Dental veneers have become more popular in recent years due to celebrity trends, but many people still don’t know what they are or if they could help them.
Here at Smile Essential dentist in Leicester we have worked on a number of Veneer cases, sometimes people only require one veneer and sometimes people want to address their whole smile. This blog is dedicated to explaining what veneers are and the treatment involved in placing them.
Dental veneers are wafer thin, custom made shells of tooth-coloured material, designed to cover the front of your teeth to improve their appearance. These shells are bonded to the front of the teeth to change their size, length, width, cover up gaps or unsightly teeth.
Veneers are routinely used to fix:
- Teeth that are discoloured
- Teeth that are worn down
- Teeth that are chipped or broken
- Teeth that are misaligned, uneven, or irregularly shaped (for example, have craters or bulges in them)
- Teeth with gaps between them (to close the space between these teeth)
What is the procedure for getting veneers done?
Getting a dental veneer usually requires a few trips to see us at Smile Essential dentist – one for a consultation, one to review your veneers, one to make the veneers and one to apply the veneers. One tooth or many teeth can simultaneously undergo the veneering process described below.
- Diagnosis and treatment planning. This first step involves active participation between you and your dentist. Explain to the dentist the result that you are trying to achieve. During this appointment your dentist will examine your teeth to make sure dental veneers are appropriate and discuss what the procedure will involve and some of its limitations. We may take X-rays and take impressions of your mouth and teeth.
- Try Before you Buy. We appreciate that committing to having cosmetic work carried out especially on your front teeth can be a daunting task. That’s why we work closely with our laboratory to create diagnostic wax up models of your teeth with the veneers in place. This way we can work together to see if there is anything that you would like to change before carrying out any work.
- Preparation. To prepare a tooth for a veneer, your dentist at Smile Essential will remove about half a millimetre of enamel from the tooth surface, which is roughly equal to the thickness of the veneer to be added. Before trimming off the enamel. The treatment can be carried out comfortably while you lie back and watch a DVD from our DVD menu. Your dentist will then make a model or impression of your tooth. This model is sent out to a dental laboratory, which constructs your veneer. It usually takes 2 weeks for us to receive the veneers back from the laboratory. In which time we will make you some temporary dental veneers.
- Bonding. Before the dental veneer is permanently cemented to your tooth, your dentist will temporarily place it on your tooth to examine its fit and colour. He or she will repeatedly remove and trim the veneer as needed to achieve the proper fit; the veneer colour can be adjusted with the shade of cement to be used. Next, to prepare your tooth to receive the veneer, your tooth will be cleaned, polished, and etched, which roughens it to allow for a strong bonding process. A glue cement is applied to the veneer, which is then placed on your tooth. Once properly positioned, your dentist will apply a special light beam to the veneer, which activates chemicals in the cement causing it to harden or cure very quickly. The final steps involve removing any excess cement, evaluating your bite and making final adjustments as necessary. Finally showing you, your fantastic new smile in the mirror!
- The review appointment. The dentist here in Leicester will ask you to return for a follow-up visit in a couple of weeks to check how your gums are responding to the veneer and to once again examine its placement.