What Are Porcelain Veneers?
Porcelain veneers are thin shells used in cosmetic dentistry to transform your smile by changing the colour, shape, and look of your teeth. These shells are stuck onto your tooth through a process similar to composite bonding.
This dental treatment can correct many flaws such as discolouration, misalignment, crooked, chipped, and stained teeth.
Unlike dental implants, porcelain veneers are minimally invasive and only require the trimming of a thin layer of the tooth enamel.
Patients can choose the shade of colour on their new veneers to prevent discolouration or an unnatural look.
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Advantages of porcelain veneers
Porcelain veneers can give patients a natural-looking new smile. This cosmetic procedure can cover many visual flaws, such as
- Gaps in the teeth
- Chipped or broken teeth
Smaller-than-normal teeth - Uneven or unusually pointed teeth
- Severe discolouration that whitening can’t fix
Unlike many other dental treatment options, porcelain veneers are stain-resistant and won’t decay. This means you can enjoy your stain-producing foods and drinks such as red wine, sodas, coffee, and tea.
Furthermore, since porcelain veneers are custom-made for you based on impressions of your teeth that your dentist makes, they’ll match your natural teeth. The cosmetic dentist will ensure the shells are contoured and properly fitted to match your smile.
Porcelain veneers are among one of the most popular options for a smile makeover because the shells have a translucent quality, making them look like real teeth.
Compared to other cosmetic dental procedures like implants and crowns, one advantage of porcelain veneers is that veneers are minimally invasive.
To make room for these veneers, the dentist will only need to trim about 0.5mm of the front surface of your teeth. Enamel removal is required for porcelain veneers because otherwise, they look large and feel awkward.
Additionally, porcelain veneers can serve as an extra layer of protection to safeguard your vulnerable teeth that have cracks or chips. That’s because the porcelain veneers are made of durable composite resin material. Overall, these veneers are quite easy to maintain. You only need to keep up with your normal maintenance care routine such as regular brushing, flossing, and dental check-ups.
Porcelain veneers can help restore your smile and give you the perfect smile you’re looking for. There are many benefits to choosing veneers, and Bespoke Smile is here to help achieve your aesthetic goals.
Porcelain veneers procedure
Before you get your porcelain veneers, you’ll have an initial appointment with your cosmetic dentist to discuss how many veneers you’ll need and the treatment option that is right for you.
During the preliminary appointment, your dentist will take X-rays to evaluate your oral health. They’ll look for any indications of gum disease or tooth decay. If there are, a root canal or filling will need to be placed to resolve the issue first.
Any sign of these conditions will mean you may not be the right candidate for porcelain veneers.
Once the dentist approves you for veneers, he or she will begin the preparation process by removing a layer of tooth enamel from the front surface of the tooth to make way for the veneers.
Next, your dentist will make an impression and create a mould of your tooth structure. The impression or mould will be sent to a dental lab, where a ceramist will create the custom veneers from composition resin.
You would work with your dentist to decide on the shade of the veneer that best matches your smile. Composite veneers use composite material, which can look slightly unnatural due to the opaque look.
Conversely, porcelain veneers are made of composite resin, which is more translucent, making it look natural. It may take several weeks for the dental practice to receive the new veneers.
In the meantime, you’ll wear temporary veneers. Once the permanent veneers come in, the dentist will evaluate the colour, shape, and fit to ensure it’s perfect for you.
Next, the dentist will use a grinding tool to generate a rougher texture on each tooth to which the veneer is being applied. This ensures that the veneer can stick to the tooth with ease.
The dentist will utilize a special cement to bond the veneer to the front surface of the tooth. They’ll shine an ultraviolet light to harden this dental cement quickly.
Lastly, the dentist will remove the excess cement, polish the veneers and check the bite.
How long do porcelain veneers last?
Porcelain veneers typically last about 10 to 15 years, and some can even last over 20 years. How long the veneers last will depend on the maintenance and level of care that you provide for your veneers.
To ensure that the porcelain veneers last a long time, follow these aftercare tips:
- Regularly see your dentist for a check-up. Your dentist evaluates your oral health and looks out for any problems.
- Brush twice per day and floss daily.
Get regular professional teeth cleanings every six months. - Avoid extremely chewy or hard food.
- Avoid grinding on teeth and chewing on objects.
- Use mouthwash daily to kill bacteria around the veneers.
- Never use your teeth to open packages.
Porcelain veneers before and after
Always check the portfolio of the dentists you’re considering to see their work matches your expectations. You can gauge whether the cosmetic dentist is skilled by their before and after patient photos.
At Bespoke Smile, we offer a Smile Gallery that shows how porcelain veneers can transform all kinds of beauty flaws.
Whether it’s chipped, crooked, ageing, discoloured, gapped, missing, worn down, small or uneven teeth, our porcelain veneers can give you the beautiful smile you’ve been looking for.
Porcelain veneers cost
Typically porcelain veneers cost between £500 – £1000 per tooth. Bespoke Smile charges about £1,200 for a full set of teeth.
However, customers can pay monthly instalments of £50 per month over 24 months with the Bespoke Smile Finance Plan. Bespoke Smile also offers other financing options such as an interest-free loan.
Are you considering porcelain veneers?
Dental veneers may be a great option for you if you’re looking to enhance your smile. There are plenty of different cosmetic dental treatments to choose from, such as cosmetic braces, dental implants, and crowns.
It’s common for people to want to get teeth whitening, straighter teeth, or a treatment plan like veneers to cover up their visual flaws.
Often, the first thing you’ll notice about someone is their smile. If you don’t feel confident about your smile, it can make you feel nervous around others, which further impacts your confidence.
Porcelain veneers are a cosmetic solution that can cover up many flaws like worn, cracked, chipped, small, uneven, and stained teeth.
The high translucency in the resin material ensures a natural look. It is also minimally invasive and lasts a long time. This makes porcelain veneers one of the best cosmetic treatment options in the market.
At BeSpoke Smile, our goal is to leave patients feeling happy and confident about their smiles. We aim to quell any worries and anxieties about the treatment.
Our procedures are painless and seamless, so you’ll get your new smile in no time.
Book a free consultation to speak with a knowledgeable cosmetic dentist who can help you transform your smile.
BDS (Lon) MFDS RCS (Edin) PgDip ClinEd (UK)
Areas of expertise: Smile makeovers using ultra-thin porcelain veneers, smile design to restore worn teeth and advanced full mouth restorative dentistry.
“A perfect, natural, or bespoke smile is possible to achieve for anyone. There is no substitute for the feeling of confidence an individual and beautiful smile can give. We have developed techniques, which we teach to dentists across the UK and abroad, to help them better their care in their clinics. I believe in comprehensively treating every patient, to bring them up to absolute health, and then put in place maintenance to avoid patients from recurrent replacements, and further treatment. It is a passion for me to deliver an unrivalled experience and end result, which stands the test of time”
