What are dental veneers?
Veneers are thin ceramic plates covering only the front part of the teeth in contrast with crows that cover the entire tooth. The tooth veneers are the most suitable option in case the enamel of your front teeth has small chips, cracks, spots, and you want to transform the smile. The ceramic layer completely closes the smile's imperfections and helps to adjust the teeth shape.
Veneers look almost like natural teeth. It is a way to get a beautiful smile without whitening procedures and braces.
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Lifespan
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5-20 years (an average one — 12 years)
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Creation of veneers in a dental lab
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1-3 weeks
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Original tooth enamel removal for veneers installation
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<1 mm
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Duration of the placement
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30-40 minutes per tooth
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Number of veneers usually installed
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8-10 (the front teeth that are visible when smile)
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How do dentists install veneers?
The teeth veneers placement process is divided into 4 steps:
- Teeth preparation — a painless process when dentists remove the tiny upper surface of the tooth to fix a veneer.
- Modeling — specialists pick up impression or make 3D modeling (a special scanner for precise image-making and identifying of the most barely noticeable features of the tooth surface) to design future veneers.
- Manufacturing — the principle and material of veneers producing are similar for all dental clinics. However, the components may differ and affect the final result. In modern dental laboratories, experts provide teeth plates using a microscope to achieve a more accurate result.
- Installation — a quite fast and completely painless process. The installation takes 30-40 minutes per tooth and, therefore, prolongs the total visit time that depends on the veneer number you need to put.
See the whole process in the video.
Who is the right candidate for veneers placement?
Veneers installation is a cosmetic procedure and solves some smile defects. So people may choose veneers as the best option if they have:
- Enamel damage — chips and cracks on the front teeth look unaesthetic, so veneers cover up these shortcomings
- Tooth discoloration — with the help of veneers veneers dentists return teeth whiteness, especially for teeth with a removed nerve that usually looks darker than others.
- Little teeth size — if the teeth do not look organic, then specialists adjust their length, width, and shape with veneers.
- Dental enamel erosion — veneers are the only way to keep your teeth in excellent condition and not hide them entirely under the crowns in case of enamel erosion.
What materials do experts use to manufacture veneers?
Veneers are installed in the smile area (8-10 front teeth), so it is crucial that the micro-prosthesis completely imitates the structure and color of the enamel. According to the material, veneers are:
- Composite — made of light-cured filling material, require significant tooth sharpening and have a shorter lifespan in contrast with other types.
- Ceramic (porcelain) — durable veneers up to 0.6 mm thick, created from solid ceramics, do not require forceful enamel removal and entirely hide tooth imperfections.
- Ultra-thin porcelain — the most excellent ceramic layer (0.2-0.3 mm) correct imperfections and do not require additional preparation of teeth.
What result can you achieve with veneers?
With dental veneers, it is possible to get a perfect smile. They hide small teeth defects (rough tooth surfaces or tooth stains) and solve serious and visible smile shortcomings (chipped and cracked teeth, tooth darkening and discoloration, interdental spaces, teeth with irregular shape or position in a row).
View before/after photos, which clearly show how the smile changes with the help of veneer restoration.
It is important to note that the result of tooth restoration is preserved for a long time. For example, the service life cycle of ceramic veneers takes 10-15 years. To stretch veneer services longevity out, a person must follow the dentist's recommendations, avoid injuries, limit spicy and solid foods.
However, veneers do not require excessive effort to maintain their original appearance for many years. Ceramic surfaces do not darken over time, do not change color and shape; the only thing that can happen is a structural breakdown with intense mechanical stress. Therefore, people who are fond of traumatic sports, veneers are not recommended. Otherwise, surfaces are quite comfortable to use, do not cause pain and discomfort when worn; the patient does not feel an artificial material in the mouth.
What is the veneer pre-installation period?
Aesthetic dentistry requires complete sanitation of the oral cavity. So before installing veneers, you should undergo a dental examination and, if necessary, treat the detected caries and perform a professional cleaning. After this, the dentist can begin to perform the required manipulations for veneers manufacturing and installation.
How to care for veneers?
Inadequate care of smile veneers leads to cracking or chipping. Dental care recommendations are quite simple to follow.
- Maintain oral hygiene as veneers, like natural teeth, require daily brushing with a suitable toothpaste and brush. It is also worth using dental floss but not toothpicks. Personal hygiene habits eliminate the risk of caries under veneers.
- Use an irrigator (also known as dental water jet, dental water toothpick, water flosser) — a home dental care device that removes plaque and food debris between teeth and below the gum line with a stream of high-pressure pulsating water.
- Check with a specialist how installed veneers respond to various foods, whether they can stain, change color, damage. Depending on the doctor's recommendations, it is worthwhile to exclude or minimize some foods or use mouthwash immediately after eating.
- Veneers are susceptible to damage due to heavy loads. It would be best if you did not chew any hard candies or nuts.
- Visit your dentist twice a year and undergo professional oral hygiene.
What should I do if the veneer breaks or moves over?
You have installed veneers a long time ago, but there is a nuisance — a chip or crack appeared on the ceramic plate, or it entirely moves over the tooth. There is nothing to worry about in these situations. Contact your dentist. A specialist will remove the broken veneer, make and install a new one. And if the surface just has moved away because of the lousy cement and tooth connection and is not damaged, then the doctor will attach it back.