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What Are
Porcelain Veneers?
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Porcelain
veneers are ultra-thin shells of ceramic material, which are bonded
to the front of teeth. This procedure requires little or no
anesthesia, and can be the ideal choice for improving the
appearance of the front teeth. Porcelain veneers are placed to mask
discolorations, to brighten teeth, and to improve a smile. Highly
resistant to permanent staining from coffee, tea, or even cigarette
smoking, the wafer-thin porcelain veneers can achieve a tenacious
bond to the tooth, resulting in an esthetically pleasing
naturalness that is unsurpassed by other restorative
options.
Why a
porcelain veneer?
Porcelain veneers are an excellent alternative to crowns in many
situations. They provide a much more conservative approach to
changing a tooth's color, size, or shape. Porcelain veneers can
mask undesirable defects, such as teeth stained by tetracycline, by
an injury, or as a result of a root-canal procedure, and are ideal
for masking discolored fillings in front teeth. Patients with gaps
between their front teeth or teeth that are chipped or worn may
consider porcelain veneers. Generally, veneers will last for many
years, and the technique has shown remarkable longevity when
properly performed.
What
happens during the procedure?
Patients need three appointments for the entire procedure:
diagnosis and treatment planning, preparation, and
bonding.
Diagnosis
and treatment planning: It's critical that you take an active role
in the smile design. Spend time in the decision-making and planning
of the smile. Understand the corrective limitations of the
procedure. Have more than one consultation, if necessary, to feel
comfortable that your dentist understands your
objectives.
Preparation
of teeth: This appointment will take from one to two hours. To
prepare the teeth for the porcelain veneers, the teeth are lightly
buffed to allow for the small added thickness of the veneer.
Usually, about a half a millimeter of the tooth is removed, which
may require a local anesthetic. At this appointment, a mold is
taken of the teeth, which is sent to the laboratory for the
fabrication of the veneers. This can take about one to two weeks.
If the teeth are too unsightly a temporary veneer can be placed, at
an additional cost.
Bonding of
veneers: This appointment will take about one or two hours. First,
the dentist places the veneers with water or glycerine on the teeth
to check their fit and get a sense of the shade or color. While the
veneers are resting on your teeth, view the esthetic results, and
pay particular attention to the color. At this point, the color of
the veneers can still be adjusted with the shade of the cement to
be used. The color cannot be altered after veneers are cemented. To
apply the veneer, the tooth is cleansed with specific chemicals to
achieve a bond. Once a special cement is sandwiched between the
veneer and tooth, a visible light beam initiates the release of a
catalyst to harden the cement.
How about
maintenance?
For about a week or two, you will go through a period of adjustment
as you get used to your "new" teeth that have been
changed in size and shape. Brush and floss daily. After one or two
weeks, you'll return for a follow-up appointment.
Have
realistic expectations
Porcelain veneers are reasonable facsimiles of natural teeth, not
perfect replacements. It's not uncommon to see slight variations in
the color of porcelain veneers upon close inspection, as this
occurs even in natural teeth. Nevertheless, this procedure can
greatly enhance your smile, and can heighten inner satisfaction and
self-esteem.
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Many of
our patients think that their teeth are too dark, too
crooked, overcrowded, chipped, or just misshapen. They want that
"Hollywood" smile, and they often bring a magazine to my
office, point to the cover and say, "I want a smile just like
that!"
There are
a wide range of cosmetic dental enhancements available that can
help you achieve the look you want. Though these enhancements are
only "skin deep", they can bring you pleasure, and
perhaps give your self-confidence a little boost.
Below is a
general introduction to some of the latest cosmetic
techniques.
Bleaching
and Whitening
Extrinsic stains, or stains on outer surfaces of the teeth, can
usually be removed during a thorough professional dental cleaning.
However, intrinsic stains, which are stains within the tooth
itself, must be removed through bleaching. This can be accomplished
either at home when overseen by your dentist, or in the dental
office with a carbamide-peroxide or hydrogen-peroxide solution. It
is usually two to three years before it is necessary to repeat the
bleaching process. We caution you to avoid any whitening procedure
without supervision by your dentist for several reasons that
include:
- Not
everyone is a candidate for bleaching, so you should be evaluated
first by a dentist. One reason to check with your dentist is to
ensure that you will not be sensitive to the procedure. It may be
necessary to replace some older fillings with new fillings prior to
the process, to avoid sensitivity. Also, because porcelain and
tooth-colored fillings tend not to bleach, you may want to replace
them after bleaching in order to improve aesthetics.
