The Price of a Beautiful Smile? Not As Much As You Might Think!

How’s your ‘smile zone’ looking? A little discoloured perhaps? A little misaligned? More importantly, how’s your ‘smile zone’ feeling? Is it leaving you feeling embarrassed, lacking in confidence or shy? Yes? Then maybe it’s time to do something about it.

Time for a porcelain veneer – an ultra-thin ceramic shell that coats and bonds to the front of your teeth. Requiring little or no anaesthesia it offers a quick and simple way to improve the appearance of your front teeth. Now you can easily mask discolorations, brighten teeth, and to learn to smile with confidence again!.

A porcelain veneer that can make your teeth look better in a number of ways:

• Colour: Precision porcelain veneer can be used to enhance one or more teeth. Cosmetic consistency that can look fresh and confident – commonly front upper teeth.

• Shape: Veneers can enliven small, timid looking teeth to give them more vibrancy and expression. Use a thick porcelain veneer to overlay your chipped tooth or teeth and leave them looking in pristine condition once again.

• Position: Single and multiple gaps and spaces can be smoothed and slightly misaligned teeth aesthetically repositioned.

The Science Behind a Dental Veneer

1. Trimming: is the first stage of the process. To trim the enamel on the front of the tooth to roughly the same thickness as the veneer that will be bonded to it. This keeps the tooth a consistent size/thickness and avoids any obvious change.
2. Impression: with the truth trimmed it’s time to take a cast or a copy of your tooth.This copy acts as the template from which the porcelain veneer can be made.
3. Interim Veneers: while the dental laboratory is making your final porcelain veneer your dentist can provide you with a temporary one until it’s ready.
4. Bonding: The application of the finished porcelain veneer. A process that’s only undertaken once you and your dentist are in complete agreement that its shape and shade are exactly right.

The Bonding Process

Both the porcelain veneer and your tooth is polished, cleaned and prepared for bonding.

A mild etching gel is then applied to the enamel surface of your tooth (or teeth) to microscopically roughen its surface.

A vital part of the process it’s this roughness that helps make the cement form a rock solid bond with the tooth. The cemented veneer is then applied to your tooth.

Once accurately affixed your dentist will them shine a special blue light that passes through the translucent veneer to the cement beneath that sets it in just a few moments.

Once bonded your dentist will remove any excess cement, trim and polish. Before you leave it’s important to check that the character and contour of the tooth is satisfactory and that the veneer is fitted properly.

Looking After Your Dental Veneer

Of course once you’ve gone to the trouble of having a dental veneer put in place it makes sense to look after it. And the best way to do that? A little common sense.

• Brush you teeth and floss a minimum of twice a day – ideally three time.
• Don’t bully your new veneer. Excessive force will damage it so go around opening bottles with your teeth. Always wear a mouthguard when playing sports.
•  Try not to clench or grind your teeth.
•  Lay off the tea, coffee and red wine. If you do succumb, brush your teeth and rinse afterwards.

A Final Note About Dental Veneers

Though porcelain veneers are designed to make teeth look natural and healthy it’s important to appreciate that it is a purely cosmetic, not a medical treatment.

If you require medical input, then you require medical input, and no amount of dental veneer treatments will change that fact.

A dental veneer shouldn’t be seen as an alternative to, proper medical dental treatment.