Dental Veneers

If you’re embarrassed about unsightly teeth, custom dental veneers can give you an awesome Hollywood smile. These ultra-thin porcelain shells – the cosmetic dental treatment of choice among Hollywood A-listers – enhance appearance of tooth color, shape, size, and alignment. This means veneers can address a broad range of aesthetic dental concerns. With the help of Plymouth prosthodontist Metropolitan Prosthodontics, you can find out here how custom-fitted porcelain veneers could make you proud to show off your smile.

Problems Dental Veneers Can Fix

Porcelain veneers are wafer-thin tooth-colored shells that are bonded onto the front of teeth. They’re made in a dental lab by a ceramist and custom-fitted for each individual to match the shape and color of surrounding teeth. Veneers can conceal many dental imperfections, including teeth that have become stained or chipped. They can also make teeth appear straighter. This is why some people call veneers “instant braces”.

The long list of cosmetic dental issues that veneers can resolve includes:

  • Teeth stained by the dark-colored foods and drinks we enjoy.
  • Teeth that take on a yellow appearance as we get older.
  • Cracked or chipped teeth.
  • Worn-down teeth.
  • Uneven tooth edges.
  • Slightly crooked teeth.
  • Minor teeth crowding.
  • Small gaps between teeth.
  • Misshapen teeth.

The Porcelain Dental Veneer Procedure

Our Plymouth prosthodontists – specialists in cosmetic dental restorations – combine clinical expertise with aesthetic artistry in the porcelain dental veneer procedure. The process takes a few weeks and typically requires two visits to your prosthodontist after an initial consultation to identify your aesthetic goals.

The veneer procedure entails:

  • Removing a small amount of dental enamel. This is to ensure your teeth don’t look bulky after veneers are placed. Local anesthetic can be administered if required. 
  • Taking an impression of your mouth. This allows your veneers to be crafted uniquely for you.
  • Placing temporary veneers to protect your teeth while your permanent veneers are made in a dental lab from the impression of your teeth.
  • Bonding the permanent veneers to your teeth.
  • Adjustments if necessary to ensure a precise fit.

Benefits of Custom Dental Veneers

Besides being a versatile cosmetic dental option, custom veneers offer other advantages. Veneers can give you a quick smile remodel, usually with just two appointments involving minimal tooth preparation. Advances in dental technology have made porcelain veneers even thinner, which means less trimming of dental enamel.

Custom porcelain veneers also look natural. The high-quality, medical-grade material resembles natural teeth because it’s semi-transparent and reacts to light in the same way as tooth enamel. This is why you never know who has veneers, unless they or someone else lets their secret slip. Yes, Tom Cruise, we’re looking at you!

Custom dental veneers are extremely durable and with good oral hygiene can withstand the pressures of biting and chewing for 15 years or longer. Although porcelain veneers are super-thin, the material is stable and robust and resists staining. Veneers can also handle temperature extremes – from the hottest coffee to the coldest milkshake.

Another benefit of custom dental veneers is that they can be combined with other cosmetic dentistry procedures – such as teeth whitening – for an even more comprehensive smile redesign.

Looking After Your Custom Dental Veneers

Veneers are highly resilient and breakage is rare. But they can sustain damage the same way as real teeth – in the event of blow to the face in a sports mishap or traffic collision, for instance. Or if you habitually grind your teeth during sleep. You can help protect your veneers and your teeth by:

  • Wearing a mouthguard for sports.
  • Wearing a seat belt in a car.
  • Wearing a nightguard.

The porcelain veneer procedure is irreversible because it removes a tiny amount of dental enamel – the protective, outer layer of a tooth. If your veneers do become compromised for any reason, you’ll need to get them repaired or replaced. While porcelain veneers aren’t susceptible to decay, bear in mind that the underlying teeth can still get cavities if you don’t brush and floss your teeth diligently.

Custom Porcelain Veneer Costs

Custom porcelain veneers are a long-term investment that transforms your appearance and boosts your confidence in work and social settings. Your smile is a powerful asset and says a lot about you. It reflects your personality, and smiling makes you feel better about yourself by lifting your mood.

The cost of porcelain veneer treatment depends on various considerations including how many teeth are being treated. Unless you have a particularly wide smile, you may only need as few as six veneers for the most visible upper teeth. In some cases, one or two veneers can perfect a smile. Porcelain veneer costs also vary according to:

  • How natural you want your veneers to look.
  • The level of skill and experience of your dentist and the technicians who make the veneers.

Is There a Cheaper Alternative to Custom Dental Veneers?

If you’re looking for a less costly alternative to custom porcelain veneers, Metropolitan Prosthodontists offers tooth bonding for more minor dental flaws such as a small chip in a tooth. Like custom porcelain veneers, the dental bonding procedure improves size, shape and color of teeth, but it does this with composite resin applied directly to the tooth. Little or no tooth preparation is necessary, so anesthesia may not be necessary.

Tooth bonding is also referred to as a composite veneer. However, composite resin doesn’t last as long as porcelain veneers – typically three to eight years depending on how well you look after your teeth. On the other hand, tooth bonding is a faster procedure, done in one appointment. And bonded teeth can easily be repaired if damaged.

Are Custom Dental Veneers or Composite Veneers Right for You?

If your teeth are basically healthy but spoiling your appearance, custom porcelain veneers and composite tooth bonding both offer possible solutions. If you want a quick fix for minor dental flaws, the composite veneer procedure is less invasive and faster than getting porcelain veneers. But composite bonding is less durable.

Alternatively, porcelain veneers can give you a real Tinseltown smile if you’re looking for a longer-term solution to resolve more pronounced dental imperfections. Porcelain veneers also resist staining better than composite veneers. Which cosmetic dentistry procedure is the right option to perfect your smile? To find out, call Metropolitan Prosthodontics at (763) 559-7600 or get in touch online.