamel
Consuming tea, coffee, red wine, or smoking can wear down the surface of your tooth. Genetics can also cause tooth enamel erosion. When the surface is eroded, it cannot be reversed. Thankfully, applying porcelain veneers involves the extraction of the thin layer of enamel so that the tooth does not look more extensive or uneven than the standard size. The extraction of the tooth surface only happens on the front, helping you preserve the enamel, unlike dental crowns and bridges, where more enamel is removed in multiple teeth to fit the restorations.
- Gives you a Pearl White Smile
Veneers have multiple shades for you to choose from to match your teeth’ natural color. If you want porcelain veneers on several teeth, you can opt for numerous shades for a whiter and more sparkly smile.
- They Have a Natural Appearance and Feel
You do not want people to notice a variance in your looks. Porcelain veneers make this possible by giving a beautiful smile resembling natural teeth. You worry less about people seeing disharmony in your appearance, giving you the self-assurance you need.
Another benefit of porcelain veneers is their resilience because of their non-porous surface. Also, the number of visits to your dentist is limited to two, after which you will attain your objective of a flawless smile.
Candidacy for the Treatment
Not every dental patient with gaps in the mouth, tooth discoloration, wear and tear, worn enamel, or a misshapen tooth is eligible for porcelain veneers. You can be sure to enjoy the advantages of the treatment by scheduling an appointment with your cosmetic dentistry service for a thorough oral exam. Whether or not you qualify for the treatment is established during the preliminary consultation.
Our cosmetic dentists at The Lakewood Dentist will analyze your dental health during the initial consultation and discuss your treatment options and the veneers you require to attain your goal. Our dental experts prefer offering our patients minimally invasive treatments. For instance, we will not recommend veneers if your dental concern is crooked teeth. Instead, we will recommend Invisalign or metal braces, and after the teeth return to the desired position, we will apply the porcelain layer to cover your teeth and enhance your smile.
The downside of porcelain veneers is that the process is irreversible. Therefore, discussing all available alternatives with your cosmetic dentist and ensuring you want the porcelain veneers is wise because there is no reversal once treatment commences. Discuss dental crowns with your dentist if you want a less invasive procedure.
After exploring several options and picking porcelain veneers, your dental expert will explain the process involved in this treatment. The dentist should explain your treatment plan and your expectations.
During this initial consultation, ensure your cosmetic dentist understands your objectives and expectations. A profound dentist will include you in designing the treatment so that you can pick your preferred tooth size, color, and shape. By doing so, the procedure can be customized to satisfy your goals and expectations. The preliminary consultation will be meaningless if you leave the dental clinic without ensuring the provider understands your expectations and shares your dream.
Expectations During Consultation
Porcelain veneers require two appointments within six weeks. If it is your first time visiting a dentist, you will feel anxious because you do not know your expectations. Discussed below is what you must expect during a consultation:
Completing Paperwork
You must fill out some forms during your first visit to our offices. We need your name, physical address, dental health history, and overall well-being record. If you are a dental insurance policyholder, remember to bring your card. If you have been referred to us by another dentist, call their office to transfer all your dental health records to our office.
Setting the Foundation
A first consultation in a general dentist’s office focuses more on examination to look for dental issues. However, with a cosmetic dentist, the focus is discussing your expectations and developing a bespoke treatment plan to aid you in achieving your dream smile. The dentist assigned to your case wants to know why you need porcelain veneers. Whereas the goal of many patients undergoing the treatment is to attain a flawless smile, the priority of some patients is to protect their teeth from further damage or strengthen the enamel for improved function.
Once your desired outcome is understood, the next phase is the evaluation of your mouth to determine your dental health, eligibility for the procedure, and whether you need complementary treatment before bonding the porcelain veneers.
Utilize the initial consultation fully by ensuring your dentist answers all your questions about the procedure. Your questions should focus on the following areas:
- Your eligibility for the veneers
- Benefits and downsides of the procedure
- Recovery duration
- Cost of treatment
- Financing options
- Whether the dentist has a gallery of before and after photographs of previous patients
- The success rate of the treatment
Discovering your Options
The remaining time of the meeting will focus on reviewing test results and deliberating treatment options. Our cosmetic dentists utilize computer projections and pictures from past clients to demonstrate how the treatment will transform your smile. Also, our cosmetic dentistry service providers will determine your porcelain veneers’ color, shape, and size.
