Veneers

Feeling confident in your smile can improve your whole mental well-being, giving you the confidence that you need to smile whenever you feel like it. However, over the years, damage to your teeth can start to impact your smile, whether you’ve had an accident that has left you with a chipped tooth or missing tooth, your teeth have started to become stained, or your teeth are misshapen.

There are many wonderful dental treatments that are designed to restore teeth back to a beautiful natural appearance. For cosmetic worries, one of these treatments that’s often suggested is dental veneers – a way to give you back your beautiful smile and the confidence that comes along with it.

If you’re concerned about the look of your smile, then the Beautiful Smiles Dental Center can help. Our dental experts can provide advice, guidance, and options for giving you the smile that you’ve always dreamed of.

What Are Veneers?

Dental veneers are a cosmetic dentistry treatment that’s designed to improve the look of damaged or imperfect teeth. The treatment is often chosen by people who are unhappy with their smile, concerned about the shape of their teeth, or don’t like the appearance of small chips or cracks in their teeth.

A dental veneer is a very simple addition that can completely change the look of a person’s smile. The ‘veneer’ refers to a thin layer of material that’s attached to a tooth’s outer surface; this is used to provide a visual change to the shape, size, or color of a tooth.

Veneers can either be full-sized, where they completely cover the tooth, or partial, where they only cover a part of the tooth. The veneer is attached using bonding cement, after the teeth have been prepped, which normally involves scrapping away a small amount of the front of the tooth.

Once attached, veneers are normally a permanent addition to the tooth, and will often need to be replaced. The lifespan of veneers can change depending on the material chosen but is normally upwards of 10 years, with some veneers lasting for 20 years.

The amount of veneers that will be required will change from person to person. One of the most important considerations when having veneers is creating an end result where all the teeth visible when you smile are well-matched.

This means that some people can require as little as one to four upper-tooth veneers to achieve a consistent smile. Other people may require as many as eight to twelve veneers to achieve the look that they’re hoping for.

Why Are Veneers Used?

Veneers are solely a cosmetic treatment, which means that they aren’t used to correct any dental problems other than the appearance of a person’s teeth. A veneer is often suggested if a person is unhappy with:

• The shape of their teeth
• Damage to their teeth
• Chips or cracks in their teeth
• The color of their teeth
• Tooth alignment
• Gaps between teeth
• The size of their teeth

Where teeth have sustained cosmetic damage, either through staining, physical damage, or problems like grinding, or the teeth are naturally misshapen or an incorrect size, veneers can offer a solution. Veneers create a completely new tooth appearance, providing the look of straight, white, and perfectly-sized teeth without intrusive treatment.

Who Are Veneers Suitable For?

For a large number of people, veneers are a perfectly suitable cosmetic dentistry option to restore the look of their smile, but the treatment is not suitable for every patient. There are some situations where an alternative dental treatment may be required, such as when:

• The tooth doesn’t have enough enamel
• The person has gum disease
• The teeth are starting to show signs of decay

Veneers can often be very closely tailored to create the smile that you’re hoping for, but it’s important to have realistic expectations, as matching colors can be very difficult. Just like natural teeth, the veneers will also need to be cared for through good oral hygiene habits, so they stay strong and effective, your mouth stays healthy, and you persevere the look of the veneers.

The Types of Veneers

There’s no single type of veneers, your Beautiful Smiles dentist in Chicago will present you with multiple options for veneers and help to advise you on which type will be best for you to achieve the look that you’re hoping for. Some of the main types of veneers, include:

Porcelain Veneers – One of the most traditional options, and the best option to achieve a natural-looking smile, porcelain veneers are considered to be the highest quality of veneer and are specially made by lab technicians. A porcelain veneer is strong and quite durable, can be tailored to closely match a very natural color, and can be used for most cosmetic purposes. Due to the enamel removal that’s required to attach a porcelain veneer, it’ll need to be replaced after it has reached the end of its lifespan, which can take up to 20 years. Most porcelain veneers are around 0.5mm thick, but there are ultra-thin versions available.

Composite Veneers – The main alternative to a porcelain veneer is a composite veneer. These are often less expensive than porcelain and are normally created by the dentist. The removal of enamel is not normally needed with a composite veneer and they’re quicker to fit when compared to porcelain, but often the end result is not as natural-looking. Composite veneers are also not as durable as porcelain, as they’re prone to chipping.

Removable Veneers – This option isn’t the right choice for everyone, as the veneers will need cleaning every day, but for some people who are concerned about the permanence of a porcelain veneer and the semi-permanence of a composite veneer, it’s a suitable option. Removable veneers can be slotted onto existing teeth and removed each day.

