Get the Facts About Dental Veneers and How They Are Used

What are dental veneers?

Dental veneers are some of the most versatile tools we have when it comes to correcting defects in your teeth. Dental veneers, also known as ceramic or porcelain veneers, are extremely thin pieces of porcelain that we use to replace the damaged enamel on your teeth. The reason dental veneers are so effective is their thinness. Being paper thin, these veneers take on many of the same qualities as naturally occurring enamel. They are extremely hard, which gives you a long-term solution when your enamel has become damaged. They are also extremely brittle, just like enamel, and so you will need to protect your teeth the same way you would protect natural teeth. Being extremely malleable, veneers can be molded to fix a variety of problems with the teeth.

Do dental veneers work for everyone?
Dental veneers are an extremely versatile solution, and in most cases can be used by anyone. For us to make sure that you are an excellent candidate for dental veneers, we will schedule an initial consultation and also a first examination. During your examination, we will make sure that your mouth is in excellent condition and primed to replace your enamel with the veneers. If we find any issues that might become a problem later on in the process, we will work on solutions so that your dental veneers placement is seamless. On rare occasions, during this initial examination, we will find that there are people who cannot get dental veneers and for them we will explore other potential solutions to damaged teeth.

How are dental veneers attached?
As soon as we know that you are an excellent candidate to receive dental veneers, we can proceed to the next step. This step involves selecting the color and shade that you want for your veneers. We will have your veneers custom made to fit your needs, including the shade that you choose from.  That information will along with an impression of your teeth will be sent to a dental lab for the final veneers to be created.  In the meantime, we will prepare your tooth by removing a portion of your enamel to make sure that the veneers fit flat against the rest of your tooth. Typically this is only a few millimeters but it allows the veneer to fit flush with the tooth.  We will then place a temporary veneer on top of it.

Once we have the permanent veneers, we will fit them to your tooth. After making sure that the color is right, we will make any slight adjustments so that the veneer fits the tooth perfectly. We will also check to make sure that your bite is not affected, and once all the elements are perfectly in sync we will cement the dental veneers to your teeth.

What problems do dental veneers fix?
Dental veneers can fix a whole range of challenges. They are an extremely durable and versatile solution. We use them extensively to fix minor breaks, cracks, and chips in teeth. It is often preferable to use veneers over other procedures like dental crowns because veneers only require a small portion of your enamel to be removed. Veneers are also used for cosmetic fixes like making your teeth whiter, straightening them, and correcting minor bite and placement issues.

Teeth Whitening Service  >  Dental Implants

Your Gorgeous Dental Veneers Can Last for Years to Come

Dental veneers have made their mark on the world of cosmetic dentistry by providing patients with a great way to replace tooth enamel that has become damaged, discolored, or otherwise unattractive. For many people, this is a long-term solution since the veneer will be cemented in place and hence is not something that can be removed very easily. As a result, many of our patients want to know how long dental veneers typically last without needing to be repaired or replaced. The answer to this question is usually at least 10 years, but there are a sufficient number of factors that come in to play, which can influence that number in either direction. There have been numerous studies on this exact issue as many cosmetic and other dentists want a clear answer on how long their patients can expect dental veneers to last. One study conducted on the longevity of dental veneers found the following. In 96 percent of the participants, we found the veneers lasted a minimum of five to six years. This group was overlapped with a second group of 93 percent, whose dental veneers lasted between 10 and 11 years. A third significant group found that their dental veneers lasted between 12 and 13 years, accounting for 91 percent of the studied population. After 13 years, we found a small drop off in longevity, with only 71 percent of the participants reporting that their dental veneers lasted between 15 and 16 years. Even with these kinds of odds, it is relatively safe to say that your dental veneers will last at least 10 years as long as you take good care of them.

When considering dental veneers, in terms of longevity, it is important to look at the whole picture. This means that you have to be willing to understand that there is a great deal of human interference that can cause the veneers to fail earlier than they should. The two leading causes of failure, as recorded in studies, have a direct correlation with how people treat their teeth. Teeth are not tools and should not be used as such, since treating them in this calloused manner can damage the enamel and cause the dental veneer to fracture or crack. We have found that in more than 45 percent of cases where the dental veneer failed, there was a fracture involved. This means that the person was doing something with their teeth that they should not have been or were placing undue pressure on the tooth. Additionally, there is 28 percent of dental veneers that failed because they had a crack, again a manifestation of some kind of physical trauma placed on the veneers. It is up to you, as the user, to ensure that you are not putting undue pressure on either your teeth or your dental veneers.

The other area where you can impact how long your dental veneers last is by making sure that you have great oral hygiene. In up to 20 percent of cases, we find that bad oral hygiene leads to veneer loss.

