Everything You Need to know about Porcelain Veneers
What Are Porcelain Veneers?
Porcelain veneers are very thin shells made from porcelain to that is placed over a tooth to correct any tooth damage or to improve the color and alignment of a smile. They are customized to match the color of your teeth as closely as possible, all while enhancing your smile for a more realistic and natural look. Veneers are bonded to your teeth permanently for lasting results and you can receive as many or as few veneers as you need.
Veneers can fix a multitude of cosmetic dentistry issues to bring you your best smile:
- Chipped or broken teeth
- Teeth that have large gaps or are misaligned
- Discolored or stained teeth
- Small teeth
- Worn down teeth
Veneers can last for a long time, often lasting at least a decade and porcelain veneers are great at resisting stains, keeping your smile bright!
Check out our Porcelain Veneer FAQ HERE.
What Are the Benefits of Porcelain Veneers?
Corrects Unwanted Imperfections: One of the primary advantages to porcelain veneers is the ability to repair chipped, broken, or gapped teeth quickly. Veneers offer instant results that, in most situations, eliminate the need for additional dental cosmetic procedures. Overall, porcelain veneers help conceal minor cosmetic and orthodontic issues.
Whitens Teeth Immediately: For people who have stained or yellowed teeth, porcelain veneers offer a quick fix. They shield the front portion of the teeth, disguising any discoloration and presenting a more beautiful smile. Porcelain veneers are resistant to stains and offer protection and longevity. After this dental procedure, individuals do not have to worry about whitening their capped teeth. Instead, they can comfortably sip coffee, wine, and other drinks without hesitation.
Provides a Protective Coating for Teeth: Tooth enamel plays an important role in tooth function and longevity. Enamel is said to be much stronger than bones in the human body. Although it is resilient, enamel can wear down over time and leave teeth susceptible to decay, discoloration, and unwanted oral conditions. Porcelain veneers offer a solution to damaged enamel as it provides a layer of coating that protects to teeth. Veneers also limit any discomfort or visible damage caused by worn-down enamel.
Read more HERE about veneers.
Why Do People Want Veneers?
There are many reasons why people choose dental veneers to makeover their smile. Here are the top six reasons why people make this choice:
- Decayed and broken teeth
- Crowded teeth treatment
- People choose to close gap in teeth, especially the front teeth
- People with heavy, permanent teeth stains choose to enhance and brighten their smile with veneers
- Many people choose to get veneers to lengthen teeth and create a more symmetrical smile
- When previous teeth restorations have failed and the gums have pulled away to show an unsightly black edging around the tooth, veneers are a choice to restore teeth and the appearance of the smile
As you can see, there are several reasons people choose a veneer smile. When a patient visits one of our offices, our goal is to help them in any way we can. When you are unhappy with your smile, you are less likely to share it with others. Enhancing your teeth will make it much easier for you to express your joy through smiling. We want to help you because, everyone deserves to have the confidence to smile.
More on Dental Health and Veneers: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/veneers#1
How Do You Get Porcelain Veneers?
Many patients visit our office with questions about the steps of getting dental veneers or have concerns they’d like to talk through. Below, we’ve outlined several steps of the veneer process in order to ease nerves and answer some questions.
- One of the first steps in the process is to get diagnostics of the patient. Impressions and photos are taken to map out what the final teeth restorations will look like before preparing the teeth.
- Once diagnostics have been done, the patient we’ll begin the actual process of preparing the teeth. During this appointment, your dentist will discuss shape, size, contour, and shade with you, so that the temporaries and final veneers will be customized to your satisfaction.
- Your teeth will be prepared by trimming down a small amount of your tooth, about half of a millimeter. Then an impression of your teeth will be taken and models created to get the sizing accurate for your veneers; and your temporary veneers will be placed.
- After that, your porcelain veneers will be created in the lab based upon the information provided by the doctor.
- Your perfect smile is just around the corner! Once the lab has finished creating the veneers, the doctor will place them. They will be bonded to your teeth using a special adhesive and post-op photos will be taken.
- After this appointment there may be a following appointment to check the final outcome of the teeth restorations.
Read more HERE about What to Know Before Getting Porcelain Veneers.
Caring for Your Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are not high maintenance and do not require any special care. To keep your smile in tip-top shape, continue with your normal oral hygiene routine of brushing and flossing daily and seeing your dentist on a regular basis. However, if you want to preserve your veneers for the longest amount of time, we recommend:
- Protect your teeth at night if you grind them
- Wearing a mouth guard during contact sports
- Try not to chew on hard items such as fingernails
- Do not use your teeth to open packages
At Thomas L. Anderson and Associates, we know that no one wants unnatural-looking teeth, and that’s why we use the latest technology to create custom porcelain veneers to enhance your smile without anyone noticing!
We Can Help You Get the Smile of Your Dreams!
Porcelain veneers are one such procedure that we have used to help our patients achieve the look and function they want from their smile. If you have been dreaming of the perfect smile, reach out to our team of professionals to discuss how veneers could be the solution for you. Contact us to book your appointment.
Contact us today to schedule your dental appointment and meet with our skilled dentists at one of our three conveniently located dental office locations within the Kansas City area, including Lee’s Summit / Independence, the Country Club Plaza and Downtown Kansas City. The gentle dentists and expert team at Thomas L. Anderson and Associates look forward to working with you to treat your dental emergency, achieve proper oral health and a beautiful smile that will last a lifetime. If you have any questions about your dental insurance benefits, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to review your policy! Please give us a call today to schedule an appointment and become part of our dental family.