Porcelain veneers are made out of a thin porcelain material. They are attached to the front of your teeth to cosmetically enhance your smile. They have become a very common cosmetic dentistry procedure and can make a great addition to your smile makeover.

Porcelain veneers can be used to:

• Restore worn or chipped teeth

• Cover stained teeth

• Close gaps between your teeth

• Lengthen your teeth

• Straighten crooked teeth

Benefits of Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain veneers provide you with an excellent way to cosmetically improve your smile. They resemble your natural tooth structure more than other materials used in tooth restoration. The porcelain material is very durable and will last a long time. Veneers allow your cosmetic dentist to adjust the color and translucency in order to match the appearance of your natural teeth. They are also very stain-resistant, which will help keep your smile bright for years to come.

Why Do Porcelain Veneers Look So Natural?

The ceramic material used for porcelain veneers is translucent and therefore closely mirrors the properties of your natural tooth enamel. When light hits your teeth, it goes through your enamel and reflects off of the dentin, the opaque inner substance of your teeth. It is this translucency of your enamel that provides your teeth with their shine. The translucent properties of porcelain veneers enable them to reproduce the luster of natural teeth.

The Importance of Using an Experienced Cosmetic Dentist

The installation of porcelain veneers requires an artistry generally lacked by general dentists. When done right, porcelain veneers will provide you with a vastly improved smile that will leave you beaming with self-confidence. When done poorly, they will look terrible and leave you wondering why you wasted your money.

In order to achieve the proper results, it is important to have your porcelain veneers done by an experienced cosmetic dentist. Cosmetic dentists approach dentistry with a keen artistic eye and have as their main purpose the aesthetic improvement of your smile. General dentists, on the other hand, are usually much more concerned with functionality than with aesthetics. As a result, veneers installed by a general dentist may not provide you with the improved appearance that you desire.

Cosmetic dentistry is a specialization that requires a great deal of training beyond dental school. By going to a highly trained cosmetic dentist, you will ensure that your porcelain veneers accomplish the desired purpose of making your smile as dynamic and beautiful as possible.

To learn more about porcelain veneers, please contact the Los Angeles, California cosmetic dentist Dr. Kevin Sands today to schedule a consultation.

ain veneers are a hot trend in cosmetic dentistry right now because they can completely change the way a person’s mouth looks, and positively change the way a person views him or herself. A cosmetic dentist can make the decision whether porcelain veneers are right for each person, as it’s not something that should be taken lightly. While a cosmetic can totally change the way you look and feel with porcelain veneers, it is a serious procedure with permanent changes to tooth structure. Consulting with your cosmetic dentist will let you know if you are a candidate for such a procedure, or perhaps there are less invasive ways for you to be treated that will leave you happy and your smile healthy.

Porcelain veneers first became popular in the late 1980’s when cosmetic dentistry started to become a little bit more popular. Of course, these days most people know of someone who has porcelain veneers, but many people don’t know what it means to actually have them done. A porcelain veneer is something that only a qualified cosmetic dentist should do as it’s a procedure that actually requires you to lose most of your actual tooth. Then, a lab creates a veneer that fits over the small bit of tooth remaining to give you the appearance of beautiful and natural teeth. If created properly, porcelain veneers can look just like real teeth and they have little or no affect on the way a person eats, speaks, or lives.

A qualified cosmetic dentist is needed for the placement of porcelain veneers, as there is a lot that a dentist has to take into consideration when doing such a procedure. First, a cosmetic dentist must decide what is will be accomplished with the veneers and if there is any other way to go about achieving those results that is less invasive. Next, will the patient be capable of taking care of the teeth and the veneers for longevity. And lastly, whether the health of the patient and their teeth justifies such a drastic measure. Because the teeth are ground down considerably, both the cosmetic dentist and the patient must be sure that they want to go ahead with the procedure and keep the veneers for the remainder of the patient’s life.

