Veneers
It’s called smile shame. It results in people hiding their smile, and avoiding laughing. It’s terrible to feel so self-conscious, but there is a solution—dental veneers, sometimes called porcelain veneers.
The self-consciousness comes from teeth that are spaced unevenly, crowded, chipped, worn, cracked or severely stained. Veneers – thin shells of tough, natural-looking ceramic bonded to the front surface of your teeth – can make these issues disappear. Veneers are less expensive than crowns, and deliver the look, feel and strength of natural teeth. Without tooth restructuring or extensive orthodontics, you get a brilliant, natural-looking smile.
Veneers are a solution to many major dental problems:
- they can correct damaged or jagged teeth
- fill unsightly gaps between teeth
- restore teeth that have been permanently stained
All You Need To Know About Veneers
Veneers are basically the teeth you’ve always wanted. They are durable, don’t stain, and last for a long time. Before you make an appointment, take some time to learn about the process, the advantages, and if veneers are the right procedure for you and your smile!
What Are Veneers?
Veneers are thin shells that are made from either porcelain or composite resin and cover the front of your teeth. The thin shells are shaped and contoured to fit your existing smile perfectly and will expertly cover any flaws such as chipped, gapped, misaligned or stained teeth. Each veneer is custom made for each tooth and are bonded over your existing teeth.
Porcelain VS Composite
The first and most important characteristic of porcelain veneers is the ability of the material to mimic tooth enamel. Porcelain has a transparent quality that reacts to different lighting conditions which create layered depth and shine that is not achievable with composite. This ensures that your new smile will look perfectly natural and will blend with the colour of the teeth that don’t have veneers on them.
Additionally, porcelain is stronger, more durable and is completely resistant to stain. You can expect porcelain veneers to last between 10-20 + years with proper dental care and regular checkups with your dentist.
Composite resin veneers will need to be replaced sooner and can invite stain if you don’t take care of them. They can be matched to your natural teeth just as well as porcelain but lack the complete depth to make your veneered teeth indistinguishable from your natural smile. However, the two main advantages of composite are the price point, which is significantly lower than porcelain, and composite is repairable when chipped or cracked. This is not the case with porcelain as you will have to replace the whole veneer. Just keep in mind that porcelain is much stronger and is less likely to sustain damage than composite.
Who Are They For/Who Needs Them?
Anyone can get veneers if they want them. In most cases, those who opt for veneers are unsatisfied with their natural smile. If you have a gap that you are not happy with, veneers provide your ideal smile without complex dental reconstruction. Stained, chipped or misaligned teeth can be corrected as well.
Something to consider is that perfection is relative and the point of veneers is to make your version of a perfect smile natural and comfortable. Bringing in a picture of a celebrity and hoping to get their exact smile is not what you want to do. You are unique and so are your teeth. Don’t worry, you’ll also be someone’s favourite smile.
The bottom line is, if you feel like you would be more confident with a new smile, you should do it! We show off our teeth every day and you should be able to face the world with a smile you are truly proud of.
How Long Does The Process Take?
The average veneer process will take two to three visits to your dentist and about 3-weeks overall. This may vary depending on how many veneers you want and the condition of your natural teeth.
What Is The Process Like?
There are varying stages of the construction of veneers. First, you will have a consultation to decide what you want your smile to look like and the dentist can give you a general picture of what the end result will be like.
The second step in the process is preparing your teeth for the permanent veneers and getting fitted for the temporary ones. Temporary veneers are a necessary component of the procedure and cannot be skipped. The temporary veneers will give you an idea of what the final product will look like and if you want to further augment your smile, the temporary veneers allow you to make changes before permanent placement. Further, your natural teeth are filed down and etched so that the new veneers will fit in your mouth and line up with your existing teeth. This may make your teeth sensitive and vulnerable so the temporary veneers will protect them!
What are the advantages – Beyond the obvious beautiful smile you’ll walk away with, veneers are a lasting solution for an aesthetic upgrade. You’ll never have to worry about teeth whitening again with porcelain veneers and you can rest easy that your smile will last 10-20 + years before needing attention. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to go to the dentist, teeth are still teeth but you won’t be getting any cavities on the veneered teeth.
What Are The Disadvantages?
Once you have veneers, you will have to stay with veneers. To have the veneers fit properly it’s necessary to remove .5-1mm of enamel and while minimal is irreversible.
Is There Special Care For Them?
Brushing and flossing twice a day and keeping up with regular annual dental visits are all you need to do! Treat them exactly like you would your normal teeth (as long as it means you are doing the above).
Eagle Creek staff are happy to book consultations to go ever what to expect in person. Our dentists are all highly trained and specialize in cosmetic dentistry and they will help create the smile you’ve always dreamed of!