Dental veneers are thin, custom-made shells that dentists
can place on the front of the teeth to improve their appearance. Veneers can
hide stained, chipped, and uneven teeth.
Veneers are a less intrusive option than crowns or braces.
Veneers can be used to close gaps or correct small misalignments. Patients also
choose veneers as a cosmetic solution to enhance the brightness of their teeth
and to straighten their smile, correcting issues like discoloration, fractures,
or chips.
Veneers are either prepared from porcelain or from composite
resins, which are tailored to each patient’s requirement. Porcelain veneers are
thin and resemble artificial fingernails. They are carefully applied by a
dentist and are bonded perfectly on the outer most visible portion of the
tooth. Composite resin veneers are applied layer-wise and each layer is
perfectly curated by the dentist to give a natural tooth-like appearance.
They are applied by removing 0.3 – 0.5 millimeters off the
surface of the tooth in order to preserve the nerve of the tooth and keep it at
maximum strength, ensuring that your veneers teeth last for a long time and
that there will be little to no issues replacing them if necessary in the
future.
You do not have to cover every tooth with a veneer, just the
ones that are problematic and potentially the neighboring teeth.
Your dentist can make the best possible recommendation as to
how many individual veneers you need and match their shape and colour to the
natural teeth the veneers are surrounded by.
Moreover, you can get full veneers that completely cover the
tooth, or partial veneers that only cover damaged or discoloured areas
depending on the problems that you want to solve and the current state of your
mouth.
Many people choose to only veneer their front teeth (top or
bottom or both) since those are the most visible.
Sometimes your dentist can fit in individual tooth veneers
like puzzle pieces if much of your smile is already the way you want it; each
veneer can be coloured to match your existing teeth for a seamless look.
This is a typical process of veneer treatment. If your
dentist has advanced 3-D technology, you may be able to get a veneer custom
made in only a single dental visit.
If you need any teeth whitening done, it should be performed
before your veneer treatment to avoid any color discrepancies. You cannot
whiten veneers.
1-Your dentist will take intraoral photographs, dental
x-rays, and perform a complete examination to determine you are a proper
candidate for veneers. Select offices will use an intraoral scanner to show you
your before and end result before you even starting the procedure.
2-Tooth preparation includes a small amount of tooth enamel
removed to make room for your veneer. Your dentist will administer local
anesthetic to get you numb, so you are comfortable during the procedure.
3-A traditional putty impression or intraoral scanner is
used to create a mold of your teeth.
4-You and your dentist will use a shade guide to look at
your adjacent teeth to choose natural color for your veneer(s).
5-The impression and shade are sent to a laboratory to
create a custom porcelain veneer that fits precisely to your teeth.
6-Your dentist will create a temporary veneer chairside to
give you a restoration to wear until your veneers are ready. They are not made
to be permanent and usually last a few weeks.
7-At your next dental visit, your dentist will fit and
adjust your veneers until they are properly placed. Your bite will be checked.
8-Once adjusted, the veneer is permanently bonded to the
front surface of teeth. Excess cement is cleaned off.
Dentist Ahmet Tosunoğlu has years of experience in
dental veneer in the side dental clinic.
Properly installed porcelain veneers can last for up to a
decade or even longer if you take good care of them.
Gum tissue tends to tolerate porcelain quite well,
especially since it is very similar to the texture and strength of your actual
teeth.
Veneers are quite strong – nearly as strong as your actual
teeth, if you take care of them properly and keep certain precautions in mind.
