What You Should Know About Dental Veneers

What are dental veneers?

Dental veneers are a paper thin piece of porcelain that is attached to your teeth to replace the enamel. Typically this is done when the tooth has sustained some kind of injury and is broken, cracked, or chipped. Using porcelain veneers, as they are also called, you can easily recreate the natural beauty of your teeth while rejuvenating your smile by making it brighter, altering the position slightly, and changing the shape of your teeth. Since veneers are designed to mimic the enamel, almost perfectly, they take on many of the same qualities as your natural teeth which makes them look, and feel, exactly the same.

How are dental veneers placed?

The first step to placing dental veneers involves a detailed conversation about what you want from your smile and how dental veneers can help you to achieve that goal. We will perform, what is known as, a smile analysis which tells us a number of important facts about your desires, and helps us formulate a plan for you. During this initial consultation, we will also inspect your teeth to make sure that you are a good candidate for porcelain veneers. Typically most of our patients are excellent candidates, but the examination will help to rule out anything that may require different treatment. Often, once we have decided that veneers are your best option we can do cosmetic imaging to show you what your smile could look like.

The veneers themselves are attached or placed on the second visit. We will begin by shaving away a tiny fraction of your enamel, which will allow the dental veneers to fit snugly to the tooth. It is rare that we have to shave more than a few millimeters of the enamel away. We then place the veneers, ensuring that they are the right fit, color, and shape to make your tooth look amazing. Finally, once both of us are satisfied with the aesthetics and functionality, we will adhere the new porcelain veneer to your tooth using dental cement.

What are dental veneers used for?

When it comes to restorations, dental veneers are one of the most versatile tools we have with a wide range of applications. Based on the fact that dental veneers actually replace the enamel, without having to shave away large portions of it, makes them a great tool for repairing minor cracks, chips, and breaks in the teeth. The alternative is a dental crown, which requires a great deal of the enamel to be removed before it can be placed. Porcelain veneers may also be used for whitening teeth, which is where the idea of perfect white Hollywood-style teeth came from. Sometimes teeth do not respond to the peroxide based formulas in teeth whitening, and it becomes necessary to remove a tiny portion of the enamel and replace it with a veneer for whiter teeth. We also use veneers to fix minor bite problems, reshape teeth, and cover unsightly gaps from teeth that are misaligned.