All About Porcelain Veneers
by Dr Shilpa Gupta (dentist) | Mar 2, 2020 | Porcelain Veneers, Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Article
Everyone wants to have a beautiful smile featuring healthy, white teeth, but some of us are not blessed with this.
Many factors can contribute to a sub-par smile, including age, heredity, lifestyle choices, and dental accidents.
If you look into the mirror and see a smile that could use some improvement, give us a call at Warner Lakes Dental to find out what you can do to improve your smile.
Most likely you will be able to choose from a few cosmetic dentistry procedures to achieve the smile you’ve always wanted, and one good option is porcelain veneers. In many cases, these porcelain veneers can give you a whiter, brighter, straighter smile.
Read on to learn all about porcelain veneers!
What is a Porcelain Veneer?
Porcelain veneers are millimetre thick shells, bonded to your natural teeth to correct minor imperfections. Porcelain veneers are attractive and durable often lasting 10-15 years if given proper care.
Each veneer is custom manufactured to ensure they closely resemble natural teeth, making it difficult to tell a veneer from a natural tooth.
Unlike natural teeth, porcelain veneers resist stains from coffee, tea, and smoking. So you have a dazzling smile, without a flaw, every time you open your mouth.
Benefits of Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers have practical and aesthetic benefits such as:
- Improve the appearance of the tooth surface
- Conceal stains and discolouration that cannot be removed from natural teeth
- Cover chips
- Cover up any cracks you may have throughout your front teeth
- Close small gaps between teeth without orthodontics
- Mask misaligned teeth
- Coat wear and tear
What can’t veneers do?
- Cover significant spaces and crooked teeth
- Repair poorly shaped gum tissue
- Bond to teeth that do not have enough tooth structure
Getting Porcelain Veneers
If you think that brisbane porcelain veneers might be the right choice, schedule a consultation with your Warner dentist to ensure you are an ideal candidate. If porcelain veneers are the best solution for you, you’ll follow these procedures in our offices.
Your Warner dentist will perform a smile analysis, and you may even try on sample veneers for a diagnostic mock-up of your desired smile, or cosmetic imaging may be performed.
To prepare, 1/2 millimetre of enamel is removed from the tooth surface. In some cases, you will receive an anaesthetic during this process. Your dentist will make a model or impression of your tooth and send it to a dental laboratory, which will manufacture your veneer. It can take 2-6 weeks for your dentist to receive the veneers back from the laboratory.
Before permanent placement, we will temporarily put the veneer on your tooth to examine its fit and colour. We will then remove and treat the veneer as needed to achieve the proper fit and colour. Next, your tooth will be roughened to ensure a robust bonding process.
A customised cement is applied to the veneer, and the veneer is then placed on your tooth. Once the veneer is appropriately positioned on the tooth, your dentist uses a special light beam on the dental veneer to bond it in place.
Finally, we may remove excess cement, evaluate your bite and make final adjustments. We may schedule a follow-up visit to ensure that your entire mouth is healthy, including a check of your gums to see how they are reacting to your new veneers.
What can I protect my veneers?
Veneers are durable, and up to most usual things your teeth do. But porcelain is a kind of glass; it can be damaged or destroyed. Following a few guidelines can help you avoid damaged veneers and additional dental costs.
Practice daily oral hygiene. Brush and floss veneered teeth just as you do your natural teeth.
Avoid excessive biting or chewing. Using teeth to chew on bones, crack nutshells, or chew on pencils, fingernails, and other hard objects are just a few things that can lead to damaged veneers.
Limit foods and drinks that cause staining. Although your new veneers don’t typically stain, the teeth around them can. This means your shiny teeth with the brighter veneers may look unnatural next to your darker natural teeth.
Get protection for bruxism/athletics. Excess grinding or clenching of teeth can put severe stress on veneers, as can contact sports. You can get a custom-made mouthguard at Warner Lakes Dental.
The Warner Lakes Brisbane Dental Care Experience
Warner Lakes Dental wants your visit to be the quickest and most convenient dental experience possible. From parking to treatment, we try to make the entire process as painless and straightforward as possible.
From routine check-ups and cleans to root canals, extractions, and cosmetic procedures, Warner Lakes Dental is your partner in dental health.
We want you and your family to enjoy life with a stunning smile and a healthy mouth, teeth, and gums!
To know all about porcelain veneers, call us on (07) 3477 9925 or visit us online.
We are located at Warner Lakes Medical Precinct, 1185B Old North Road in Warner.