Preparing Your Teeth for the Placement of Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain dental veneers are the cornerstone of the most dramatic and transformative smile makeovers for good reason - no cosmetic dentistry treatment is more capable of instantly turning an ordinary smile into something extraordinary. Porcelain is the most natural looking of all materials used in dental restorations; like tooth enamel, porcelain is translucent, meaning that it allows some light to pass through its surface rather than simply reflecting it. When this porcelain is custom crafted to fit over a cosmetically flawed tooth, it is virtually indistinguishable from the natural teeth in the mouth.
As with any other dental treatment, however, porcelain veneers do require some preparation before they can be placed. At Dental Associates of New England in Boston, the porcelain veneers preparation process is explained in detail during patients’ initial consultations so that they can make informed, confident decisions regarding their dental care. We believe that education is essential to patients’ ultimate satisfaction in their results.
Are porcelain veneers right for you? We invite you to schedule a consultation with one of our acclaimed, experienced dentists to find out for yourself.
What are porcelain veneers?
Veneers are thin sheets of porcelain that are shaped to look like the front surfaces of teeth. When bonded to the front surfaces of teeth, they conceal such aesthetic flaws as cracks, chips, discoloration, and imperfections in shape and size. Our dentists ensure that our patients’ porcelain veneers look completely natural, complementing surrounding teeth in their size, shape, texture, and color.
With proper at-home hygiene and regular visits to the dentist, porcelain veneers can last for a decade or longer. Porcelain veneers can be placed on one or two teeth or serve as the foundation of a comprehensive smile makeover.
The Preparation Process
Before porcelain veneers can be bonded to the teeth, some of the natural enamel must first be removed. This is necessary to accommodate the thickness of the veneers; otherwise, the veneers would jut out unnaturally from the teeth. Because veneers are extremely thin, our dentists need to remove only about half a millimeter of enamel from each tooth to be treated - that’s the approximate thickness of a contact lens. An impression will then be taken of the teeth. This impression will be sent to a dental laboratory, where it will be used to create the veneers.
When you return to our office for the placement of your veneers, our dentists will thoroughly clean your teeth and then roughen the remaining enamel slightly to create a suitable bonding surface for the veneers. After making sure that the veneers fit properly, they will be bonded into place, and you will leave our office with a beautiful new smile.
It should be noted that, due to the preparation of the teeth for the placement of the veneers, your teeth will always require veneers; if your veneers become dislodged, they will have to be replaced. Without veneers, your teeth will not be functional.
Learn More about the Porcelain Veneers Preparation Process
To learn more about the porcelain veneers preparation process, please contact Dental Associates of New England today.
