As we age, dental drama can cause our smiles to lose their luster. Today’s dentistry offers many ways to help each person’s smile shine, from dentures and implants to dental veneers and caps. Before you visit a cosmetic dentist to address your damaged teeth, learn a little about each procedure and the problem it can address.
Filling in Missing Teeth
Implanted teeth can fill in the gap created when a person must have a tooth pulled. The dentist may create aesthetic porcelain teeth or use a ceramic material to create the substitute tooth.
A dental bridge fills in a gap created by losing a few teeth in one area. The dentist creates a partial denture that fits into the mouth with false teeth that fit into the area of the missing teeth.
Dentures address the problem of many missing teeth. If you’ve had many teeth pulled or lost to cavities, disease, or another situation, your dentist can take molds off your mouth and create dentures that fit into your gums.
Hiding or Repairing Discolored or Chipped Teeth
Use porcelain laminate veneers or natural porcelain veneers to cover a yellowed or damaged tooth and make it match all the other teeth in your mouth. A person’s teeth after veneers typically resemble their original, healthy smile.
Consider teeth caps if you want to hide crooked or discolored teeth that haven’t responded to whitening. Avoid braces or Invisalign by capping your teeth for an instantly perfect smile. Actor Tom Cruise used this method to avoid wearing braces until he turned 40 while still achieving the perfect movie star smile.
Did you know you can improve the appearance of your teeth with veneers? Cosmetic dental veneers are the secret to a beautiful smile and a healthy mouth.
Your smile is one of the essential features people notice when you meet. However, what if a tooth requires minimal care to make your appearance glow? Getting a tooth veneer procedure can help improve your smile. These devices are excellent for correcting physical and cosmetic dental issues.
Several materials make veneers, including porcelain and resin. It’s best to consult a dentist for more information about veneers to help select the best option for you. After getting informed about veneers for teeth, you may want to know more about how much do veneers cost. However, dental veneers cost most often depends on the dentist’s expertise and the number of teeth involved. Besides, many insurance firms don’t regard them as cosmetic procedures and hence don’t cover the cost.
Many people prefer using veneers over other dental procedures because they give a natural look to your teeth and help reduce gaps. Another advantage of veneers is they can change the color of your teeth, besides being stronger and stain resistant. After the procedure, a dentist may schedule regular follow-up appointments to ensure the devices are safe and comfortable to wear.
Many Americans are self-conscious about their teeth, with somewhere around 74% thinking that an unattractive smile will affect them professionally, according to an American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry survey. Because of this self-conscious nature, many have turned to dental implants and dental veneers for cosmetic reasons.
Both dental implants and dental veneers give the illusion of perfect and more flawless teeth.
Dental veneers are an ultra-thin shell of ceramic or a composite resin material which is bonded to the front of the teeth. The procedure requires very little or no anesthesia and can be the ideal choice for improving the appearance of the front teeth.
Veneers are generally used to mask discoloration or to improve a smile.
But why veneers and not dental crowns?
Dental veneers are a good alternative in many situations, as they provide a much more conservative approach to changing a tooth’s color, size, or shape. They can also make undesirable defects, such as stains or damage, virtually unnoticeable.
The are also ideal for masking discolored fillings in the front of teeth, and patients with gaps between their front teeth or teeth that are chipped or worn also consider veneers.
They also last many years, and the technique has remarkable longevity when properly performed by a dentist.
What happens when you get dental veneers
If you’re getting veneers, there are generally three appointments needed for the entire process: diagnosis, treatment planning, then preparation and bonding.
To prepare the teeth for dental veneers, they are lightly buffed. Usually, about half a millimeter of the tooth is removed, which may require anesthetic. After the tooth is prepared, at least for composite resin veneers, the dentist carefully bonds and sculpts it to the teeth.
Ceramic can take a bit longer, as a mold has to be made and crafted to fit your teeth. This can take several days after the initial buffing, and you can be given a temporary veneer to make up for the wait time.
For about a week or two after the procedure, you will go through a period to adjust as you get used to your new teeth, particularly the changes in size and appearance. Make sure to brush and floss daily. Soon after this, your dentist will want to meet again to do a follow-up and check on the implants.
Dental implants are a great way to make your smile shine and look perfect, greatly improving confidence. If you have any questions about dental implants or dentistry in general, contact us. We’ll be more than happy to help.
