The benefits of keeping proper care of your dental health can go beyond physical health. Dental veneers can help you feel more confident about your smile and solve any imperfections you wish you could erase. The more you love your smile, the more confident you will be to show it off. While you should always keep up with your overall oral health, you should also know your options for improving your smile with cosmetic dental services.
What Are Dental Veneers?
Your dentist applies small, customizable shells called dental veneers to the front surface of your teeth to cover minor imperfections in your teeth. Veneers can give the appearance of straight teeth in your smile or help to cover cracks, discolouration, or other flaws. Dental veneers are constructed from composite resin or porcelain and are moulded to the shape and size of your teeth to blend seamlessly with the rest of your smile.
What Is The Process For Getting Veneers?
The procedure for adding veneers to your smile depends on the type of veneers you choose and the number of teeth being covered. If you’re thinking about getting veneers, the process typically entails:
- A preliminary consultation with a dentist to discuss the procedure and best option to suit your needs
- Taking impressions of your teeth and prepping them for the veneers
- Fitting the veneers onto the front of your teeth
How Veneers Can Help to Improve Your Smile
Dental veneers fit seamlessly to the front surface of your smile and conceal imperfections such as:
- Gaps between two of your teeth
- Minor misalignment or crookedness of teeth
- Cracks in your teeth
- Chipped teeth
- Small or misshapen teeth
Veneers are stain-resistant and can often be polished to help keep your smile bright over time. Veneers can even cover up stained teeth that have yellowed with age or have discolouration from medications or illness. Depending on which teeth are being veneered your dentist may also recommend professional teeth whitening before doing veneers so that your teeth and the veneers are a uniform colour.
What Are Dental Veneers Made Of?
Porcelain Veneers
Typically, porcelain dental veneers are made from thin porcelain shells that mimic the look and feel of the enamel on your teeth. With porcelain veneers, your dentist removes a thin layer of enamel from the tooth so that the veneer lays evenly with your other teeth. Then, they will create a mould of your teeth and use that mould to have custom-fit veneers made for your teeth in a lab. Once the veneers are created, your dentist will adhere them to the front of your teeth.
Composite veneers
These veneers are applied directly onto your teeth and can need less tooth preparation before application. Unlike porcelain veneers, composite veneers can be applied, shaped, and polished in the same visit. Both porcelain and composite veneers are durable and can last up to 10 to 15 years before needing to be replaced. Still, you should care for your veneers and avoid chewing hard substances like ice so your veneers are at less risk of fracturing and will last as long as possible.
What Are The Benefits Vs Risks of Choosing Veneers?
Veneers provide an effective way of correcting imperfections in your teeth be it shape, colour or alignment. If you want a straightforward method for making your teeth more uniform, veneers can be the perfect option. Risks associated with the procedure include:
- The veneer cracks or becomes detached over time
- Increased sensitivity to hot or cold food or drink, especially if the tooth nerve is affected
- Slight variations in colour between your natural teeth and your veneers that can become more pronounced over time
- Change of your bite
Teeth with veneers are still susceptible to decay if you don’t keep up with flossing and brushing regularly. Dental decay around veneers could mean that you need to be fitted for a crown to restore it.
Are Dental Veneers Right for You?
If you feel that imperfections in your smile affect your day-to-day confidence to smile, you may want to consider dental veneers as a cosmetic way to improve your smile. Dental veneer application is often only a minimally invasive procedure that can be completed under local anesthesia and can be applied same-day depending on the type of veneers you choose. Unlike other procedures, there is a short to no recovery time associated with getting veneers which means that the procedure can cause minimal disruptions to your life.
Our Beaches Dental Mona Vale team can assist you in finding the right solution for your dental needs. We offer a wide variety of preventative, cosmetic, and other dental services for adults, and also provide dental services for children. Contact us to book an appointment to discuss whether veneers are right for you. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest news from the Beaches Dental Mona Vale team.
