Dental veneers are thin covers that adhere to teeth giving them a classically shaped look that many desire. The dental veneers are wafer thin shells that are custom made from porcelain or resin that is the same color of the tooth. Dental veneers cover the front surface of your teeth. When you are getting veneers the dental professional must remove about 5mm of your tooth so there can be room made for the veneers. Amongst the portion that will be removed will be some of your protective enamel. Removing some of your protective enamel leaves your tooth unprotected and it also causes the tooth to become sensitive; this will be the case until the veneer is fixed over your tooth, and the same thing will happen if you should ever have to have the veneer removed for any reason.
Some of the issues that may be corrected by having dental veneers are: stained teeth that cannot be whitened by bleaching; teeth that are chipped, misshapen, crooked, or worn; and fixing spaces that are uneven or that even have a large gap between them. There are also some very much desired benefits of getting dental veneers. These include the fact that they are strong and last a long time, the surface looks natural so it does not appear that you have fake teeth; although there is tooth enamel that is removed, you will be removing less than what you would be if you were getting a cap or crown on your tooth, and the dental veneers do not stain easily.
When you are considering dental veneers, it is important that you know the steps that will take place to allow this process to happen.
- As stated, there will be the need to prepare the teeth. To do this, the dentist generally removes a small amount of the tooth enamel from the front and the sides of the teeth. This will be done so there can be room made for the veneers, allowing them to look natural.
- A mold or impression is made of the prepared teeth and the shade of the veneer is decided upon so your smile has the best look.
- The mold or impression that is taken is then sent off to a dental lab that makes the veneers, customized so they fit your teeth. It can take some days for this process to happen, but you want them to be perfect for your teeth. During this time, your dentist may give you some temporary veneers until your custom-made veneers come in.
- Once your custom-made veneers are in, your dentist will place them on your teeth and check the shape and fit of them. If there needs to be any adjustments made they will be… once that is done, the teeth are cleaned and the veneers are then bonded to the teeth.