- Not all
over-the-counter bleaching solutions are pH-balanced. Some may
cause irritation of the gums.
- Bleaching
can sometimes lead to sensitive teeth, which your dentist can help
by changing the concentration of the solutions or administering
fluoride.
- It is
important to have a custom-fitted mouth guard so that the bleaching
gel remains on your teeth, rather than on your gums. The
combination in-office/take-home whitening procedure In this
procedure, models are taken of your mouth, and a custom-fitted
bleaching tray is made for you. we instruct my patients to wear the
tray for a period of two weeks for four hours each day, or they may
wear it overnight. Results vary depending upon the original color
and shade of your teeth (i.e., some teeth are naturally yellow,
reddish-brown, or gray.)
In-office
whitening
As a matter of convenience, many of our patients choose
in-office whitening. A special external light source (laser,
halogen or gas plasma) is used to activate the bleaching gel
solution. The process is safe, easy, and fast. Results are
accomplished in just one appointment. Sometimes it may be necessary
to use a combination of in-office and at-home bleaching in order to
achieve the patient's desired results.
Whitening
toothpastes
Although whitening toothpastes may remove stains, we only recommend
them for maintenance after the bleaching process has been
completed.
Bonding
Bonding is actually a process by which we affix a tooth-colored
material (hard plastic) to your teeth, creating a bond. We can use
bonding to change tooth color, shape and size, or to repair
fractured teeth. We can also use bonding to give the appearance of
straight teeth. However, we caution our patients to avoid hard
foods, as this may cause the bonded restoration to chip or
fracture. A bonded restoration can be polished to look the same as
your natural teeth and may also stain in a similar manner as your
own teeth. Stains are removed during the patient's regular cleaning
appointments by polishing these restorations.
Porcelain
veneers
If our patients want something that is more stain-resistant and
less likely to chip than bonding, we recommend porcelain veneers.
Like bonding, porcelain veneers are also used to change tooth
color, shape, and size. We can also use porcelain veneers to give
teeth a straighter appearance and to close spaces. Porcelain
veneers are thin porcelain shells that are fabricated in a dental
laboratory. we often liken porcelain veneers to fake fingernails.
We bond the porcelain veneers to the teeth using a special cement.
Porcelain veneers are more expensive than bonding, since there is a
laboratory process involved. we prefer porcelain veneers to bonding
when there are several teeth involved because we can achieve a more
consistent cosmetic result.
Tooth-colored
fillings
Due to recent technological advances and improved materials, there
are now alternatives to silver fillings. We have never had a
patient thank us for a silver filling because they like the
way it looks. We get more gratification and many more thanks from
patients when we use tooth-colored fillings. When teeth require
smaller restorations or fills, we can fill these holes in the
office with a tooth-colored material (hard plastic) that is bonded
to the tooth. If the filling is large, we prefer to use a
tooth-colored inlay or onlay, which is custom-made in the
laboratory to fit the tooth and is permanently cemented in place.
If there is a considerable amount of tooth structure missing, we
must crown the tooth.
Porcelain
crowns (caps)
In our practice, we use both all-porcelain crowns and
porcelain-fused-to-gold crowns (a gold crown that is covered by
porcelain). We use porcelain to match the shade of a natural
tooth. Since more light is reflected in the front of the mouth,
We feel that all-porcelain crowns look more natural when
restoring front teeth. Crowns are custom-made in a laboratory and
are cemented in place.
Orthodontics
We work with orthodontists in our practice to straighten teeth,
reduce crowding, and close spaces in order to achieve the best
possible smiles. Although it often requires a much longer time
frame, We often prefer orthodontics over porcelain veneers or
bonding. Orthodontics may take at least two to three years to
achieve the desired results. Sometimes it is necessary to use both
orthodontics and bonding or veneers to achieve the best
results.
Periodontics
Sometimes it is necessary to work with a periodontist (gum
specialist) to alter gum tissue to enhance a patient's smile. You
may have seen at one time or another a person who will show a lot
of gum when they smile.. If a person is uncomfortable with the
amount of gum that shows, a periodontist can help to reduce this
either by laser surgery or by traditional surgical
technique.
Conclusion
If you have a hankering for a smile overhaul, rest easy. There are
many options available to you, and the best way to begin is to
speak with us. And remember, everyone is entitled to a beautiful
smile.
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