Dental veneers can be used to cosmetically enhance your smile. Veneers can be used to whiten your teeth, repair chips, cracks, or worn areas of teeth, close gaps between teeth, and in some cases, correct misaligned teeth.
What are veneers? Veneers are a thin shell or facing, generally made of highly glazed porcelain that are bonded to your natural teeth. Once veneers are bonded, they are considered permanent, and are a very strong restoration. Usually a small amount of tooth surface is removed from the front of the tooth during this procedure, though much less than what would be removed for a crown. In some cases, resin or plastic based veneers can be applied that do not require any enamel be removed.
Since the veneers are made by a professional dental laboratory from special models we take of your teeth, it usually takes two visits to complete the procedure. In some cases, we will have the dental lab take a custom shade, so that the color matches perfectly with what the patient desires. A patient may opt to whiten the adjacent or opposing teeth in order to achieve an even better color match. The patient doesn’t have to worry about their teeth looking strange between visits, because temporary restorations are placed.
Porcelain veneers usually last for several years. However, to lengthen the lifetime of your veneers, you should avoid using your teeth as “a tool” to open or rip things. You should also avoid food or drinks that tend to stain teeth, like red wine, coffee or tea. If you grind your teeth, veneers will definitely last longer if you wear a custom mouthguard, which can be made by the dentist.
Veneers are a reliable and generally conservative dental procedure that can give a patient the “Hollywood Smile” that many people want. A dental professional can tell you whether or not you are a candidate for the cosmetic improvements that porcelain veneers can make.
For more information, call Dr. Young at 661-257-6453.