If, after consultation, you decide to undergo a porcelain veneer treatment procedure, we will ask for your medical records and payment and financing methods to schedule the actual process.
Porcelain Veneers Procedure
Bonding porcelain veneers to your teeth entails several phases. These are:
- Administering Anesthetic
Being anxious or uncomfortable during a visit to your dentist is normal. Therefore, before preparing your teeth for the dental veneers, we administer local anesthesia to keep you relaxed and comfortable. Once you are calm, your cosmetic dentist will use a bur to remove a thin layer of enamel, usually half a millimeter, from the teeth whose appearance you want to improve. A bur is a handheld revolving device that cuts the natural tooth’s enamel to prepare it for the veneers. Burs come in varying sizes and profiles for precise cutting.
- Taking an Impression of Your Teeth
If you choose composite resin veneers over porcelain ones, the next step after preparing the teeth will be bonding or cementing the composite material to the prepped teeth. Your dentist will then harden the resin using special high-concentration ultraviolet (UV) lights. If the tooth’s form and size are not as desired after the first polish application, your dentist can apply more layers until you attain the desired look. The final step will entail brushing the cemented teeth with the bur to generate a natural-looking smile.
However, if you prefer porcelain veneers as the treatment to help you acquire a beautiful smile, the next phase after reshaping the targeted teeth is to take teeth imprints. The impression or print goes to a dental lab technician for veneer molding or fabrication. Many cosmetic dentistry providers lack the technology to fabricate the veneers in their labs and rely on outside labs for final molding. If you visit a dentist without the technology for molding, you will wait several weeks before receiving the final veneers.
At The Lakewood Dentist, we have invested in an in-house laboratory with experienced technicians, meaning you will not have to wait weeks for the veneers to be molded. With our computer-aided design and manufacturing technology, you should expect the treatment to be completed in one visit, as the dental veneers can be developed and cemented in a single visit. You will not need temporary veneers. However, you will require temporary veneers if you have to wait before your final restorations are ready.
Not everyone uses temporary veneers. If your tooth enamel is strong enough or only two teeth need porcelain veneers, you will not require temporary restorations.
The long waiting period is the reason your dentist places the temporary veneers. You will have these on until the final ones are ready for bonding.
You will return for the final appointment once your bespoke porcelain veneers arrive from the dental lab. Before bonding the veneers permanently, your dental professional will let you review them to see if they fit perfectly and if the color matches your natural teeth. This step ensures there are no problems with the veneers after you leave the dental clinic.
- The Bonding Phase
Your cosmetic dental expert will constantly fit and remove the custom veneers to ensure they fit perfectly. During the evaluation, the provider will trim the teeth where necessary or change the porcelain veneer color using the bonding material or cement shade.
To prep the teeth for the final application, the dentist cleans, polishes, and etches the reshaped teeth for solid bonding.
Once the teeth are ready, your provider will apply the special cement to the porcelain veneers and bond them to the reshaped natural teeth. If the shells fit properly, the dentist will utilize a unique light ray to trigger the cement chemicals to harden them for a locked fit.
After hardening, the dentist will extract the extra cement, evaluate your bite, and make the necessary changes. The provider will also arrange a follow-up appointment within two weeks to check for progress.
Handling Sensitivity and Discomfort
Tooth sensitivity after the bonding of porcelain veneers is common. The discomfort should fade away within days or, in rare cases, weeks, depending on your unique situation. The likely complications you will experience after the treatment are:
- Tooth sensitivity because of enamel extraction
- Sore gum tissues
- Your speech could be impacted before the brain is used to the porcelain veneers
- Increased saliva production before adapting to the veneers
These symptoms can only last for a particular duration. If they become long-term, you must speak to your provider for an evaluation. You should consider returning to the dentist if the following is true:
- The pain or tooth sensitivity persists for over two weeks
- You experience toothache under the veneers
- You experience a misaligned bite
- The porcelain veneer chip
The tips for managing tooth sensitivity are:
- Steer clear of substances that put pressure on the veneers
- Reduce contact with the teeth when consuming hot or cold substances or stick to room-temperature drinks
- Steer clear of sugary or spicy substances
- Avoid harmful chewing habits or teeth-grinding
- Use desensitizing toothpaste after meals
- Take painkillers
Recovery and Aftercare
Porcelain veneers last for ten to fifteen years with proper care. You must observe oral hygiene habits and visit the dentist biannually for professional evaluation and cleaning. Our dentists at The Lakewood Dentist have highlighted some tips to help you care for your veneers after placement. These are:
Brush your Teeth Often
Brushing your teeth twice daily removes plaque and calculus that continually build up in the mouth. When you allow the tartar to accumulate around the gum line and teeth, the risk of treatment failing increases. Brushing should be done correctly; otherwise, you will not achieve the desired outcome. The proper way to clean the teeth is by brushing for two minutes or more with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Also, it would help if you used a tender touch on the brush to avoid hurting the gums. Finally, you should change your toothbrush after four months for effective brushing. When you become ill, replace the toothbrush to elude reinfection.
