At Genuine Smiles, we often get asked by our patients about porcelain veneers. We are asked what they are, and how exactly they are fitted. We gladly inform and guide each patient who asks us at our centre but for all those wondering at home, we’ve put together a brief explanation to read here.
Porcelain veneers explained
What are porcelain veneers?
Porcelain veneers are strong, highly-durable coverings or caps made of high-quality porcelain that are placed over a tooth to restore its bright, white finish. Made of a naturally strong, unharmful substance, porcelain veneers are often chosen as a restorative cosmetic dentistry option for broken, fractured, or skew teeth. Many people have porcelain veneers for cosmetic reasons as well to help correct discoloured teeth, which may have discoloured as a result of toxins from smoking, alcohol, medication, age, and/or trauma.
Porcelain veneers can drastically improve the colour, shape, length and size of a tooth or teeth by simply creating an entirely new look.
How are porcelain veneers put in?
Three visits are required for the installation of porcelain veneers by any professional dentist. Let’s take a look at the detail of these three visits now:
Visit No.1:
During this visit your trusted, family dentist will gather as much information as possible about you, your needs, wants, and fears. The aim of this visit is to understand exactly what kind of look and feel you want to achieve, after the veneers are put in. He or she will also take a full medical history and aim to understand what current medications you are taking too.
On the first visit, your dentist will take photos and a primary impression or mock-up will be created, which will give you an idea of what you will look like once the job is complete. This is the fun part of the first visit, as it allows you to see what your new cosmetic teeth could look like.
The impression entails applying a matched, composite resin material over your teeth, changing their shape and form for the better. The composite resin will also close gaps between your teeth. After this visit you will leave with the mock-up in your mouth for a few hours, allowing you time to try out your new cosmetic teeth.
Visit No.2:
After returning after a few hours with your ‘trial smile’, you would have had time to see and feel how the new changes appeal to you. If you are happy, it will be time to create the real thing.
This visit could take up to three hours, depending on how many teeth need to be prepared (or filed down) to create the appropriate room to fit the veneers. The custom-made porcelain veneers will then be hand-crafted to your personal mould while you wait, and fitted thereafter.
Visit No.3:
The third and final visit entails the inspection of the final veneers to check for accuracy of fit and aesthetics before being permanently bonded into your mouth. The number of teeth being bonded, will determine the length of this visit. No matter what though, you will leave the final visit with a brighter, whiter, happier smile than ever before.
No matter what your dental need may be, we suggest consulting a professional dentist who has many years’ worth of experience, like the team at Genuine Smiles, who can guide and assist you in deciding what the best cosmetic dentistry procedure for your individual needs would be.
Contact Genuine Smiles today – the most holistic, professional family dentist in Kogarah.