Teeth Whitening Service  >  Cosmetic Dentist

Dental Veneers Are A Popular Tool For The Cosmetic Dentist

As a cosmetic dentist, we have many tools, tricks, and treatment options that we can choose from when it comes to giving you better-looking teeth. Of the many options we offer, there is one that has made a tremendous impact with its versatility, affordability, and ease, which your cosmetic dentist can use to implement a treatment strategy. These are dental veneers. Dental veneers have become one of the most frequently used and powerful tools that a cosmetic dentist has in their repertoire. Despite being in a market where there is an amazing array of highly successful tools, dental veneers have become a primary choice for patients and cosmetic dentists everywhere. From our perspective, dental veneers have an inherent advantage because they enhance, not replace, your regular teeth, so there is less time wasted and less need for a procedure. Any time that you are looking to enhance or replace your teeth so you have a better smile, you will need to remove some level of enamel. The question is, how much of the natural enamel will be removed?

When you think of a device like a dental implant, the answer is that we will need to remove the entire tooth along with its root to make room for the new implant. Other devices do not remove quite so much, but they do get very close. Dental crowns, for example, are used to repair teeth that have extensive damage because of trauma or decay. To properly fit a dental crown, the original teeth will be shaved down to nothing more than mere nubs, enough to hold the new crown but not enough to affect their aesthetic value or functionality. Comparatively, dental veneers only remove a fraction of the natural enamel, fitting over the top of the tooth. This means that most of your natural enamel will stay intact. Saving the majority of your original tooth is a huge advantage to using dental veneers, one well recognized by the cosmetic dentist, but by no means is it the only one.

For the cosmetic dentist, one of our goals is to ensure that you have the shortest possible recovery and treatment times possible. With dental veneers, this is reduced significantly. In the majority of cases, your dental veneers will be fitted by your cosmetic dentist on the second visit to the office. Recovery time is typically a few hours, so you will be using your teeth as soon as the next day with virtually no restrictions. Compare this to the recovery time for dental implants, which can require several weeks of recovery time and places limitations on what you can eat and drink. Or, you can compare the treatment time of dental veneers to that of braces and Invisalign®, which are used to straighten teeth. As a function, dental veneers are used by the cosmetic dentist to visually correct mildly crooked teeth. Braces, however, will take a year of regular visits and wearing metal across your teeth to achieve similar looking results.

Dental Veneers are a Versatile Solution

Dental Veneers are small pieces of porcelain that are used to restore the natural looking beauty of your teeth. They are placed after removing a tiny portion of the tooth enamel, usually not more than a few millimeters and cemented into place so that they are stable. The fact that we do not have to remove a great deal of enamel makes the veneers a much better solution for some kinds of dental problems. Typically dental veneers are used to fix minor problems with your teeth. This can include chips, cracks, and small breaks. They can also be used to correct minor bite related problems and for teeth that have not responded to teeth whitening so that you can have straighter and whiter teeth. With new technology, it is possible to make veneers that are extremely natural looking, doing away with the blocks of fake looking white teeth and replacing them with veneer covered teeth that look extremely realistic. The results are natural looking, dramatic, and beautiful.  Once placed, the best thing about veneers is that they are easy to maintain. You simply need to brush your teeth, as long as you avoid toothpaste isn't excessively abrasive.

Dental veneers are a superior method of correcting minor problems. Some of the reasons for this assessment are well known while other are mostly known by dentists.

Here is why we like dental veneers as a treatment option -
Dental veneers are versatile meaning that they can fix a large number of problems. For example, a number of people use dental veneers to correct the coloring of their teeth. Few of these patients realize that dental veneers can also be used to broaden the smile, and remove wrinkles induced by worn out teeth. When teeth get worn, they lead to sagging in the mouth which creates tiny folds around the nose and in the corners of the mouth. These wrinkles can be easily removed with the help of dental veneers. What we can do is broaden your smile, using bonded porcelain while also lengthening your teeth. This can cause the mouth to be properly stretched over the teeth, and the aging wrinkles to disappear.

Dental veneers are natural in look and feel. Dental veneers have many of the same qualities that the enamel does. It is incredibly hard and incredibly brittle. For a person with veneers what this means is that you will not need to change the foods you eat. You will, however, need to take a few additional precautions when eating food like apples, which are hard to bite into. Taking the time to dice the apples will not only ensure that your veneers do not become broken or fall off, but will also make sure that your teeth do not sustain damage. One common warning we give all our patients is never to use your teeth as a tool. The teeth, with or without dental veneers, are not designed for bottle opening, chip bag tearing, or nail biting. Such activity can and will result in broken teeth and broken veneers. With proper care veneers have been known to last up to 30 years, though the average is around 12.

