How Do Veneers Feel?

    So, how do veneers feel?  Veneers feel like your own teeth, but even better.  When you feel the porcelain veneer with your tongue, there’s nothing smoother- not even your own enamel is as smooth as porcelain!

    And how does it feel to get your veneers?  In most cases no anesthesia is needed because little or no enamel is removed from the teeth.  In most cases because no enamel is removed, there isn’t any drilling and when drilling is needed, in most cases, it’s minimal and in the enamel, so most people are comfortable without getting numb.  If your teeth are sensitive, it’s easy enough to give anesthesia, and we have several tricks to make that experience comfortable for you.

     When enamel is removed and it would be noticeable, temporary veneers are placed so you have a lovely smile while you’re waiting for the laboratory to custom make your veneers and new smile.  It’s exciting for you to have a preview of what your new smile is going to look like.  It’s really exciting to think that your real veneers are going to look even better.  Having temporary veneers also gives you an opportunity to make requests for any changes in size, shape, or color that you would like in the finished veneers.

    When you have your appointment to bond the veneers to the front of your teeth, after removing any temporary veneers, the doctor puts a solution called etching solution on the front of your teeth to make microscopic openings for the bonding material to enter and connect the veneer to your enamel.  When your veneers are bonded on, you have a beautiful, smooth, shiney, bright new smile!

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Are Veneers Different From Fillings Or Crowns?

    There’s a hugh difference between fillings, crowns, and veneers.  Fillings are placed within the outside walls of the tooth.  When a tooth has decay, first the decay has to be removed so that there only remains healthy tooth structure.  After the tooth is free of decay, it needs a filling.  In the front teeth, tooth colored filling materials called composite are used.  A filling is used when only a small amount of tooth structure needs replacing or repair. 

    It’s necessary to have enamel on the tooth in order to do a composite filling and to do a veneer, but that’s not the case when it comes to crowns.  A crown is needed when too much tooth has been destroyed by decay and there’s not enough tooth left to fill or when a tooth has had root canal therapy.  When a crown is made, it requires that the dentist remove the remaining enamel from the tooth.  What remains is the inside of the tooth and that is called dentin.  The crown acts like a girdle around the dentin and the crown replaces the missing enamel.

    So, fillings and crowns usually are replacing far more tooth structure than veneers.  Veneers are eggshell thin and are indicated in most cases because we want to conserve and protect the tooth structure.  Sometimes when veneers are filling gaps between teeth or are used to “straighten” crooked teeth, there is more porcelain (the preferred material for making veneers), but usually veneers require little or no removal of enamel.  Enamel is needed so that the veneer can bond onto the surface of the tooth.  A special composite that flows easily is used to attach the veneer to the front surface of the tooth.  So for veneers, composites are used like a glue instead of as a filling material.  Veneers are for teeth that need a “face lift.”

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Three Things To Consider When Getting Veneers

    How exciting!  You’re considering getting veneers!  You have no idea how amazing the transformation will be once you’ve enhanced your smile with veneers.  You will have a strong, natural-looking smile that feels great and is color-stable.

   There are always things to consider when making a decision and here are some things we think are important to consider when getting veneers:

1.      What material is the dentist using for the veneers that are being proposed for you?  There are veneers that are made with composite and veneers made with porcelain.  Composite is a tooth-colored filling material that is like a plastic.  The surface of composite is porous and tends to pick up stains.  Composite is less expensive than porcelain, so if the savings are passed on to you, you might consider the immediate savings a benefit, even though you will probably want to replace your veneers in a few years because of the staining.  Sometimes the savings are not passed on to the patient, so be careful you aren’t paying porcelain fees, and not getting porcelain.

2.      How much tooth structure has to be removed for the veneers that are being proposed for you?  Sometimes little or no tooth structure has to be removed to make porcelain veneers.  When your teeth are relatively straight and you want to change the color of your teeth, or fill in gaps between teeth, or fix chipped or broken teeth, the dentist doesn’t have to remove much tooth structure, if any.  If your teeth are crooked, very often the dentist has to remove more tooth structure to even out the smile.  Make sure you understand whether or not your veneers are a reversible procedure because little or no tooth structure has to be removed, or non- reversible, which means enough tooth has to be removed so that you will always have to have a veneer to replace what will be removed.

3.      Does the dentist proposing the veneers have experience in preparing your teeth for both kinds of veneers?  It takes more experience on the dentist’s part to prepare the teeth for non-reversible veneers.

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What Are Veneers?

    Dental veneers are an excellent cosmetic remedy for a variety of dental conditions that affect the appearance of the front teeth.  Veneers are durable and color-stable and in many cases, the perfect way to restore the natural function and beauty of your teeth, so you can smile with confidence.

    Veneers are also known as laminates or facings.  They can be made with plastic-like material called composite, or they can be made with porcelain.  Porcelain veneers produce the most beautiful result, are stronger than composite veneers, and do not stain like composite veneers.

    Veneers are a thin, semi-translucent “shell” that is custom made to fit precisely over an existing tooth.  They are bonded to the enamel surface of teeth so that the back of the veneer adheres to the front of the tooth.

    Though veneers aren’t suitable for every patient, they are a cosmetic alternative for a variety of dental conditions affecting the front teeth.  Veneers are used to close spaces between teeth, restore broken or chipped teeth, cover unsightly stained or washed-out fillings, whiten permanently stained or discolored teeth and correct uneven or crooked teeth.

  For information about other dental topics please visit DrTav.com