What Are Porcelain Veneers?

In the age of instagram and selfie’s people are always looking for an edge to look better. Cosmetic dentistry offers many options to achieve a whiter, brighter smile. These can include teeth whitening, orthodontics, porcelain crowns, and especially porcelain veneers. Porcelain veneers can give you the smile you always dreamed about with minimal preparation and can dramatically change just about any smile.

Porcelain Veneers Explained

Using similar materials that are used in porcelain crowns, porcelain veneers are fingernail like thin pieces of porcelain that are bonded to your teeth in order to change the shape, color, and size of your teeth. Porcelain veneers are also sometimes referred to as “instant orthodontics” because you can even straighten your teeth. This will not work in extreme cases but can help adjust your smile in small increments.

The best part about porcelain veneers? This cosmetic dentistry treatment can be completed in as little as two dental visits and the veneers are individually fabricated and customized to fit your smile. They look completely natural when the treatment is completed. The porcelain will mimic your natural tooth in translucency as well as in reflection of light.

Marielaina Perrone DDS Las Vegas Porcelain Veneers

Characteristics Of Porcelain Veneers

Dental veneers have the following characteristics:

Translucent qualities

Like natural tooth enamel, porcelain veneers are translucent, meaning they allow some light to pass through and reflect off the natural dental material. This gives the veneer a natural depth, providing for a dazzling smile.

Color matching

If you are replacing multiple teeth, then all your veneers can be a natural, bright color. When covering just one or two teeth, porcelain veneers can easily be matched to the surrounding natural teeth in order to provide a consistently beautiful smile.

Non-porous surface

Porcelain veneers are ceramic glass and are non-porous, preventing future stains from ruining your new smile.

Porcelain Veneers Visits

Dental veneer treatment is generally completed over the course of 2-3 dental visits. They are as follows:

Visit 1 – Consultation.

This is when you will explain your concerns and wishes about your smile with your dentist. Your dentist can then explain if porcelain veneers are right for your individual smile and desires. In some cases, porcelain veneers are not the right treatment and more extensive treatment may be needed like orthodontics or porcelain crowns. Porcelain veneers can also be used in conjunction with those procedures to give you the smile you have always desired.

Visit 2 – Preparation Of Teeth.

At this visit, your teeth will be prepared for the porcelain veneers to be custom fabricated. A small amount of tooth structure will be removed from each tooth included in treatment. In some cases, no tooth structure is necessary (these are referred to as “no prep” veneers). Your dentist will administer a local anesthesia to keep you comfortable during the procedure. Once the preparation of teeth is completed, your dentist will take a dental impression that will be used by the dental laboratory to fabricate your custom porcelain veneers.

Visit 3 – Completion Of New Smile.

Once fabrication is complete by the dental laboratory, you will return for placement of porcelain veneers. The veneers will be placed on a trial basis to ensure proper fit, color, and shape. If the new veneers meet both your criteria then the dentist will bond them to your teeth.

Benefits Of Porcelain Veneers

Dental veneers are used in cosmetic dentistry to alter your front teeth in a variety of ways. These can include:

• Making shorter teeth longer.
• Reshaping a smile.
• Changing color (porcelain veneers can can be viewed as permanent teeth whitening)
• Restoring worn teeth with weak or worn down enamel.
• Close Gaps Between Teeth.
• Repairing cracked, chipped, or broken teeth.
• Minor Realignment Of Teeth.

Porcelain veneers are also called “instant orthodontics” for this reason. They can straighten slightly out of place teeth to create a perfect smile.

Dental veneers are generally completed across the front 6 teeth on either the top or bottom or both. Single porcelain veneers can also be done to change individual teeth with minor flaws.

Additional Benefits Of Porcelain Veneers

Dental veneers can also change other parts of your face. This can include:

• Lip Enhancement – The extra layer that porcelain veneers add to teeth pushes the lips just slightly outward, can lead to fuller lips that look very natural. If more attention is needed Juvederm filler can help here as well.
• Strengthening sensitive teeth – Worn teeth lacking enamel will make patients feel twinges when their teeth are exposed to hot or cold. Porcelain veneers will strengthen the teeth by covering the exposed layers of the tooth leading to improved comfort.
• Increased Smiling.

Dental Veneers Conclusion

The use of porcelain veneers in cosmetic dentistry is considered a fairly conservative treatment. This is because minimal tooth structure is removed to give you fantastic results. However, it is important to note it is not a reversible procedure. Once the tooth structure is removed it is permanent. Porcelain veneers have the ability to transform an ordinary smile into an extraordinary smile. If you are interested in porcelain veneers speak to your dentist today and see if they are right for you!

If you are ready for a smile makeover, contact Marielaina Perrone DDS at (702) 458-2929 to schedule a no cost cosmetic consultation appointment. We cannot wait to help you with your smile makeover to create the smile of your dreams in Summerlin, Henderson, and Las Vegas, NV.