What Are Porcelain Veneers?

The word veneer has been used in the building trade for many years. It has meant a thin layer of wood or plastic used to improve the appearance of something. Most often a thin decorative covering of fine wood applied over a coarser wood. With the establishment of that simple definition we now just take the exact same concept into the dental industry. We’ll look at why you might consider porcelain veneers, the process itself, and the benefits of having veneers applied to your teeth.

The Purpose of Porcelain Veneers

You may look in the mirror and simply not be too crazy about your smile. An attribute that can define you, the value of your smile is difficult to place a value on it. Your teeth may have become stained and whitening will not change the color. You may have some chips, fractures or even some gaps that were never corrected with braces. Now porcelain veneers can not only give your original smile back, in fact it can improve it. The very thin piece of porcelain is used to re-create the natural look of your teeth. They can be less intrusive than crowns covering the entire tooth or wearing braces.

The Porcelain Veneer Procedure

The process is irreversible, so you and your dentist should review all the pros and cons before you make the final commitment. The first step is to clean the teeth thoroughly. After that a thin layer of enamel needs to be removed from the front service of the tooth. The next step is to make an impression of your teeth. This will serve as the model or roadmap for the laboratory to fabricate your veneers. While you wait for the delivery of your veneers temporary veneers will be placed to protect the teeth. Once the veneers are completed each tooth is cleaned thoroughly and an adhesive bonds the porcelain veneer to the surface of the tooth. A high intensity light cures the cement inside of a minute. The dentist will do some final polishing.

The Benefits of Having Veneers

The porcelain veneers will cover up the stains from your tobacco, coffee, colas or red wine. You can say goodbye to those ugly cracks, or even that unsightly gaps that the veneer can now cover up. Your new porcelain veneers not only look good but they are strong as well. With proper care they can last at least 10 years, maybe longer.

Proper Care for your New Porcelain Veneers

There are certain habits you’ll want to stay away from, such as chewing ice. They can also stain so you will want to consider limiting your red wine, coffee or tobacco usage. The health industry strongly suggests we all brush our teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day. These habits continue with your new veneers. If you grind your teeth at night you will want to share that with your dentist. A mouth guard can be made to wear at night to protect your new porcelain veneers from any damage of this nature.

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