How long porcelain veneers last is really dependent upon many things. The most important factor in the longevity of the veneers is how well the cosmetic dentist bonded the veneers to the actual tooth. Many dentists don’t have a proper bonding method and over time the veneers slip or fall off altogether. If a veneer is constantly slipping or falling off it’s very unlikely that they’ll last very long at all. Another factor that affects the life of porcelain veneers is any bite issues that the patient may have. If the patient has a severe over or under bite it may affect how long the veneer will hold up. Probably one of the most important factors that will affect how long veneers last is how well the patient takes care of his or her teeth. Teeth and gums that are not properly cared for don’t last as long, no matter what they are made of. Careful steps must be taken to preserve the porcelain veneers. Veneers can easily last as long as ten years before considering replacing them, if they are well cared for. For most people, one set of veneers won’t be enough in their lifetime, at least not with modern veneer capabilities.

Going to a cosmetic dentist to have porcelain veneers placed on your teeth is a big decision, but if you are going to a qualified dentist it will likely be a very positive experience. Your smile is a big part of who you are, and when you feel good about your smile you feel good about yourself and a cosmetic dentist can make it happen for you.

Porcelain veneers are an excellent solution for people with discolored crooked, gapped, worn, or cracked teeth. In fact, in many ways porcelain veneers are the flagship cosmetic dental treatment because they can essentially give a person a whole new smile all at once. In addition, porcelain veneers can be a great protective treatment for your teeth.

Decay Resistant

Unlike tooth enamel, the ceramic laminate used to make porcelain veneers neither decays as a result of exposure to the acid byproducts of mouth-dwelling bacteria or stains as a result of exposure to melanoidins found in foods like coffee, black tea, chocolate, and red wine. This means that porcelain veneers can not only give you a great-looking smile, they can give you a smile that lasts. In addition, they can strengthen your teeth by providing an additional layer of support, almost like the layered composite armor used on modern main battle tanks. However, the teeth behind the veneers are still susceptible to decay, and there are some special considerations you should keep in mind about cavities in veneered teeth.

Behind the Veneer

The veneer itself is made of pressed laminate ceramic, which is very strong, and the veneer is attached to the tooth by means of a plastic compound sometimes called cement. Before the veneers are placed or crafted, the teeth are prepared to receive them through the removal of dental enamel. The amount of enamel removed varies, both according to the preferences and the technique of the dentist doing the preparation, and it is unlikely to be completely uniform. Normally, the amount removed is between 0.3 and 0.5 mm, often leaving little to no enamel on the prepared surface. Fortunately, the prepared surface is protected by the veneer.

Possible Dangers

Cavities can still attack veneered teeth. If veneers are placed by an inexperienced or unskilled dentist, there may be ledges, shelves, or other harborages around the edges of the veneers where food can accumulate and bacteria hide from cleanings. In these locations, plaque can build up, and the acid produced by the bacteria can lead to decay around the edges of the veneers. If undetected, these edge cavities can grow and allow bacteria access to the tooth pulp, necessitating a root canal and capping the tooth with a dental crown.

People often think porcelain veneers are likely to chip, but in fact it is much more likely that the compound bonding the veneer to the tooth will fail and the veneer come loose. This becomes more likely if a person consumes a great deal of alcohol, which dissolves some bonding compounds. Worse than an actual separation of the veneer is if some of the bond gets dissolved and creates a void behind the veneer which can again serve as a harborage for bacteria, leading to concealed decay that attacks the tooth and may not be detected until pain begins.

Prevention Better than Cure

As with all dental treatment, prevention is the best approach. With proper care, you can protect your veneered teeth from any of the negative effects we’ve discussed above. First, make sure you have chosen a talented and well-trained cosmetic dentist who uses the highest-quality restorations. Veneers that are properly shaped and placed can remove the possibility of harborages around the veneers. Brush and floss your teeth according to your dentist’s instructions. Make all your semi-annual cleaning and follow-up appointments to catch any decay before it progresses to the level of a serious threat. Limit alcohol consumption and clean your teeth immediately after vomiting to reduce the dissolution of the dental bonding material.

If you do all this, your veneers will last a decade or more protecting your teeth and keeping them stain-free.