Can You Get Veneers With Missing Teeth?
Dental veneers are ceramic casings applied to the external surface of the tooth to improve the aesthetics of your smile. Defects in the shape, color or position of the teeth are thus hidden, thanks to the intervention of the veneers, which can be considered real prostheses. These are thin plaques cemented on the surface of the teeth that have imperfections. Veneers, by their very nature, are meant to correct existing teeth, and not to replace missing teeth.
They are a very popular solution among sportsmen, actors, and show business personalities precisely because they allow you to obtain a perfect smile without undergoing invasive interventions.
Dental veneers: pros and cons
Veneers are effective for covering some smile defects, especially for teeth:
- chipped or fractured
- too large or with imperfect shapes
- stained or discolored
- slightly crooked or distant from each other
In addition to the aesthetic aspects, veneers are an excellent treatment to preserve the health of the tooth and improve its functionality.
The disadvantages of aesthetic veneers are in fact only two. The first is irreversibility. In order to apply them, it is necessary to permanently remove some enamel from the front of the teeth. The second disadvantage is the cost: the veneers, especially the ceramic ones, can be very expensive.
Dental veneers: how they are applied
The procedure for applying dental veneers usually takes place in 2 sessions. In the first session, the dentist cleans the tooth and establishes the correct color for the veneer. It then removes a thin layer of enamel from the tooth to create the space needed to accommodate the veneer. During this operation there is usually no need for anesthesia but, if you are particularly sensitive to pain, you can request it without problems. Then the dentist takes the digital impression of the teeth and sends it to the laboratory, where the dental technician will physically construct the veneers. In the meantime, a temporary dental veneer is applied to your tooth.
On the second appointment, the dentist removes the temporary veneer and cements the final one, shaping it to fit the underlying tooth perfectly. In addition to these 2 sessions, a check-up visit is often scheduled to check if everything is working correctly. The more accurately a veneer is applied, the more likely it will last for a long time.
Dental veneers: materials
The veneers are built in different materials, which are distinguished by cost and durability. The most common are those in composite and ceramic: let's see the characteristics of each.
Composite veneers
Composite is a material obtained by combining different resins with each other. The veneers made of this material have a good aesthetic effect and, in case of fractures or stains, they can be repaired very easily.
The disadvantage of composite veneers is that they have a very limited duration: a maximum of 5 years.
Ceramic veneers
Compared to composite veneers, ceramic veneers have excellent aesthetics: shape and color are so realistic that they are indistinguishable from natural teeth. They also have a long duration: from 10 to 20 years.
Taking care of dental veneers
Taking care of the veneers is quite simple, but this does not mean that it is an operation to be underestimated. Caries can affect the portion of the tooth where the veneer is not soldered and therefore it is important that you brush it well and pass the floss as you would with your natural teeth. To extend the life of your veneers you should also limit the consumption of coffee and other foods that could stain them (especially if they are composite). In any case, be aware that at some point they will need to be replaced, regardless of whether you take care of them or not.