CEREC Veneers – An example of modern dentistry advancements, CEREC veneers are same-day porcelain veneers that are crafted via specialist milling and printing machines. This combines the speed of composite veneers with the durability of porcelain veneers, to offer you the ability to get your new veneers fitted in a single day. These veneers are strong, and fairly long-lasting, with a lifespan of up to around 15 years.

Pre-Made Veneers – Unlike composite, porcelain, removable, and CEREC veneers, pre-made veneers are not tailored specifically to your mouth. This cost-effective veneer option is completely pre-made and is available in a range of styles to get as close of a match to your teeth as possible.

While each of the veneer types are designed to essentially do the same thing, there’s a lot of variance between the types, from their longevity to the options for a natural look. Your Beautiful Smiles dentist will make sure that you fully understand the pros and cons of each type, before they help you to decide which one is best for you.

The Benefits of Veneers

Veneers are a popular option of cosmetic treatment for many people after a long-term and successful way to alter the appearance of their smile. Here are some of the main reasons why veneers are chosen:

1. Long-Lasting

One of the greatest benefits of veneers over alternative cosmetic dental treatment is that they’re long-lasting. Quality veneers, properly fitted, can last for around 20 years in some cases, although you can normally expect any properly fitted veneer to last upwards of 10 years.

2. Natural Appearance

Veneers are a very good option for correcting imperfections with a very natural result. Once you have gotten used to the veneers, and overcome any sensitivity, you’ll have a smile that both looks and feels natural. You’ll still be able to enjoy your favorite foods, and you’ll be much happier with the look of your smile.

3. Stain-Resistant

The common materials used to construct veneers are normally naturally very stain-resistant. While the veneers still need to be properly taken care of, you won’t need to worry about them quickly getting stained and detracting from the look of your smile.

4. Quick Procedure

While the treatment for veneers takes much longer than just a quick visit to the dentist, it’s still much quicker than many alternative tooth-correction treatment options. The treatment is not very invasive, and other than preparing the teeth, which can take up to around 3 hours, much of the treatment revolves around getting the perfect color, size, and shape match.

The first step that you should take when considering veneers is to book a consultation with one of the professional dentists at the Beautiful Smiles Dental Center in Chicago, IL. During the consultation, you’ll be able to discuss exactly what you want to achieve by having veneers fitted, learn more about what look a veneer can achieve, and have a walk-through of the whole process.

If you decide that veneers are the right option for you, then your dentist will examine your teeth to see whether veneers are a suitable option, and likely also take an x-ray of your teeth. Impressions will be taken of your teeth, and you’re very likely to get your first glimpse of how your new teeth will look.

Depending on the type of veneers that you’ve chosen, the treatment will vary. For porcelain veneers you’ll need to have a small amount of enamel removed from your teeth and need to wait for the veneers to be professionally made. The enamel removal can take a few hours, depending on the number of veneers that you need, but isn’t very painful, and can be performed under an anesthetic.

For other types of veneers, the procedure may go straight to the fitting, where your veneers will be crafted and attached to your teeth. No matter what type of veneer you’re having, the color will be checked to make sure it looks good.

Commonly, the procedure for fitting veneers will then involve using a bonding cement to attach the veneer to the surface of your tooth. The tooth may need to be roughened slightly to allow for a good bond between the tooth and the veneer.

In the case of composite veneers, which the dentist will craft, a bonding agent will still be used, but the composite paste will be shaped on the tooth, before being hardened and polished.

Once the veneers have been attached, you’ll be free to enjoy your new smile! There may be a slight sensitivity for a few days, as you get used to the new feel, and there may be a slight soreness around your gums, but this normally fades quite quickly.

What Makes the Beautiful Smiles Dental Center the Best Place for Veneers in Chicago?

Veneers are an investment that are designed to last for many years, and in the case of porcelain veneers, for the rest of your life. This means that it couldn’t be more important to give you the smile that you’re hoping for.

At the Beautiful Smiles Dental Center, our professional dental experts can work with you to craft you a smile that will give you back your confidence in the look and feel of your teeth and create a lasting new look that will continue to benefit you for many years to come.

We’re dedicated to achieving outstanding results, highly-experienced in cosmetic dentistry, and always strive to deliver exactly what our patients are hoping for.

If you’re tired of putting up with stained, misshapen, or poorly aligned teeth, then contact our dental experts today and book a consultation to learn more about the options open to you.