With today’s technology, it has become easier to get that proverbial perfect smile. There are plenty of options available to accommodate patients with different budgets, time, and results desired. One of these includes dental veneers.
Veneers should not be confused with tooth bonding, although both dental techniques involve improving the shape, size and the color of the teeth. Compared to veneers, dental bonding is quicker as it only requires one trip to the dentist. On the other hand, veneers require at least two sessions.
There is also the matter of cost, longevity, and quality. Veneers cost more but the quality is better and is expected to be permanent.
However, before scheduling for veneers, it is important for you to be aware of the following facts:
1. The color never changes.
Veneers look and feel like natural teeth, but the color stays the same. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on how each person sees it.
On the upside, the individual does not have to worry about their veneers looking dull after a few years. Since dentists can alter the color and opacity or translucency of veneers, they can be used to hide any imperfections in your existing teeth. For instance, veneers can be used to hide and protect overly translucent teeth or stains.
However, natural teeth react to substances that they come into contact with. They undergo a process of discoloration if the person eats or drinks too many sugary drinks or has poor dental hygiene.
Over time, the color of your teeth may change, but the same cannot be said of the veneers attached to them. If you are the type who likes to consume food or drinks that can discolor your teeth, at some point, you will notice that your teeth and the veneers will look different.
2. Your smile is unique to you.
It is rare to find a person who is born with perfect teeth. However, seeing a cosmetic dentist can increase the odds. Dentists have the expertise and tools needed to change the shape and size of your teeth.
It is important to remember that dental procedures don’t work in the same way as haircuts do. When you go to a salon, you can point to a picture in a magazine or bring a snapshot of a celebrity whose hairstyle you like and have the stylist work his or her magic. After a few minutes, you get a hairstyle you love.
Or perhaps you have a cut you want to grow out off. In the case of hair, it grows at a rapid rate. After just a few months, you can get a different hairstyle.
Teeth are more difficult to work with. They are tough, rigid and aligned in a unique way. To get the perfect smile you’ve always dreamed of, the dentist may need to file away some of the teeth, realign your teeth, remove gum or place in gum grafts to prepare the area for the veneers.
These processes will require even more time and resources to accomplish. So before you go to see the dentist, you need to do away with the notion of being able to copy somebody else’s smile just like that.
3. Dental experience is vital.
Much like commissioning a renowned artist to paint your portrait or create a bust, it is important to shop around before settling with one dentist. Creating and applying veneers requires knowledge and expertise.
Find a dentist whose dental and veneer work you trust.
Veneers can last for 15 years or more, depending on the quality of the work and the patient’s ability to follow good oral hygiene. Given the amount of time and money you’ll be investing in this procedure, take some extra time researching on aesthetic dentists and checking out their veneer dental work.
4. You can get a preview of that smile.
One critical step in performing veneer work involves preparing a preview model. Constructed out of wax, this sample illustrates what the final veneer will look like. The wax model can also give patients a sense of how the veneers will appear on top of their natural teeth and their possible effects on speech.
It is important to note that there will be an adjustment period after getting your veneers attached. You may experience some pain during this period, but there’s no need to worry.
Once you’ve gone past this stage, you are on your way to having that perfect smile.
