Who is a Good Candidate For Veneers?
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Are veneers right for you?
Porcelain veneers are some of the latest cosmetic dentistry procedures that are becoming popular with smile conscious people in London. At Whites Dental, we provide some of the latest veneer procedures, including no-prep veneers and Lumineers. We are conveniently located in London Waterloo, right opposite Southwark tube or a 15min walk from London Bridge tube station.
What are veneers?
Made of thin porcelain shells, dental veneers are custom manufactured to match your teeth. Your dentist will carefully attach them to the surface of your teeth, where they will mask chips, cracks, and severe stains. Veneer can also change the shape of your teeth, and your dentist might use them to close gaps between teeth, elongate worn down teeth, or even change the appearance of crooked teeth. To put traditional veneer, your dentist will need to remove a thin layer of enamel from the front of your teeth. However, if opt for no-prep veneer, your dentist will only need to remove a minimal amount of enamel, if any.
Am I a candidate for veneers?
Porcelain veneers are practically magic. These wafer-thin tooth covers can transform a person’s smile in just a handful of visits to the dentist. However, you may be wondering whether you are a good candidate for dental veneer. Usually, anyone who has good oral health and is committed to maintaining their new smile can get porcelain veneer without a problem.
Changing the outward appearance of your teeth won’t impact your overall physical health, but it will improve your emotional and mental health. A more beautiful, improved smile can significantly boost your self-confidence; making you feel more self-assured and giving you pride in your appearance.
Veneers are affordable cosmetic treatments option that can help rapidly and naturally improve your smile. However, veneer may not be the right for every person. If you are thinking about getting veneer to improve your smile, this article will focus what veneer are, how they improve your smile, and who might be a good candidate for them.
Modern dental veneers are fabricated of porcelain and made to match your teeth. Your dentist will attach them to the surface of your teeth, carefully, and when in place, they will effectively mask severe stains, cracks, and chips.
Veneers are often also a good option to change the shape of your teeth. Cosmetic dentists use veneers to change the appearance and look of crooked teeth, close gaps between the teeth, and elongate worn down teeth.
Your dentist must remove a layer of enamel from the front of your teeth, to put traditional veneers in place,
Who is a candidate for Dental Veneers?
Porcelain veneers are a great option for countless dental patients. Here are some of the signs you are a good candidate for veneer:
- Cosmetic issues that are minor – dental veneers, especially porcelain veneer, are very efficient at hiding misshapen teeth, chips and cracks. While dental bonding can also help repair these issues, veneer offer the most lifelike correction possible.
- Severely stained teeth– while modern teeth whitening treatments are effective at treating mild and moderate cases of discoloration, darker stains won’t respond to whitening products.
Whereas porcelain veneers actually cover up stains, including internal discoloration from old fillings or decay.
- Several cosmetic issues– porcelain veneers are an incredible versatile treatment. For example, if you have slightly crooked teeth, several stained teeth, a chipped tooth, or another similar issue, and with veneer you can fix all three. Without this treatment, you would have to invest in three different procedures to achieve the desired results.
- Plenty of tooth enamel– veneers adheres to your enamel. While your dentist must remove some enamel to make space for the porcelain, the underlying layer stays in place. If the surfaces of your teeth don’t have enough enamel, the dental veneer may not have a surface that is strong enough to properly bond with.
- You do not grind or clench your teeth – Tooth grinding also known as bruxism can damage the porcelain, leading to chips and fractures. Similarly, if you chew your nails as a habit, chew ice, or use your teeth as tools, you may not be a candidate for veneers, since these habits are also harmful to your dental health.
- You have relatively straight teeth – Though veneers can help to correct mildly crooked teeth, if you have severely misaligned teeth or malocclusion, you are probably not a good candidate for veneer. Severe misalignment can put pressure on your teeth and cause the porcelain to break.
- You practice good dental hygiene– Since veneers are placed on the surface of your natural teeth, it is fundamental that you keep your teeth healthy with regular brushing, flossing, and visits to your dentist. Porcelain veneer can last for years, if you look after them properly.
- Good overall oral health– before undergoing any cosmetic dentistry procedure, it is important that you have healthy gums and teeth. However, after treatment to restore your dental health, you can still get veneers.
Are you ready for dental veneers?