Cosmetic Dentist  >  Teeth Whitening Service

Learn More About Dental Veneers

Dental veneers are a thin layer of material which are placed over the outer surface of a tooth to either improve the esthetic quality of the tooth itself or to help protect the tooth's surface from damage. The veneers, which are adhered to the surface of the tooth using high-quality dental cement, are shaped and sculpted to form a perfect replica of the tooth, which creates the illusion of a faultless tooth. With the advancement in technology and the improvement of the quality of veneers, veneers will last decades and are strong enough to withstand the normal rigors placed on a regular tooth. While there are cases of them having to be replaced earlier, typically with proper care, dental veneers are a long term solution to many tooth problems.

Dental veneers come in two forms. The first is a composite dental veneer and the second is made of dental porcelain. The differences between the two are not profound, and it is often a matter of preference as to which method we select for your mouth. Dental porcelain veneers are always sent out to the laboratory for fabrication by a skilled dental technician. Like with all things, many of our patients have questions about dental veneers and here are some of the more commonly asked questions...

Do you know how long dental veneers will last? 

This is very much a relative question. Typically dental veneers will last anywhere from seven to thirty years. This is such a broad spectrum because it depends on a number of factors. First dental veneers are like anything else, the better you take care of them the longer they will last. Second dental veneers themselves are inanimate, but they are part of your mouth which is anything but. As your mouth changes you may need different veneers but they will typically last at least a decade.

How does having dental veneers affect my oral health routines?

Dental veneers are no different from having regular, naturally occurring, enamel teeth. They require the same kind of care, and since your other teeth are normal teeth anyway we encourage you to follow a regular routine of brushing twice a day, flossing, and rinsing. We do recommend a change in consumption habits if you have teeth that stain easily, however. This is because products like coke, tea, and coffee tend to stain teeth relatively easily and could alter the color of your natural teeth and remember that porcelain veneers do not stain. This means that if your other teeth stain, you will have a mismatched set.

Do dental veneers cause cavities? 
There is no evidence to show that dental veneers affect decay in any way. Veneers should be taken care of like regular teeth, to reduce the risk of one of your other teeth decaying.
If you have questions about dental veneers and how they can improve the appearance of your teeth, call and schedule a dental exam.  We can use this solution to close gaps in between your teeth, change their shape and size, and even make them appear straighter.

Cosmetic Dentist  >  General Dentistry

The Role of Dental Veneers in Tooth Restorations

As a cosmetic dentist, we use dental veneers on a regular basis.  Veneers are an excellent solution for correcting teeth that have been damaged and need to be restored.  They are made out of a tooth-colored porcelain or ceramic and can look so authentic that we can even have them created in a gradient shade of white that mirrors the typical effects of an aged tooth.  Modern dental technology has advanced so quickly that it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between a veneer and natural tooth, unless of course you want to replace all of your teeth because you don’t like them.

When it comes to restorations, timing is important.  If you have damaged your tooth, the faster that you visit our office, the more options we will have for restoring it.  If a tooth is allowed to remain damaged for an extended period of time, the risk of it becoming infected or further damaged only increases.  As such, we recommend that you contact our office immediately if you break, chip, crack or lose a tooth.

Dental veneers are commonly used in the restoration process because of how versatile they are.  With a veneer, we can close gaps that have formed in between teeth, cover dark stains and even change the width or length of existing teeth.  This is ideal for someone whose adult teeth look more like a child’s.  It is also ideal for those that are desperate to improve the appearance of their smile but don’t have time for braces in order to straighten them.  Simultaneously, in restorations this is a common solution because it can take a damaged tooth and make it usable again.

If you have cracked or chipped your tooth, a veneer works by providing the tooth with a smooth surface and durability.  A veneer is a thin shell that is placed on top of your existing tooth.  While very thin, it becomes incredibly durable once bonded to the tooth.  In this way, it is very similar to naturally occurring enamel.  Since it can correct teeth that have been cracked or chipped, we find that this solution works well and keeps people out of the emergency room.

In order to prepare your tooth or teeth for dental veneers, we will take an impression of your teeth and match their appearance to a shade card.  Next, we will prepare your teeth for the procedure.  In order to do so a portion of the enamel needs to be removed.  The exact amount varies from person to person, and we can ensure your comfort while performing the procedure by administering sedation.  Since removing the enamel leaves your teeth exposed to the elements, we will place a temporary veneer onto the surface of the tooth so that you can continue eating while waiting for your new veneer to arrive. Once the new veneer is finished, we will remove the temporary ones and ensure that they are a perfect fit before bonding it in place.

