Dental Veneers - The Easy Guide To Dental Veneers

Dental veneers are a common kind of cosmetic dentistry. These thin shells of fired porcelain are placed on the teeth and bonded to them in order to change the look of the tooth. They can change the length, width, color, and shape. Porcelain veneers are strong and versatile enough to use for many applications, including chipped tooth repair, adding a white look to teeth that cannot be bleached, or evening up the look of your teeth. Veneers are permanent and resist chipping and staining. This means your new smile will last and last.

Dental veneering starts with a thorough exam, and then a consultation with the cosmetic dentist. You may be asked questions about the kind of smile you want, shown photos of many options, and even helped to use computer adjustment to show you what your teeth would look like with specific veneer options. The dentist then takes an impression of your teeth which will be sent to the lab that makes the veneers. The dentist will accompany this impression with specific instructions that guarantee your being able to get the smile you want. The lab will create a wax model of the way the veneered teeth will look, then send it back for approval. Once you've seen the wax model and approved it, the lab will create the new porcelain veneers that will change the way your smile looks.

When you get veneers, your teeth must be prepared, or roughened, and then you will be fitted with temporary veneers. These won't match the finished product, but are there to protect your teeth until your real veneers are ready. After the porcelain veneers come in, the temporaries will be taken off and the new teeth put on. The bond is very strong, so you don't have to worry about them coming off.

Some dentists use advanced technology to help them install veneers. This includes a small pen like camera that projects an image of your teeth on a screen, digital imaging of your new smile, laser recontouring of soft tissue to improve the shape of your teeth, and computer controlled anesthesia. All of these devices improve the accuracy of cosmetic dentistry, making it a comfortable and easy process.

Patients who get dental veneering may find that their gums are tender for a few days. This can be combated with over the counter painkillers, or drugs the dentist prescribes. After a week or two, you may need to have your veneers adjusted to provide a better fit. Whether this is necessary varies by dentist and the procedure performed. There are no real complications associated with veneers, although people who grind their teeth in the night may need to wear a night guard to prevent chipping or breaking their new teeth. If you want to have veneers, check with your dentist to see if you are a candidate for this kind of cosmetic dentistry. Costs generally run about $800 to $1500. They are, however, frequently not covered by insurance. People wanting to get veneers will generally have to pay out of pocket.