Gary Cash, DDS

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Porcelain Veneers – What Are They?

Dental veneers – also known as porcelain veneers or dental porcelain laminates – are wafer-thin pieces of porcelain which slip over your tooth to transform your smile. They also help to protect the underlying natural tooth enamel when they are bonded to the front of your teeth. Porcelain Veneers can be used to change the color, size, length shape of your teeth.

An alternative to porcelain veneers uses composite resin to cover the surface of the tooth.

What Can Porcelain Veneers be Used For?

Porcelain Veneers are used in both restorative and cosmetic dentistry procedures:

Restorative

Teeth that have been worn down over time and need to be built back up to protect the structure of the teeth.
Chips or cracks in your teeth, if not taken care of, may lead to longer-term major issues.

Smile Makeovers

  • Closing of gaps in your teeth (usually the front teeth) is a popular use of Porcelain veneers.
  • Misshapen or uneven teeth can be made to look more aesthetically pleasing.
  • Mild cases of tooth misalignment can be corrected using Porcelain veneers without having to resort to orthodontic procedures.
  • Lengthening of teeth. Having shorter teeth, while likely not a functional problem, can be made to look longer with Porcelain veneers.
  • Teeth whitening for some people does not work very well. If you took Tetracycline as a child for example, you’ll have a tough time getting the white look you desire. Porcelain Veneers solve that issue since they fit over your teeth and come in many shades of white to transform your smile.

 

Composite Resin vs Porcelain

Composite resin is the material that is used in white fillings. It is also used to fix a tooth that has been chipped. It can also be used as a layer over your existing teeth to make them whiter. Composite resin has some benefits over porcelain, and vice versa. Let’s look at some of the more common differences:

  • Longevity: porcelain veneers last longer (10-20 years) than composite resin which is not as resilient.
  • Shine: porcelain has a shinier look since the surface is very smooth and reflective, just like natural teeth.
  • Time: composite veneers (or repairs using composite) can often be performed in a single office visit, whereas porcelain veneers are made in a local dental lab and can take 2 or 3 weeks to come back.
  • Repairs: if you break or chip a porcelain veneer, it’s generally not fixable, whereas composite material is easily repaired.
  • Cost: composite resin is much more affordable than porcelain veneers.

Benefits

  • Your teeth are less prone to staining, especially with porcelain because they are not as porous as your natural teeth enamel.
  • Porcelain veneers look just like normal healthy teeth because of their smooth and shiny surface.
  • The material comes in a wide variety of shades, so it can be matched to the color of your other teeth or made several shades lighter as part of an overall smile makeover.
  • In a few cases, it’s a quicker and more affordable way to correct minor misalignment rather than go through a course of orthodontic correction.

What to Expect

Consultation

  • Dr. Cash will sit with you and discuss the results that you want to achieve and provide recommendations.
  • Next, he will take a good look at the health and structure of your teeth to make sure that Porcelain veneers are an appropriate solution for you. X-rays may also be taken. At the same time, he’ll check for any pre-existing issues with your gums.
  • You need to know what happens during the procedure (it’s pretty painless).
  • Porcelain Veneers may not give you a broad dazzling Hollywood smile, so Dr. Cash will let you know what kind of results to expect and if there are any special care procedures.
  • Lastly, Dr. Cash will discuss how to care for and get the most out of your new smile.

Preparation

In order to fit the Porcelain veneers over your teeth, Dr. Cash will remove a very thin layer of tooth.

  • Next, we’ll take an impression of your teeth to get an accurate fit for your new Porcelain veneers.
  • The impression model is sent to our local dental lab that will be making your Porcelain veneers.
  • Since the Porcelain veneers take a few weeks, we’ll fit you with temporary Porcelain veneers which are made of composite resin. They’ll look nice, just not as nice as the final porcelain product.
  • While waiting for your Porcelain veneers, we’ll ask you to take special care of the temporaries, including flossing, avoiding biting hard food etc.

Bonding

Now that your Porcelain veneers have arrived, it’s a simple and relatively quick task of bonding them to your teeth. Here are the steps:

  1. Removal of any temporary composite veneers.
  2. Clean and prepare the tooth.
  3. Test the veneer to make sure it’s a perfect fit.
  4. Dental cement is applied to the veneer, which is then placed on your tooth.
  5. To cure the cement, we apply a special light which takes less than a minute.
  6. There may be some final adjustments to the shape and fit including removal of any excess cement.
  7. Lastly, we’ll give the Porcelain veneers a good polish to get them gleaming bright!

Caring for your Porcelain Veneers

Now that you have your awesome smile, here are some recommendations to get the best out of your Porcelain veneers.

  1. It’s important to follow good oral hygiene such as flossing on a daily basis.
  2. Avoid chewing super sticky foods and avoid biting on hard foods such as almonds.
  3. If you bite your nails or chew on pens, this could cause premature failure of your Porcelain veneers. That’s a costly error!
  4. Come in to visit Dr. Cash and his friendly staff every six months for a regular oral exam and check up.
  5. Enjoy!

Dental Porcelain veneers are an awesome way to enhance your smile. Many of your friends and Austin neighbors have great smiles because they’ve taken advantage of porcelain Porcelain veneers. When you call our office, you’ll discover how easy and affordable this procedure can be.