Dental veneers are a procedure used to improve the appearance of teeth. They help improve colour, provide a natural tooth shape, reduce gaps, and hide chipped off teeth and other minor damage to teeth. Dental veneers are a long-term solution to cosmetic tooth problems that cannot be corrected using traditional methods.
Veneers come in two types that can range in both cost and durability. Porcelain veneers are durable and last long, but they come with a much higher price tag. Comparatively, composite veneers are affordable but do not last long. Also, they are more prone to breakage.
What are Dental Veneers?
Dental veneers are thin, custom-made shells of tooth-coloured material, mainly porcelain or dental composite, used to improve the aesthetics of a smile. These are bonded to the front surface of teeth to hide gaps, stains, discoloration, cracks or any other tooth damage.
Who needs Dental Veneers?
Dental veneers may be beneficial for people who want a long-term solution to persistent cosmetic concerns, particularly those that do not respond to other dental treatments, such as teeth whitening, braces, or retainers. Anyone looking forward to enhancing their overall smile is a valid candidate for veneers.
Dental Veneers Procedure
Veneers are a multi-step process that is often spread out over a few appointments, generally involving diagnosis and treatment planning, preparation and bonding. The first step involves teeth examination and discussion of the procedure and some of its limitations. This step may include taking X-rays and possibly taking impressions of the mouth and teeth.
Next, the dentist will make a model of the dental structure. This model gets dispatched to a dental laboratory, which makes the required veneer. It usually takes 2-4 weeks for the prepared veneers to come back from the laboratory. In the meantime, temporary dental veneers can come into use.
After the veneers are received and adjusted if needed, the tooth is cleaned, polished, and etched to prepare it for bonding. Etching roughens the tooth to allow for a secure bonding process. After applying a special adhesive cement, the veneers get placed on the teeth. A special light beam is shined to activate chemicals in the cement, causing it to harden very quickly.
The final steps involve removing any excess material, checking the bite and making any needful adjustments. It may be required to pay a follow-up visit to check accurate placement or any gum damage. While this is the general procedure for veneer placement, it may vary slightly depending upon the type of veneer used, namely porcelain or resin-based composite.
Aftercare Tips for Dental Veneers
Dental veneers do not require any special care. However, since a person can still develop cavities, it is recommended to continue following general oral hygiene practices like brushing, flossing, and rinsing with an antiseptic mouthwash.
Even though porcelain veneers resist stains, they may stain over time. That said, a person may want to avoid coffee, tea, red wine and other things that can cause stained teeth, to make them last longer. The dentist may also advise against biting hard objects, nails, grinding teeth, chewing hard food, or opening lids with the teeth. With the right care, a person can expect their veneers to last around ten years.
Success Rate
Supposedly, there is a difference in the success rates of dental veneers before and after their expanded usage. However, in the last 20 years, many studies reported positive clinical results with an overall success rate of 91%. Dental veneers are considered a predictable aesthetic correction of anterior teeth.
After introducing porcelain veneers in the 1980s, the protocol used to place them primarily involved bonding them onto tooth enamel. And due to that, it saw high success rates, as reported in many long-term studies.
More recent trends in tooth preparation for laminates include greater tooth reduction. And as a result, this will likely negatively impact the high success rates previously reported. For cases that require extensive tooth trimming so to be able to either realign severely misaligned teeth or to mask the color of very dark teeth, the dental crown placement makes a more suitable type of restoration.
Dental Veneer Cost
The cost of dental veneers varies with the amount of preparation necessary before the procedure, geographical location and the number of teeth needed to cover. It also depends upon the type of veneer as porcelain veneers are more expensive than resin-based composite veneers.
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