subject: Repair Your Chipped, Broken Or Stained Tooth With Veneers [print this page] Years of drinking tea, soda and coffee while eating various foods, can lead to stained teeth that leave you hiding your smile. Evening crunching ice, eating a hard piece of candy or simply falling while walking or participating in a sport can lead to damage to your teeth-such as a chipped or broken tooth. So when you experience significant staining, chipped or broken teeth what do you do? With advancements in dentistry you no longer have to put up with severely discolored teeth, or teeth that are chipped or broken. Dental veneers, which are wafer-thin, custom-made shells of tooth-colored materials, can cover the front of your teeth to change their color, shape, size or length. By visiting your dentist in Boynton Beach you can take the next step to a more improved smile this summer!
A Closer Look at Dental Veneers
Dental veneers can be made from porcelain or from resin composite materials. Today, porcelain veneers have been proven to be the best choice for dental veneers, as they resist stains and better mimic the light reflecting properties of natural teeth. While resin veneers are thinner and require removal of less of the tooth surface before placement, discussion with your Boynton Beach dentist is required in order to find the best choice of veneer material for you.
Veneers are typically used to fix:
*Teeth that are discolored
*Teeth that are worn down
*Teeth that are chipped or broken
*Teeth that are misaligned, uneven, or irregularly shaped
*Teeth with gaps between them
Your First Visit: Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
Getting a dental veneer typically requires three trips to the dentist. At your first visit, you will undergo diagnosis and treatment planning, which involves your active participation. At this appointment, be sure to explain to your dentist the result that you are trying to achieve. Your dentist will thoroughly examine your teeth to make sure that dental veneers are appropriate for you and will discuss what the procedure will involve and some of its limitations. Additionally, your dentist may also take x-rays, and even impressions of your mouth and teeth.
Visit Two: Preparation
To prepare your tooth for your veneer, your dentist will remove approximately millimeter of enamel from the tooth's surface in order to account for the added thickness of the veneer on the tooth surface. Before your dentist trims off the enamel, the need for a local anesthetic to numb the area will be discussed. Next, your Boynton Beach dentist will make a model or impression of your tooth, which will be sent to a dental laboratory for fabrication of the veneer. It will typically take one to two weeks for your dentist to receive the veneers back from the dental laboratory. If you suffer from very unsightly teeth, temporary dental veneers can be placed for an additional cost.
Your Last Visit: Placement and Bonding
At your last visit, your dentist will first temporarily place the veneer on your tooth to examine its fit and color. The veneer will be repeatedly moved and trimmed as needed to achieve a proper fit. The color of your veneer will be able to be adjusted with the shade of cement used to permanently place the veneer to your tooth. To prepare your tooth to receive the veneer, your tooth will be cleaned, polished, and etched-which roughens the tooth to allow for a strong bonding process.
Special cement will be used to apply the veneer to your tooth. Once the veneer is properly positioned on your tooth, your dentist will apply a special light beam to the veneer, which activates chemicals in the cement, causing it to harden or cure very quickly. The final steps in your veneer process involve removing any excess cement, evaluating your bite and making any final adjustments as needed. Once the procedure is complete, your dentist may ask you to return for a follow-up visit in a couple of weeks to check how your gums are responding to the presence of your veneer.
If you are embarrassed by the appearance of your smile, and wish to improve it with veneers talk to your Boynton Beach dentist for further diagnosis and consultation to see if you are an appropriate candidate for this procedure.
