You may be far closer to a beautiful, natural smile than you might assume. Porcelain veneers are a simple method to enhance the look of your most visible teeth with a simple procedure that involves affixing a customized "front" to your teeth that resists stains and holds up to daily wear, and most importantly, looks great.
What Is a Porcelain Veneer?
Porcelain veneers are extremely thin, durable shells that are custom molded to perfectly fit over your natural teeth.
While there are other resins and materials available to achieve a similar result, porcelain is particularly suited to supporting ongoing oral health, resists stains incredibly well, and reflects light in a natural way that is almost indistinguishable from organic teeth and enamel.
When Are Porcelain Veneers the Right Choice?
The flexibility of custom-molded porcelain veneers means a great deal of cosmetic dental issues are covered by the procedure.
Teeth with unevenly discolored spots can be covered with a thin veneer toned to put it in line with the rest of the patients teeth. Minor misalignment issues that aren't spaced enough to call for orthodontic care can benefit from veneers that seamlessly fill that space. Irregularly shaped or recessed spots on teeth can be covered for a more natural look. And most instances of chipped teeth can be covered up without issue.
It Starts With a Thorough Consultation
Most porcelain veneers take two appointments for full treatment. First, your dentist will provide a full examination and consultation, drawing from his knowledge of general dentistry as well as cosmetic dentistry to come up with the best plan for your particular oral situation.
Your dentist will work with you to figure out the look you're going for, then gather the information he needs to have one or more porcelain veneers molded for your exact needs. Porcelain veneers have many different options, including the ability to select a very exact shade to match any teeth that you'll leave in their natural state. You and your dentist will work together to come up with a shape, color and feel that gets as close to perfect as possible.
If you don't need any other pressing dental care before your veneers, you'll be scheduled for the first treatment, when your enamel is reduced to make room for your porcelain veneers.
The Big Day: Getting Your Veneers Applied
For the second appointment, the process is simple. First, your dentist will test the veneers without adhesive, to make sure they place safely over your natural teeth as intended. If this goes well, he will apply bonding and affix the veneers.
You'll be encouraged to check in with the team at Valley Dental Care regularly so we can catch any rare issues and solve them as soon as possible. During this period, you should pay particular attention to how your gums are responding to the presence of the veneers, which is a potential problem area for a small minority of patients.
If you're ready for a thorough consultation to find out what we can do to upgrade your smile, visit us at Valley Dental Care today!