If you’re in the process of looking for a cosmetic dentist to help you achieve the smile you want, you may have encountered dental veneers as one of the treatment options. This comprehensive guide to dental veneers should answer many of the question you might have about the veneer procedure or dental veneers in general. If you’re looking for a cosmetic dentist in Boston that excels at dental veneers, we hope you find this guide helpful and consider our Back Bay dental office for your procedure.
What Are Dental Veneers?
As with woodworking, where a veneer is the cosmetic part that covers the utilitarian structure of the wood work, the same applies to dental veneers. Dental veneers are a thin layer of cosmetic material that is bonded to the visible surface of a tooth in order to give it a cosmetically appealing appearance.
Dental veneers are most often made of porcelain since that material has many properties that are sought after in a dental restoration. Porcelain is a hard substance that can withstand the wear and tear of the mouth environment. Additionally it’s less prone to staining than other materials, including even the dental enamel itself. Porcelain can also be manufactured to have a natural-looking color and reaction to light.
When Are Dental Veneers Used?
The cosmetic dentists in our Back Bay dental office have many applications for dental veneers:
- Removing persistent tooth stains and discoloration – If a stain on a tooth or discoloration cannot be removed using teeth whitening, dental veneers are an option for covering up the discoloration instead. Persistent discoloration may arise from the enamel being demineralized and appearing as white spots on the tooth. These white spots are often seen in people who have had braces, where demineralization can be significant. Excess consumption of fluoride can also cause brown discoloration of the tooth in a condition known as fluorosis. Since these stains are persistent (sometimes known as intrinsic stains) people often turn to dental veneers as a way of covering up the discoloration.
- Changing the shape of a tooth – If a tooth is shaped in a way that’s not aesthetically appealing, dental veneers can be placed over it in order to give it a more uniform appearance. While dental bonding can be used to adjust the shape of one tooth, dental veneers are often done on multiple teeth in order to ensure consistent, size, shape and appearance.
- Filling in gaps in teeth without orthodontics – While many people use braces or Invisalign® in order to close gaps between teeth, the orthodontics process can take months to complete. Dental veneers can be used to cover up the gaps in a far shorter time span, while creating a more controlled look. People also choose dental veneers instead of orthodontics since there are fewer potential complications.
What Does the Dental Veneer Procedure Entail?
Dental veneers are planned and placed over multiple trips to a cosmetic dentist. Here are the steps involved in the placement of dental veneers:
- Prepping the teeth for dental veneers – Before the veneers can be placed, the surface of the tooth has to be adequately prepared. This involves removing a very thin layer, a fraction of a millimeter, of enamel from the tooth. A local anesthetic is used so that this stage of the procedure is painless. Some of the biting surface of the tooth and the sides are also removed since this results in a veneer that seats better and has a better structure.
- Taking an impression – Once the teeth are in their final prepped shape, the dentist will take an impression to base the dental veneer design on. The impression takes into account the gums as well so that the veneers can be crafted for a perfect fit.
- Placing the temporary dental veneers – Since creating the porcelain dental veneers can take upwards of a week, the dentist will place temporary dental veneers made of acrylic or composite resin on the tooth in the meantime. As nice as your smile may look now, don’t be fooled — it gets better.
- Final dental veneer placement – After the final porcelain dental veneers are created in the dental lab, the dentist tries them on a model of the teeth too check for fit and then books the final appointment for the placement. During this last appointment the cosmetic dentist removes the temporary veneers, cleans the teeth, and cements the porcelain veneers using a special dental adhesive.
How Much Do Dental Veneers Cost?
Dental veneers, when done right, at the hands of a highly experienced cosmetic dentist, such as the ones in our Back Bay dental office, are not cheap. That doesn’t mean they are not affordable however. At Warshauer & Santamaria, for example, there is full transparency about the cost of a procedure. The dental team will work with you in order to maximize the use of dental insurance where possible. Despite the high cost of dental veneers, their benefits make them a good value.
What Are the Benefits of Dental Veneers?
Since dental veneers an be used for various cosmetic purposes, they are a great way of adjusting the overall appearance of a smile. This can then help boost confidence in daily interactions or improve the appearance of a smile for people in public facing roles. This transformation is relatively quick and non-invasive when compared to some other cosmetic dentistry options. The results are beautiful, uniform, well-proportioned, and natural looking.
If you are looking for a cosmetic dentist in Boston and are convinced that dental veneers might be the right cosmetic option for you, we urge you to schedule an appointment at Warshauer & Santamaria. Our dental office in Back Bay has multiple highly experienced cosmetic dentists that have been selected as “Top Dentist” by Boston Magazine several years in a row. Additionally, the cosmetic dentists are well regarded by patients, with the office attaining a 4.9 star rating on Google. We hope to see you at a cosmetic dental consultation soon!