Get Dental Veneers and Improve Your Smile Before the Holidays Arrive

You can use dental veneers to improve your smile before the holidays.  If you have been dreaming of having a beautiful smile and were considering a cosmetic dentistry procedure, schedule an appointment with our dental office. We can examine your teeth, discuss your smile goals, and provide you with solutions for transforming your smile before the holiday pictures are taken.

The first thing that we will do is clean your teeth.  When teeth are clean and healthy, they look better in general. This will also allow us to determine if you have any oral health issues that need to be dealt with prior to performing a cosmetic dentistry procedure.  If you do, we can provide treatment right away so that you can move on to transforming your smile. 

Dental veneers are an excellent way to do so because of how versatile they are.  Veneers can be used to close gaps in your teeth, cover dark stains, restore teeth that have been chipped or damaged, and even straighten a tooth that is mildly crooked.  The options are so vast that even Hollywood stars use them to improve their smiles.  During your consultation, let us know what you don’t like about your teeth so that we can determine what the best course of treatment is. 

When you schedule an appointment to get veneers, it will take a couple of weeks to complete the process, so it is important to get started quickly.  On your first appointment, we will take an impression of your teeth that can be sent to a dental lab.  The lab technicians will use the impression to create dental veneers that are the perfect size and shape for your existing teeth.  

Simultaneously, we will prepare your teeth by removing a small portion of the enamel that is on the surface.  This way the veneers will lay flat onto the surface of your teeth without making them look large or out of place.  In order to protect the prepared teeth, you will need to wear temporary veneers that are attached using removable water-based glue.  Since they are designed to come off, you need to be careful not to eat any foods that could pop them off or brush too aggressively. 

When the dental lab has finished, you will come back for a follow-up appointment so that we can bond the permanent veneers to your teeth.  This can be done in a couple of hours and afterwards your teeth will look amazing. Keep in mind that your teeth may be sensitive for a couple of days after the procedure so it is important to time everything correctly.  After a few days, you will feel as good as new, and your smile will look amazing.  You can eat all of your favorite foods while wearing veneers so enjoying a holiday treat won’t be a problem.  As an added benefit, they don’t stain like normal teeth do so enjoying an occasional glass of wine won’t impact the color of your new and beautiful smile.  To get started, call and schedule an appointment today. 

Dental Veneers Expert, Dr. Rado, Attended the International Symposium on Ceramics

Dr. Rado is passionate about cosmetic dentistry, and dental veneers are one solution she uses to transform her patient’s smiles.  Cosmetic dentistry can do far more than restore a damaged tooth.  It can give people their confidence back and change the way that they approach life.  Studies conducted by Oral-B found that those with a beautiful smile were considered to be 20% more attractive than those without.  A smile transformation can literally change your appearance and how people view you and Dr. Rado enjoys being part of that transformative process.

Her passion drives her to continue to learn new ways to improve her craft and deliver stunning results for patients.  In June, she attended the International Symposium on Ceramics to learn about new best practices and how she can implement them in our dental practice. Some of the lectures included information on how to improve shading so that the ceramics look as natural as possible while others addressed the complexities of full mouth restorations.

Some technological improvements, like CAD/CAM adhesive technologies make it possible for more of the natural tooth to be preserved.  When a patient gets dental veneers, the dentist typically has to prepare the tooth by removing enamel from it.  This is done so that the veneer, a thin shell, can lay flat and in line with the gums.  If enamel isn’t removed, the glue and veneer may be so bulky that the tooth sticks out above the rest.  This new type of adhesive is applied so thinly that less of the natural tooth enamel needs to be removed, which is better for the tooth and the patient overall.

Many of the lectures involved demonstrating new ways to apply ceramic and porcelain veneers with minimally invasive techniques that preserve the natural tooth structure and are more comfortable overall.  As a painless dentist, Dr. Rado is always interested in finding new ways to improve her patient’s dental experience and was able to learn new tips and suggestions for doing so.  The benefit of attending this type of event is that dentists can learn from each other. Very often, one person is pioneering a certain technique that when combined with what the dentist is already doing, can deliver superior results.  Dr. Rado uses these opportunities to both share with and learn from the dental community at large.

New technology is also being utilized in the dental laboratory which makes creating perfect looking dental veneers easier than ever.  Some of this new technology was being demonstrated, and it highlights how easy it is to view what a patients smile will look like when the veneers or another cosmetic application is applied.  This allows the dentist and lab techs to work together to make changes to the design before they are completed.  As this technology improves, it may reduce the procedure time by nearly eliminating the need to make adjustments to the veneers before they are applied.  Dr. Rado is following this and will continue to implement the technology that she feels will be most beneficial for our patients.