Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain dental veneers are a beautiful way to correct stained, chipped, or crooked teeth. By placing glass-like ceramic porcelain on the surface of teeth, dentists can provide patients with bright, straight, and natural looking smiles. If you are considering veneers but would like more information about the process of placing porcelain veneers and the cost of treatment, please read the information below and contact a dentist in your area.
Placing Dental Veneers
Your first step toward cosmetic enhancement with porcelain dental veneers is to meet with a dentist and discuss your goals for treatment. At this time, the dentist you choose will provide you with a full consultation about the porcelain veneers procedure and determine what you can expect from treatment.
During your second office visit, your teeth will be prepared for your porcelain dental veneers. By lightly buffing the front surface of your teeth, a skilled cosmetic dentist will remove an approximately one-half-millimeter layer of enamel from the front of your teeth. The wafer-thin porcelain veneers will eventually be set in place of this enamel. A mold is then taken of your teeth. From this mold, your porcelain veneers will be custom made to fit your teeth and complement your smile. Porcelain dental veneers can even be specially fitted to reshape crooked teeth that may otherwise require orthodontics.
The porcelain veneers are then placed on your teeth in your third, and final, office visit. At this time, your dentist will be able to precisely match the color of your dental veneers to your surrounding teeth. If you are having porcelain veneers placed on all of your teeth, your dentist will be able to provide you with an appropriate color that has both a beautiful luster and a realistic appearance. After the fit and color of your dental veneers are ensured to be to your liking, the adhesive is hardened using a special light. You then have a bright, long-lasing smile with your new porcelain veneers.
What Will My Porcelain Veneers Look Like?
The glass-like ceramic that forms porcelain veneers closely resembles natural tooth enamel. This is because, much like real tooth enamel, porcelain veneers are translucent. When light strikes a natural tooth’s surface, it is not immediately reflected off. Instead, it penetrates the tooth enamel and reflects off the opaque tooth dentin that lies just beneath. This translucent effect is what gives teeth their luster. By replicating this, porcelain dental veneers provide patients with bright, natural looking smiles.
Porcelain dental veneers can also cover and repair cracked and chipped teeth. Because porcelain veneers are custom made and fitted to your teeth by a skilled cosmetic dentist, you can customize and improve much more than just the color of your teeth. Crooked and chipped teeth can have their appearances improved to give you a beautiful new smile. Any broken teeth can be repaired using dental crowns, or caps, that can be color matched to your dental veneers.
Cosmetic Digital Imaging
Cosmetic digital imaging is provided by many dentists to aid patients considering porcelain veneers in their decision making process. Cosmetic digital imaging is meant to supplement the porcelain veneers consultation that you will have with your cosmetic dentist. This allows the dentist to give patients an idea what the end result of the porcelain veneers procedure will be without performing any medical treatment. Cosmetic digital imaging, however, is meant to serve only as a guide and it is important to remember that the end result is likely to differ slightly.
How Much Do Porcelain Veneers Cost?
The cost of porcelain veneers depends on the number of teeth being treated. Porcelain veneers generally cost from $700 to $2,000 per tooth. When considering the cost of porcelain veneers, you must take into account their longevity and attractiveness. Porcelain veneers are long lasting alternatives to other treatments that cost less but must be repaired more often and lose their cosmetic appeal more quickly.