If you have crooked or badly stained teeth that
detract from your smile, porcelain veneers could
make a huge improvement in your looks by reshaping
and whitening your teeth. Porcelain veneers are
one of the most dramatic ways to improve your
smile. Because applying porcelain veneers is
a special art, you may find that not every dentist
is comfortable with this procedure.
These photos show how a combination of porcelain
veneers and crowns can change your smile.
Here's an example of how porcelain veneers closed
up a large space in a patient's smile.
Before
Porcelain Veneers
After
Porcelain Veneers
What are veneers?
Veneers are thin porcelain shells, like false
fingernails, that are permanently adhered to
the outsides of your teeth. They are carefully
shaped, both to fit your real teeth perfectly,
and to give you a perfect smile. Porcelain veneers
can make your teeth longer and more even. They
will certainly make your smile whiter. Porcelain
veneers are relatively expensive, but they are
the highest quality material used in cosmetic
dentistry.
Two steps to new teeth.
It usually takes two appointments to complete
your porcelain veneers:
During your first appointment the dentist
removes a very thin layer of enamel, the hard
outer layer of the tooth. (Anesthetic is sometimes
not required for this step.) Then the dentist
takes an impression of your teeth. This impression
is sent to a lab (one specializing in making
veneers) which makes your "new teeth" fit
your existing teeth perfectly. The dentist
will guide the lab to create veneers that reshape
your smile.
After the lab finishes the veneers you come
in for your second appointment. The lab will
have made a separate thin porcelain shell for
each of your teeth that is being reshaped.
They are glued onto your teeth by bonding a
thin layer of plastic between each tooth and
the veneer. In no time at all you have a new
smile.
Contact Cleveland cosmetic dentist Steven
P. Marsh, D.D.S. to arrange a consultation
about porcelain veneers.
