Porcelain veneers are a way to achieve a million dollar smile, without having to empty the bank account. Usually, the actual procedure to apply the veneers can be accomplished in a lunch hour. Not only does it make teeth look brighter and more even, but the porcelain also adds a layer of protection against stains and cavities.
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Aesthetic Purposes
Porcelain veneers are no substitute for good dental hygiene or other major dental problems. But, aesthetically, veneers will give anyone a smile that is enviable in stars and other public figures. Veneers will enhance a smile and improve self-esteem by correcting flaws that keep a person from displaying their pearly whites. Veneers can cover up:
- Discoloration
- Crooked teeth
- Chipped teeth
- Gaps in teeth
Veneers are applied to the front of all the teeth that are normally exposed when a person smiles or talks. It is not a cap that covers the entire tooth; but, veneers have been credited with drastically improving a patient’s appearance. Basically, it gives the individual the confidence to smile and display an equally dazzling personality.
Durability of Porcelain Veneers
While veneers can be made from other materials, porcelain is the preferred substance, because it is more durable. Porcelain actually adheres to the natural tooth, essentially becoming part of the tooth. If taken care of properly, veneers should last about 15 years. In some cases, patients have not had veneers replaced until 20-30 years later.
Although coffee, tea, and juices will no longer stain the teeth covered by porcelain veneers, they are not indestructible. If they are to last, it’s important not to chew ice, use teeth to pry something open or grind teeth at night. For the latter problem, check with the dentist about solutions to protect a smile, so your pearly whites will give a sparkling smile for years to come.
Veneer Before and After Pictures
Ok, now that you know what some negative sides to having veneers are, here are some pictures of teeth veneers that show you how the teeth looked before the operation and how they looked after it. Pretty impressive results.
1. Chipped Teeth – before and after. As you can see, there was a small chip in the left frontal tooth. Veneers can be easily fixed with such problems.
chipped teeth before chipped teeth after
2. Tetracycline Stains – before and after. Stains are not a problem for veneers.
Tetracycline teeth beforeTetracycline teeth after
3. Teeth trauma or teeth that were damaged by archaic dental methods – before and after. There are still dental offices in the world that use old methods for treating teeth. These methods can leave pretty unpleasant footprints on your teeth. Veneers can deal with these footprints.
teeth trauma or after treatment with old methods of teeth trauma or after treatment with old methods after
4. Spacing between Teeth – – Before And After. Veneers, as you can see, can be used not only to make your teeth more white but also to alter the shape of your teeth.
What Are Some Consequences After You Get Veneers
Although you might think that veneers are a very good option for improving the aesthetics of your smile, and they are, in fact, you need to be aware of a few things before you decide on getting them. First, veneers are not always the best option, and whether you need veneers or not is decided by your cosmetic dentist. Second, if you get veneers on your teeth, you will need to restrict yourself in the types of food that you will consume. If you eat carrots, apples, potato chips, barbeque meat, or other types of hard-to-chew food, or if you use them for cracking nuts, opening bottle caps, biting fingernails, etc., you will damage your veneers.
You should also cut down on smoking after you get the veneers. Your teeth are “shaved”, and thus, they are also much thinner, more porous and vulnerable. If the smoking deposits reach your teeth through the veneers, they will deteriorate the bonding ability of your veneers, and the veneers may just fall out. You may also trigger tooth decay, if you smoke extensively, because, again, your teeth are more vulnerable after getting shaved for veneers, and the smoking deposits can exploit that. Lastly, if you smoke, you will stain your veneers – common sense.
Choose a Good Cosmetic Dentist
Please make sure that you get treated by a good cosmetic dentist. Badly placed veneers will certainly cause problems in the future. The problems can be various – falling out of the veneers (and thus, the necessity of reapplying them, which may cost more money, depending on the circumstances and the ethics of your dentist), poor aesthetics and more. Do take care of your veneers – brush your teeth regularly, floss between the veneers, and do regular check-ups with your dentist. For those wondering, flossing will not damage your porcelain veneers. Moreover, without flossing the health of your gum will deteriorate.