Dental Porcelain Veneers
One of the most popular cosmetic dentistry procedures is porcelain veneers.
In many cases Dr. Goldy has achieved results with porcelain veneers that would be regarded as "instant orthodontics": a brilliant new smile that looks as though you’ve had more than two years of braces!
Dental veneers are ultra-thin shells of ceramic material, which are bonded to the front of teeth. This procedure is usually the ideal choice for improving the appearance of front teeth. Porcelain veneers are placed to mask discolorations, to brighten severely discolored teeth and to improve a smile in many ways.
Highly resistant to permanent staining from coffee, tea or even cigarette smoking, wafer-thin dental veneers give an aesthetically pleasing naturalness unsurpassed by other restorative and cosmetic dentistry options.
Why use a porcelain veneer?
If you want a confident smile without a long runway of cosmetic dentistry, porcelain veneers can provide a conservative approach to changing a tooth's color, size or shape. In just a few visits porcelain veneers often improve crowded or crooked teeth beyond what traditional orthodontics could achieve in two years.
Dental veneers can mask undesirable defects, such as teeth stained by tetracycline, by an injury or as a result of a root-canal procedure. They’re ideal for masking discolored fillings in front teeth. Patients with short teeth, gaps between their teeth or teeth that are chipped or worn may consider porcelain veneers. Even people that are missing some front teeth can often benefit from veneers!
Generally, dental veneers last for many years, and the technique has shown remarkable longevity when properly performed.
What happens during the porcelain veneer procedure?
Patients need three appointments for the entire procedure:
- Diagnosis and treatment planning
- Preparation and temporization
- Bonding and finishing
Diagnosis and treatment planning:
It's critical that you take an active role in your smile design by spending time in the decision-making and planning of your smile. Understand the corrective limitations of porcelain veneers. Have more than one consultation, if necessary, to feel comfortable about Dr. Goldy's understanding of your objectives. If you have a picture of a smile you would like to have, please bring that with you at this appointment. Also, we can use sophisticated imaging technology to show you a preview of your proposed new smile.
Preparation of teeth:
This appointment will take from one to three hours; depending on the number of veneers. (The most common treatment is 8 to 10 veneers on the upper and lower front teeth.) Local anesthetic is administered, and your teeth are meticulously prepared to allow for the small added thickness of the veneer. Usually, about half a millimeter of the tooth is removed. An impression is taken of the teeth, which is sent to the laboratory for fabrication of the veneers. Dr. Goldy uses the finest dental laboratory in Beverly Hills. This can take from one to two weeks. Temporary veneers are placed which will often provide our patients with a "preview" of the final desirable outcome.
Bonding of porcelain veneers:
This appointment also takes one or two hours. First, Dr. Goldy places the veneers on your teeth with a special "try on" paste to check their fit and get a sense of the contour and color. While the porcelain veneers are resting on your teeth, you can view the aesthetic results and pay particular attention to the color.
At this point, the color of the veneers can still be adjusted with the shade of the cement to be used. The color cannot be altered after they’re cemented. To apply the veneer, the tooth is cleansed with specific chemicals to achieve a bond. Once the special cement is sandwiched between the porcelain veneer and the tooth, a visible light beam initiates the release of a catalyst to harden the cement. Finally, the excess bonding resin is carefully removed under magnification, to ensure healthy gum tissue in addition to the incredible aesthetic result of the porcelain veneers.
How about maintenance?
For about a week or two, you will go through a period of adjustment as you get used to your "new" teeth. Brush and floss daily as you normally do. After this time, you'll return to our office for a follow-up appointment.
Original source: Library of the Academy of General Dentistry