Porcelain Veneers Information
Porcelain veneers are an increasingly popular cosmetic dentistry solution. In the infancy of their use, porcelain veneers were cosmetic solutions for movie stars and other people concerned with their close-up appearance in the media. While porcelain veneers are still a costly cosmetic option, the treatment is more widely available now, since most dentists have responded to market demand by encompassing cosmetic dentistry into their services. Does this Spark an idea?
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What They Are
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Porcelain veneers, also called dental veneers or dental porcelain laminates, are thin shells of porcelain made to fit over the front side of the teeth to improve the aesthetic of the smile. The veneers are bonded to the teeth as a cosmetic "mask," and can be used for the cosmetic improvement of one tooth or multiple teeth. Veneers are unlike caps, which cover the entire tooth. Once bonded to the tooth, a veneer has the life span of about 10 years before replacement is recommended.
Reasons for Treatment
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Veneers are used as an effective solution for adult teeth that are chipped, misaligned, and uneven in length and/or size. They are used to improve the visible evenness and squareness of the front teeth to perfect the smile. Teeth that are heavily stained and cannot achieve a desired shade by whitening procedures can also benefit from veneers.
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Pretreatment Assessment
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The dentist evaluates the teeth and determines which teeth are fit for veneer application (which is ultimately up to the patient), and what the teeth will require for the application. Sometimes the teeth need to be slightly shaved and reshaped to fit the veneer. A mold is made of the original teeth. The dentist also notes the current shade of the teeth and the desired shade of the veneers. Using a moldable, temporary material, a look-alike version of veneers is shaped against the teeth and manipulated until the desired look is reached. A mold is made again.
The Procedure
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The application of veneers involves multiple visits to the dentist. During the first visit, the dentist performs the shaping step, during which the original teeth are shaved down as necessary. The temporary veneers are bonded to the teeth and shaped as needed. Another mold is taken. All the molds, plus the specs (including thickness and diameter) for the final porcelain veneer pieces are sent to a lab where each veneer is crafted with microprecision. The patient wears the temporary veneers while waiting for the permanent veneers to return from the lab (anywhere from one to four weeks). During the final visit, the veneers are permanently bonded to the teeth.
Cost
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The cost of veneers varies slightly by dental office and geographic region. As of 2009, The Consumer Guide to Dentistry quotes the cost of veneers as ranging between $900 and $2,500 dollars per tooth.
Strength
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Before the permanent veneers are bonded to the teeth, the temporary veneers are fragile and somewhat weak. Dentists recommend not biting into thick bread or hard fruits or vegetables, since the temporary pieces can come off. The permanent veneers, however, can be treated with the same caution as regular teeth, although fresh out of treatment, biting into apples isn't recommended as a test of the veneers' strength. Also, veneers do not cause pain or sensitivity, even if the initial presence of the veneers takes some getting used to.
Teeth Whitening
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There is no teeth whitening treatment (not even laser whitening) that can change the color of porcelain veneers. While there is a general guarantee that the veneers will maintain their original color, after years of wear they lose their luster and can appear slightly darker than when they were applied. This is when they should be replaced.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit "Mouth Experiment," by Martha Madness (flickr.com/creativecommons)
