Dental Veneers and What They Can Do for Your Teeth

With the ever-advancing improvements and technology in cosmetic dentistry today, you have more options than ever to help create that perfect smile. 

One such option to help make this a reality is dental veneers, a solution for both enhancing your appearance and protecting or strengthening your natural teeth.

What Are Dental Veneers?

Dental veneers are extremely thin, shell-like covers made of porcelain or resin that bond to the top or surface of a tooth. Depending on which material you choose, the cosmetic dentistry procedure can take as little as one day or up to two weeks to complete.

Composite resin is similar in material to that used in fillings and dental bonding. It’s a soft, malleable material that your dentist can easily work with to mold and shape the veneer to bond to your tooth’s surface. Prior to adhering, your dentist will slightly etch the tooth’s surface, so the bonding can occur more efficiently.

Porcelain dental veneers bond similarly to the tooth surface but with the added characteristic of appearing more like your natural teeth, with light reflecting in similar ways. For patients looking for a more aesthetic solution, especially for front teeth, the porcelain material for veneers is recommended.

With these porcelain veneers, the placement process is a little more complex, however, and takes longer. After your dentist prepares the surface of the teeth, you’ll need to wear temporary tooth covers while a dental laboratory creates the thin shells for long-term bonding.

Overall, dental veneers are long-lasting for up to a decade or more, which makes them a durable option for your dental needs.

What Can Dental Veneers Do for Your Teeth?

When wondering whether veneers are the right solution for you, it’s important to know what exactly they can do for your teeth. Essentially, dental veneers are designed to correct various dental issues and also enhance the teeth’ appearance.

More specifically, dental veneers can do the following.

Repair Damaged Teeth

Dental veneers can serve as a repair solution to chipped, cracked, or even broken teeth. When enough of the natural tooth remains, placement of a veneer can help repair the damaged tooth and match its shape and size to your natural teeth.

Cover Deep Discolorations and Stains

When it comes to tooth discolorations or stains, teeth whitening solutions don’t always provide the results you want or need. A better solution in these cases is dental veneers.

Uneven coloring or severe discoloration deep within the tooth itself can be corrected with these shell-like coverings and let you enjoy freely laughing and smiling in public again.

Also, what makes dental veneers such a good solution is that they can closely match the color of your natural teeth.

Reshape or Resize Teeth

Different shapes or sizes of teeth not only affect the appearance of your smile but also your chewing abilities.

Dental veneers can even out your teeth and your smile by correcting any misshapen teeth, including teeth that become too pointed or are irregular in shape as compared to the surrounding teeth. Veneers can also resize teeth that are smaller than the others.

Fill in Gaps

A small gap between your teeth, also known as diastema, can affect either the upper or lower teeth and usually occurs in the front. If left alone, many times, these gaps can cause movement or shifting of teeth.

When this happens, your teeth may become misaligned and result in the development of a bad bite. Your dentist can use the dental veneers to resize or reshape the corresponding teeth and, as a result, fill in these gaps.

Treat Tooth Enamel Loss

While tooth enamel is a tough substance, it is often worn away as a result of brushing teeth too hard, consuming a diet high in acidic foods, or by suffering with acid reflux disease. Since enamel can’t grow back, veneers offer a solution for maintaining the strength of your teeth.

Essentially dental veneers are here to help improve the overall appearance of your teeth, enhance your smile, and correct certain types of problems that can interfere with your oral health. They also allow you to keep your natural teeth while still creating a smile you love to share.

Learn More About Dental Veneers at Lifetime Dental Health in Columbus

Dental veneers are an ideal solution for many dental issues experienced by our patients here at Lifetime Dental in Columbus. If you’re looking for beneficial ways to enhance your smile and your overall dental health, contact Dr. Richard Barry and his team to schedule a consultation. We will help you determine if dental veneers are the right solution for you.