As you can see, veneers can help with various tooth-related imperfections and issues. Make sure to talk with your dentist if you are interested in this cosmetic procedure. They can evaluate your teeth and overall oral health to determine if you are a candidate for this treatment. If so, you can improve your smile and self-esteem.
You can find more information on the pros and cons of both veneers and lumineers and more general information on getting veneers on our homepage– https://www.whitesdental.co.uk/veneers/
Preparation Before Getting Veneers
Before you start the veneers procedure, the cosmetic dentist will take you through some techniques designed to prepare you for your veneer. The very first thing that must be done is to shape your teeth to prevent the veneers from giving your teeth a bulky appearance. This therefore requires the removal of a very tiny amount of the tooth enamel. After the preparation, you will need to wear temporary veneers to cover the teeth while having the permanent veneers created, and to give you some time to become used to your new and improved smile. When your porcelain veneers are ready, you should come back to your dentist for your second appointment. This is the time when the veneers will be attached, and you will soon enjoy your brand-new smile that is much better than before.
What You Should Know about the Process
Bear in mind that you ideally should attend a full consultation with a cosmetic dentist who specialised in dental veneer to learn more about the entire process and what you can expect from it. You should also fully understand that dental veneers have a life and may need to be replaced at some point (typically 10-12 years). Once the veneers have been applied, you will need to care for the veneers as you would for your natural teeth, such as avoiding habits that can damage or break the veneers such as biting on hard foods.
What Types of Problems Do Dental Veneers Fix?
Veneers are routinely used to fix:
- Teeth that are discoloured because of root canal treatment, stains from tetracycline or other drugs, excessive fluoride, large resin fillings and other causes
- Teeth that are worn down
- Teeth that are chipped or broken
- Teeth that are misaligned, or irregularly shaped
- Teeth with gaps between them (to close the space between them)
Are veneers painful?
It’s not exactly a pain-free process, which is why before the treatment begins, you’ll be numbed with a localized anaesthesia should you want to. Depending on how many veneers you’re getting, you could be in the chair for a few hours (for example, 10 teeth could take about three hours). You might also get bonding sensitivity, which is a reaction between your teeth and the bonding cement. The pain it comes with can last six hours after the anaesthesia wears off, followed by a dull pain that comes in waves. Over the counter painkillers will help you ease off the pain. A few days after the treatment, there is usually a period of adjustment where your bite could feel a little off and you feel tingles of pain. If either occurs, see your dentist so they can make slight changes to your teeth and clear away any excess microscopic pieces of cement stuck between your teeth (this usually is the culprit for the pain).
Placing Veneers
The typical process takes one to two appointments. If the veneer is prefabricated it usually takes one appointment, however if the laboratory is creating the veneer it takes two appointments. We will focus here on describing the placement of the porcelain veneers that are created in a laboratory:
- Local anaesthesia is not always required when placing veneers. However, depending on the patient’s sensitivity and how many teeth you are getting done, it can be used if needed. The dentist will clean the tooth and choose the correct shade for the veneer. The dentist will remove a small amount of the enamel to provide room to place the veneer on the tooth.
- An impression of the tooth will be made for the laboratory and a temporary veneer will be placed on the tooth with spot etching in the centre of the tooth away from the margins.
- Once the dental lab has delivered the porcelain veneers to the cosmetic dentist, the temporary veneer is then removed and the tooth cleaned with water and pumice. The veneer is then etched, rinsed thoroughly with water and air dried. The adhesive is placed on the preparation and then the cement and the veneer are placed for exact fit and contour.
4. The porcelain veneer is cured with light for approximately 60 seconds on all its surfaces in order to attach it to the structure of the tooth.
5. Your cosmetic dentist will then remove excess material that remains and polish the margins of the porcelain veneer.
Which is right for you? Lumineers or veneers?
Your dentist will then schedule a follow-up visit to check for comfort; a comfortable veneer will be a long-lasting veneer.
If you’re deciding on veneers, consult with our cosmetic dentist and be sure you understand every part of the process. A beautiful smile feels great and can boost both your confidence and well-being.
At Whites Dental, we have some of London’s leading cosmetic dentists offering the very latest in cosmetic dentistry treatments including no–prep veneers and Lumineers to patients in London Waterloo, Southwark, London Bridge and Elephant and Castle. This page provides information on who is a good candidate for veneers. We are based in London Waterloo and a quick walk from London Bridge and Elephant and Castle.