veneers

Veneers are a beautiful and durable way to enhance the appearance of your smile. A porcelain veneer is a thin ceramic shell bonded to the front of natural teeth. The porcelain reflects light similar to the way your natural tooth enamel reflects light, giving veneers a very natural appearance. The veneer can be made to almost any shape and color to make minor adjustments in the shape or color of your teeth or completely transform your smile. Veneers are very thin and brittle until bonded to your teeth. Once the veneer is bonded to your tooth, it becomes incredibly strong. This can be compared to a ceramic tile. Ceramic tiles are brittle and easily cracked if stepped on; however, once you cement a tile to the floor, you can walk all over it with little fear of breakage.

There are three basic types of Veneers:

1. Empress Veneers- The most popular type is a .5-.8 mm thick veneer that requires preparation of the tooth to create space for the veneer. These veneers produce an incredibly beautiful “hollywood” smile. However, if this type of veneer is used without adequately preparing the teeth, they can look unnatural and bulky.
2. Lumineers- The other type of veneer is the ultra thin Lumineer. These are made by Cerinate laboratories in California. A Lumineer can be placed with very little or no preparation and still achieve an excellent result. The standard thickness of a Lumineer is .3-.5 mm and they can be made nearly as thin as a contact lens.
3. Direct resin/ chairside Veneers- The least expensive type of veneer is a directly placed composite resin facing sculpted by hand on your teeth. This high impact resin is permanently bonded to the front of your teeth in one visit. The expected longevity of a chairside veneer is less than a porcelain veneer, but the resin is easily repaired or repolished (porcelain veneers rarely need to be repolished as they are highly resistant to stain, unlike these direct resin veneers) When you visit Modern Dental Care for a cosmetic evaluation, we will discuss which type of veneer is best suited to your indivual smile. For best results, the process of having veneers placed requires multiple steps:

1. Cosmetic evaluation and discussion with dentist
2. Impressions of your teeth for a model wax up of your new smile
3. Approval of wax up. Discussion of desired changes in shape and color
4. Preparation of teeth and placement of temporary veneers if necessary
5. Bonding of veneers to your teeth

These steps can be accomplished in as few a 2 visits to our office. For some patients, more appointments may be necessary based on individual dental needs. Call Modern Dental Care @ 372-4039 to set up an appointment for cosmetic evaluation.

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