Dental Veneers: Procedure, After-Care, and Lifespan
If aesthetic defects with your teeth impact your smile, you might worry that you must raise your palms every time you meet someone. However, dentistry advances and new technology make it convenient to fix the aesthetic flaws with your teeth in one or couple of appointments with the dentist near you offering dental veneers. Dental veneers are a cosmetic procedure that helps improve the appearance of crooked, chipped, gapped, and severely discolored teeth unresponsive to whitening treatments to hide them from view to help you smile without fear.
The mention of cosmetic dental procedures can make you think you must prepare for considerable expenditure and endure the discomfort the dentist will cause in your mouth. However, it helps if you understand only some cosmetic dentistry procedures are expensive or painful. The type of dental veneer you choose and how many teeth you want veneered determines your discomfort and the time you must spend in the provider’s office when getting dental veneers near you.
The Dental Veneer Procedure
Before you consider getting dental veneers to cover dental flaws, you must discuss the different versions of shells you can have for your affected teeth. You will be surprised to know you can consider traditional veneers made from porcelain or choose to have alternatives like composite resin surfaces or laminates on your teeth.
The traditional veneer process is the most invasive while remaining the most expensive. However, these shells are incredibly durable and stay on your teeth for a decade or more with proper dental hygiene.
Suppose you desire traditional porcelain shells from dental veneers in Suffern, NY. In that case, you must prepare for an intensive procedure requiring tooth enamel removal past the dentin to accommodate the porcelain surface. Although the process is painful, you receive local anesthesia in the mouth for relief. In addition, porcelain veneers require multiple appointments with the dentist because they need customization from a dental lab. Therefore you must wait for three weeks before having the porcelain shells bonded to your teeth during a second appointment.
If you want a nonconservative and affordable option, consider composite resin veneers costing fewer dollars and requiring minimal time at the dentist’s office to bond them to your teeth. However, composite resin veneers are less durable than traditional veneers and require replacements in five to seven years. You can also have laminates on your teeth with the same features of composite resin veneers that don’t need any tooth preparation before getting them on your teeth. Composite resin veneers and laminates don’t require tooth preparation or multiple visits because the dentist creates composites in the dental office near you. Laminates are manufactured by DenMat laboratories after the dentist forwards images of your teeth and mouth.
As can be seen, the dental veneer procedure will differ according to the surfaces you choose to have on your teeth and are different for every version of these shells.
The lifespan of Dental Veneers
The lifespan of dental veneers differs according to your choice, with traditional porcelain veneers having the most extended lifespan of 10 to 15 years. However, suppose you care for your porcelain surfaces as your dentist recommends and refrain from detrimental mouth-related habits. In that case, you can extend the longevity of the surfaces to over 20 years, making them a semi-permanent solution to hide your dental flaws.
Unfortunately, composite resin and laminates do not have the longevity of porcelain veneers and tend to chip and crack more often than their traditional counterparts. However, they are excellent options if you don’t want a permanent option on your teeth but are only looking for a temporary solution to improve your teeth’ appearance. Composite veneers and laminates are entirely reversible, unlike porcelain veneers that aren’t. However, you can expect composite and laminates to remain connected for five to seven years before needing replacements.
After-Care for Dental Veneers
Whether you get porcelain, composite, or laminates on your teeth, the after-care for the surfaces remains the same. The dentist advises that you brush your teeth twice daily, floss at least once at any time of the day, refrain from habits like using your teeth for purposes other than biting and chewing and get six monthly exams and cleanings to protect your dental health and the veneered teeth. In addition, you must avoid staining foods and beverages if you have non-traditional veneers in your mouth because they can discolor and attract stains from foods and drinks and habits like smoking, unlike porcelain veneers.
If you intend to get dental veneers on your teeth to cover aesthetic defects, it helps if you understand the procedure, after-care, and lifespan of all veneer types. This article contains all the information you need to decide on the variety of veneers you want on your teeth.
Dental Wellness of Suffern provides different veneers to hide the dental flaws affecting your teeth and improve your smile. If you need these shells because you think your teeth are impacted, kindly arrange a meeting with them to have dental veneers placed on them to complement your smile.