Dental Veneers
Dental veneers are thin shells of composite materials or porcelain (porcelain veneers) designed to cover the front part of your tooth to improve the appearance of your smile. If you have discolored, misshapen, or broken or chipped teeth, dental veneers can change color, shape, and size of the teeth and provide a natural-looking and feeling cosmetic dentistry solution.
Dental Veneers Candidates
Good candidates for dental veneers are individuals with good oral hygiene who want to improve the appearance of their teeth in a relatively conservative approach. In some cases, dental veneers may not improve the appearance of teeth that have been lost from periodontal diseases or other conditions that may require more extensive restoration work like dental implants.
If you are considering dental veneers, a dentist can help evaluate if you are a candidate for dental veneers. During dental veneer consultation, a cosmetic dentist will help you determine what results you can achieve with dental veneers. A dentist will examine your teeth and may perform x-rays or other tests to make sure veneers are appropriate for your condition.
After the initial consultation, you return to the dentist office to begin the veneer application process.
Dental Veneers Procedure
After the dental veneer consultation, you return to the dentist’s office to make a mold your mouth. The mold is sent off to a dental lab where CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) technology constructs the veneers. After a week or two, the veneers are available for application. Sometimes, dentists have the CAD/CAM technology in office, in which case the veneers are available after the mold is made.
Your dentist may administer a local anesthesia to numb your mouth during dental veneer application. The veneer is temporarily placed on the tooth before it is cemented to ensure the shape and color fit well. The dentist may repeatedly trim the veneer to properly fit it to your tooth.
After it is properly fit, the dentist cleans and polishes your tooth and the veneer is placed on the tooth. The dentist then uses a light beam which emits energy to activate the chemicals in the cement to harden the veneer on the tooth.
Excess cement is removed and the dentist examines the veneers to make sure a person’s bite and teeth look and feel natural.
Dental Veneer Aftercare
After you receive your dental veneers, you should practice good oral hygiene. Brushing and flossing are essential. Though porcelain veneers resist stains, you should take care to avoid staining the veneers with coffee, tea, red wine, and other beverages and foods that may stain the veneer and you may require teeth whitening.
Veneers can last between 5 and 10 years and will need to be replaced after this time.
Cost of Dental Veneers
The cost of dental veneers ranges from $500 to 1500 per tooth. The location where the procedure is performed, the dentist, and the extent of the procedure are all factors in the cost of dental veneers. The cost of dental veneers is generally not covered by dental insurance, but a person should check their dental plan or policy for specific details.
For more comprehensive information about dental veneers, cosmetic dentistry, cosmetic dentists, dental insurance, tooth decay, gum disease (periodontal disease), oral cancer, bad breath, or dentistry, visit Consumer Guide to Dentistry.