Brushing does not permanently remove plaque in some sections of the teeth. Therefore, after brushing, you must floss your teeth to eradicate the waste and food particles trapped along the gum line and tooth structure.
Avoid Using your Teeth to Chew or Bite Hard Substances
Porcelain veneers are long-lasting but can easily chip or crack because they lack the strength of natural teeth. Nevertheless, you can prevent these fractures by steering clear of harmful oral habits like using your teeth as bottle openers or scissors. Also, you must avoid chewing complex objects like stones.
Before leaving your dentist’s office, have them draw a list of bad oral habits you should avoid and the foods likely to pressure the veneers, leading to chipping. Foods and drinks that could likely harm your veneers include hard candy. Porcelain veneers cannot be stained, so you do not have to avoid food dyes, tea, coffee, and wine. However, brushing your teeth after taking these beverages to avoid staining the natural teeth would be best to maintain a beautiful smile.
Put on a Mouthguard
If you are used to grinding or clenching your teeth, you need a mouthguard to protect the veneers from chipping. Bruxism can result in tooth enamel wear, bite problems, and surface damage. Having a mouthguard on at night prevents these issues.
Visit your Dental Professional Biannually
Visiting your dental expert twice annually is critical to maintaining the beautiful smile you have obtained through porcelain veneer treatment. In these visits, the dentist examines your teeth for oral problems. If you have an underlying concern, the dental professional will remove the veneers and examine the extent of the conditions. Once the issue is addressed, the shells will be restored. Also, these visits to the dentist are helpful because all the tartar and plaque that cannot be removed through regular brushing is removed through professional cleaning, giving you healthy and sparkly teeth.
Cost of Porcelain Veneers
Regarding cost, porcelain veneers are more costly than composite resin ones. Porcelain veneers range from $950 to $2,500 for every tooth, while composite veneers cost $250 to $1,500 per tooth. Usually, the prices of porcelain veneers depend on various aspects, including:
- The Expertise of your Ceramist and Cosmetic Dentist
Designing porcelain veneers is all about your ceramist’s artistic and practical abilities. Therefore, if you pick the most reputable ceramist in Lakewood for your dental veneers, you should be prepared to pay more for their technical skills. Also, your dentist must have the skills to place veneers perfectly.
Usually, professionals who charge the lowest prices in the market for these services have less technical skills, and the quality of their services is generally compromised. So, if you want to partner with the best professionals, you should be ready to pay more.
- The Location of the Treatment
The price of porcelain veneers differs by region. The location you pick to place the veneers will, therefore, impact the money you spend. Dentists in metropolitan areas will charge more than those in smaller towns or rural areas because they serve wealthy individuals and celebrities. Also, these services are in higher demand in the big cities than in rural areas, hence the price difference. Before deciding where to have the treatment, do research online and compare prices to pick the correct location.
- The Number of Targeted Teeth
The fee for dental veneers greatly depends on the number of teeth. If you want to upgrade the appearance of several teeth, you will pay more because the dentists charge per tooth. The cost of treatment will be extremely high if you want to enhance multiple teeth.
At The Lakewood Dentist, we understand that the cost can put a substantial financial burden on you, so we have financing options. You cannot use your dental insurance coverage to pay for the treatment because veneers are not medically necessary. However, we can loan you part of the treatment cost or the entire cost to repay later in installments. With our financing options, price should not be why you avoid porcelain veneers.
Find a Skilled Cosmetic Dentist Near Me
Having chipped, cracked, discolored, or misshapen teeth can impact your self-esteem and quality of life. Fortunately, with The Lakewood Dentist, you no longer have to worry about smiling. Our dental professionals will place porcelain veneers to give you a dream smile. Call us today at 562-423-1441 to schedule an appointment.