Dental veneers are thin, tooth-colored coverings designed to cover the front parts of the surface of the teeth. They are primarily cosmetic and tend to improve the individual’s appearance, bond with the front teeth, and change the shape, color, and general appearance of your teeth and your smile. Before you get veneers, a dentist has to prepare the surface where they will be placed. Teeth prepped for veneers will ensure that the coverings fit and attach properly and serve their purpose the way they intended.
Dental Veneers Procedure
The preparation starts from understanding the process of fitting veneers onto the teeth. Although cosmetic dentistry processes are typically easier and painless, they will most likely be the ones requiring multiple visits to the dentist. Given that it is a prosthesis that will be fitted onto the teeth, getting veneers will likely require three trips to the dentist. The first trip will be a consultation trip. Here, the dentist will examine the teeth to ensure that the dental veneers are right for you. They will also discuss the procedure and some of the potential limitations that might arise.
Further examinations that might be required include X-ray imagery and impressions of the mouth and the teeth. After determining that you are ready for the veneers, the next step will be to make the veneers for the teeth. The best fitting veneers will be ones that are custom-made based on the measurements of your teeth. Finally, the final visit to the dentist will be to have the veneers fitted to the teeth and adjusted as necessary to help restore the natural appearance of the teeth.
How Teeth Are Prepped for Veneers
Any good dentist will normally ensure that your teeth are prepared for the veneers. The preparation process is pretty straightforward. It involves a fair bit of shaping and teeth grinding to reshape the tooth’s surface. Here, the focus will be to ensure that the teeth are reshaped to an amount nearly equal to the thickness of the veneers to be added to the teeth’s surface. The preparation process before fitting the porcelain veneer might be painful or uncomfortable.
Depending on the amount of shaping and grinding needed, our dentists may decide to numb the area beforehand. The preparation process will also have the dentist make a model or impression of the tooth, which is then sent to the laboratory and used to make the veneer. The preparation of the veneer might take between 2-4 weeks. In the meantime, temporary veneers can be used to cover the already shaped tooth.
No-Prep Veneers
The typical veneers described above are not the only ones available in the market today. Another common option for many patients today is the no-prep veneers. While veneers typically require a significant amount of preparation, the no-prep veneers are fitted easier and quicker, as the name suggests. For instance, the dentist might grind off up to half a millimeter of the enamel with regular veneers to make space and shape the tooth.
For the no-prep veneers, there is little prep involved. The implication is that while the traditional veneers might take several weeks and up to three dental visits, the no-prep veneers are different. In some cases, dentists can easily make a digital impression of the teeth and use this to create veneers and install them on the same day.
Veneer Aftercare
After getting veneers, the most important thing is to ensure that one maintains the highest teeth hygiene standards. Some of the aftercare recommendations include:
- Brushing with fluoride-containing toothpaste after every meal
- Swishing vigorously daily with a fluoride-containing rinse
- Wearing a night guard to protect the teeth in case there is grinding
- Flossing at least once a day
If by any chance you were looking for a dentist to get veneers in Los Angeles, CA, then we suggest you visit Rosemarie Quimson-Cruz. They have the best dental office in Los Angeles, CA which has decent patient reviews under their belt.