Porcelain Dental Veneers

If you are unhappy with the appearance of your teeth, porcelain veneers can solve many problems with one solution. Perfectly fitted to each tooth, they are a very thin, but very strong shell of porcelain that is bonded to the front of your teeth, covering imperfections and protecting your teeth. Porcelain veneers look and feel like your natural teeth.

Porcelain is translucent and reflects light in the same way as natural tooth enamel. The color is perfectly matched to your natural tooth color. Its glass-like quality makes it resistant to staining, and when bonded to your natural teeth it is very strong. Unlike with older “tooth-colored” materials, porcelain veneers do not become stained or dull over time, the result is a smile that looks natural, alive, and beautiful. In addition to enhancing the beauty of your smile today, porcelain veneers can serve as a protective covering for teeth with poor enamel, preventing future damage.

Porcelain veneers can correct the appearance of many dental flaws including:

· Chips
· Cracks
· Gaps
· Discoloration
· Tooth erosion
· Short teeth
· Broken teeth
· Crooked teeth
· Misshapen teeth

The great thing about veneers is that they can solve multiple problems at once, removing the need for multiple procedures and solutions. For instance, if you have teeth that are cracked, crooked, and discolored, porcelain veneers can replace bonding, whitening, and straightening, all at once. Or, if one problem affects several teeth, such as chipped teeth, porcelain veneers can be used in place of repairing each tooth individually.

Crooked teeth can be straightened, even in adults, with traditional or invisible braces. Both require time and commitment on your part, and can be painful. Porcelain veneers can be used in place of braces to correct the appearance of crooked teeth in one office visit, without the pain. In the process, any other imperfections which would normally be addressed after straightening are also covered, such as discoloration or misshapen teeth.

Porcelain veneers can be used alone or in combination with other procedures. You may choose veneers as a part of a complete smile makeover.

Creating beautiful, porcelain veneers which are strong, and look, feel, and function like your natural teeth means creating a perfect color match and a perfect fit. The best cosmetic dentists use the most up to date methods and technology to create more than just beautiful smiles, but real dental solutions which improve dental function and health while at the same time creating the most aesthetically pleasing results. The Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI) is the world's premier post-graduate dental teaching center. Leading cosmetic dentists from all over the world attend LVI to learn the most advanced techniques in cosmetic dentistry.

Porcelain Veneers - What the Buzz is All About

For example, if your teeth are crooked, but not crooked enough to justify wearing braces for any length of time, remedy the situation with porcelain veneers. If you have a bit of a gap that mars your smile, but doesn’t drastically destroy it, porcelain veneers may be used to fill that gap quite easily. Porcelain Veneers are a much quicker and more convenient solution to many minor teeth defects, so it’s no wonder why they have been nicknamed “instant orthodontics”!

Why Porcelain? Porcelain looks like tooth enamel because of the way it deals with light. When light shines on a natural tooth, it travels through the translucent enamel and reflects off of the next tooth layer, the dentin, which is darker yellow in color. This absorption and reflection of light is what gives our teeth that pearly sheen. So it’s no wonder why porcelain has become so popular for use in veneers and a very common material used in cosmetic dentistry.

Dental porcelain, like glass, resists staining. So if you can’t get your day started without two cups of strong coffee, or if you’re attached to that glass of red wine at dinner each night, rest easy about the porcelain in your smile. Those staining substances will scarcely affect it as the years go by. The porcelain used for veneers will typically last as long as the tooth to which it’s bonded. Retaining its shiny white look is no problem for the porcelain in your new, more attractive smile.

What is a Porcelain Veneer? A Porcelain Veneer is one of the miracles behind modern cosmetic dentistry. It’s a thin, delicate shell of white porcelain that can be easily matched to the shade of your teeth and permanently bonded to the front surface of any tooth. Porcelain Veneers are almost as thin as a contact lens and look very real, which means they achieve instant results without the discomfort and hassle often associated with other procedures, like braces and crowns.

Porcelain Veneers will go unnoticed in your new smile. Light shines on the porcelain, travels through the translucent top layer and reflects off of the layer below, which is the dental bonding that keeps the veneer attached to the tooth. The light can’t travel through the bonding, like the dentin of a natural tooth, so it bounces back, recreating the same pearly sheen seen on natural tooth enamel. Your smile will look as natural as ever before!

The shape of a Porcelain Veneer will vary in order to fix different tooth defects. If the problem is uneven teeth, the veneer will be designed to fix the slightly shorter tooth so that it will once again line up evenly with its neighboring teeth. If the defect is a slightly crooked tooth, the veneer will be shaped slightly thicker at one side, to provide a straight front surface for that tooth. Minor tooth defects are easily repaired with the right Porcelain Veneer.

An Easy, In-Office Procedure The procedure for Porcelain Veneers requires only two visits. In the first visit, your teeth are prepared, and an impression is taken of your mouth. The impression is sent to the dental lab where the Porcelain Veneers are made specifically for you and your needs. Temporary veneers are available while you wait the one to two weeks until your second visit.

During your second visit to your cosmetic dentist, your new Porcelain Veneers are temporarily affixed to the teeth, fine-tuned, and then permanently bonded. Keep in mind that a strong and permanent bond for the Porcelain Veneer is key so when bonded, it becomes part of that tooth and undistinguishable from neighboring natural teeth. To create this proper bond, the tooth must be slightly scuffed or roughened on its front surface.

Porcelain Veneers are a simple in-office cosmetic procedure. You’ll leave the office that same day with a bright, new, natural-looking smile!