When it comes to your teeth, understanding practices in oral health maintenance, keeping up with regular visits to your dentist, and leaning on the opinions of experts like the staff at M Street Dental, are all critical ingredients in making that beautiful smile of yours last a lifetime.
You’re an expert in having a great smile, and we’re the experts in helping you keep that smile.
Today we’ll be covering a question we receive often from a lot of our patients: “Do I need veneers?” Education is critical to staying on top of your oral health and we remain committed to delivering to you, the highest caliber of support. Our goal is to ensure the choices you make pertaining to your oral health are supported by expert advice. This way, you can feel confident and informed as you make your decision(s).
Let’s begin by discussing some of the basics about veneers.
Veneers are a very thin layer of material bonded to the surface of an existing tooth. In general, they are made out of either porcelain or composite resin. Typically, the application of porcelain veneers will require multiple visits, while composite resin alternatives are generally completed in one sitting. It should be noted, however, that not only are porcelain veneers stronger than composite resin veneers, but they will also last longer, and have the added benefit of not becoming stained or discolored over time.
There are a number of reasons why someone may choose to have veneers. Veneers have been a part of mainstream dental practices since the 1920s after a Hollywood dentist discovered a way to enhance the smiles of his star patients. Since then, the process(es) of veneer application, as well as their overall utility, have grown exponentially.
Here are some of the most common reasons you might consider visiting M Street dental to discuss whether you might benefit from veneers: discolored teeth, oddly shaped teeth, rotated or crowned teeth, damaged teeth in need of repair, and the closing of gaps between teeth.
We’ve now covered some of the basics of veneers, as well as briefly discussed some of the common tooth-related obstacles they provide solutions for.
Perhaps you’re still asking yourself questions like, “how long will this procedure take?” or “is it the same application process for everyone?”. These are great questions, and the types of inquiries our experts are proudly equipped to address.
Let’s explore these questions along with some other noteworthy details. After all, knowledge is power.
Smiles come in all shapes and sizes. As such, we treat each patient differently, making sure we understand what options are best suited to an individual’s specific needs. The veneer application process and a post-care plan will always be tailored to achieve the best possible results based on a patient’s needs.
Veneers can be fabricated in a few ways. We are always looking to be as conservative as possible. Each case has some prerequisites that are best visualized after taking models of someone's teeth and adding wax to the models. This helps us determine the proper shape, length, and contours of each tooth. After waxing is when we can make the determination as to which treatment approach is best suited for that patient. A digital mock-up will also allow us to overlay a digital wax-up on a patient’s before photo so they can see how each design may look.
No preparation veneers, meaning we do not need to cut the tooth with a bur. It's rare to have a case where this can be done properly without causing more harm than good, but is a great option for a few.
Minimal preparation veneers are the most common treatment plan where 0.3 to 0.5mm of tooth structure is removed from the labial surface (the lip side of the tooth)
Standard preparation veneers 0.5-1.5mm of tooth structure removed (mostly to create more retention of the veneer. Veneers, if done improperly are at risk of continued debonding. Retention is key)
Veneers are a two-appointment procedure. The first appointment is longer and involves the preparation of each tooth, impressions of the prepared teeth, and temporary veneer fabrication. The second appointment is a shorter appointment where we will be checking the shape, colors, and marginal seal of the veneers. If everyone is happy, we cement the veneers.
Today we’ve spent some time discussing all things veneers and we believe your teeth are worth the attention and support of the best in the business. At M Street Dental, our experts are here to support you however we can. Our goal is to help you achieve and maintain that beautiful smile of yours. If you’re still curious about veneers, we encourage you to get in touch with our staff and make an appointment today.
We’d be delighted to hear from you.
From everyone at M Street Dental,
Stay smiling!