20 Sep Frequently Asked Questions about Veneers: Complete Guide
A Complete Guide to Dental Veneers
As people, we are constantly caring for others. We are caring for our kids, our pets, our homes, and our jobs. Self-care is often at the very bottom of our list and caring for our own smile can get bogged down in a long to-do list. Your smile is important to us, and we encourage you to make your dental health a priority! If you feel self-conscious about your teeth, a wonderful way to start your self-care is by booking an appointment with Magnolia Family Dental Care and asking about improving the appearance of your smile with veneer.
You might be wondering what exactly veneers are? Dental veneers are a form of cosmetic dentistry. Using a thin porcelain veneer, your dentist can improve the size, shape, color, or position of your teeth.
At Magnolia Family Dental Care, we offer tons of dental services from cleanings and porcelain veneers to oral surgeries. Below, we’ve created a guide on everything you need to know about getting porcelain veneers and helping your smile become brighter, whiter, and happier than ever before.
What Are Dental Veneers?
One of the definitions of veneer from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “a plastic or porcelain coating bonded to the surface of a cosmetically imperfect tooth.” This about sums up the basics of what a veneer is. These increasingly popular dental items are thin teeth covers attached to the very front of your teeth. They are perfect for covering up any discoloration or chips in your teeth!
Porcelain veneers can even help to cosmetically fix crooked teeth. We know how impactful a smile is. In fact, it’s said to be the one symbol that brought the most positivity to people. We want you to feel absolutely confident in your smile, and we know it is truly fantastic!
Porcelain veneers are ultra-thin molds of porcelain that are customized to exactly match and adhere to the shape and size of your teeth. Once these veneers have been molded and created for your mouth, they will permanently be attached to any of your teeth that you have chosen to commercially correct. Even if you are only wanting to help just one tooth, porcelain veneers can be applied to a single tooth or a whole set of teeth. Talk about versatile!
These correcting teeth molds look very natural. Veneers are not fake teeth, but simply a thin covering over your natural tooth. Because of this, they are extremely hard to identify. They are, in fact, your teeth, so you never have to say that they are fake or not your real teeth!
Porcelain veneers are also quite strong and very stain-resistant; with proper oral care (we will provide instructions on how to care for them) and maintenance, they can last up to twenty years. You don’t even have to worry about replacing them for a very long time if you are giving the veneers proper care.
Do Veneers Hurt?
Your mouth should be numbed when you get the veneers (especially if there are several), thus diminishing any pain that you might have experienced with veneers. There should be little to no discomfort with them after they are applied to your teeth. And great news! Porcelain veneers themselves cannot get cavities (although your teeth still certainly can). Read more about cavities under veneers here.
Since these veneers are just thin shells that overlay your teeth, you will still need to properly care for your teeth around the veneer to minimize the likelihood of tooth decay. Below are some tips to avoid any cavities around your porcelain veneers:
- Use Mouthwash: Topical fluoride is really helpful in avoiding any tooth decay. Swish some mouthwash pretty regularly to help with dental care or ask your dentist for a prescription-strength fluoride.
- Regular Dentist Visits: If there is a small cavity forming, then we can catch that before it becomes too big and performs a small filling instead of having to remove the entire veneer.
- Dental Maintenance: Most of us remember how much we got nagged as kids about brushing our teeth. But seriously, brushing and flossing your teeth is vital in keeping the health of your teeth and your porcelain veneers.
- Toothpaste: Try to stay away from super abrasive toothpaste-like whiteners or other substances that can scratch your veneers. Toothpaste with a gel-like substance can be more gentle.
Can Dental Veneers Fall Off?
Yes, your porcelain veneers can fall off, but the likelihood of that is VERY slim. Porcelain veneers are very carefully placed and glued onto your teeth and they are not going to fall off unless its due to certain circumstances. Some of the most likely causes of your veneers falling off are below:
1. Teeth grinding: If you grind your teeth during the day or when you sleep, then it’s much more likely that your veneer will fall off due to the unusual pressure you are putting on your teeth. This can loosen the bond that attaches the veneers to your teeth.
2. Brunt of a Fall: If you fall and your face is impacted, your veneers might become loosened or fall off.
3. Hard food: If you chew on foods such as candy, ice, or other hard substances, your veneers can come loose from their bonding to your teeth.
If your veneer does fall off- don’t freak out! Call us ASAP so we can affix it back onto your teeth. Or, if the porcelain veneer itself broke, we can quickly fit you for a new mold.
Are Veneers Worth It?
Porcelain veneers are one of the safest ways to improve the cosmetic appearance of decayed or cracked teeth. We think that veneers are a really great thing, but whether they are worth it will be up to you.
Remember- porcelain veneers will not damage your teeth. In fact, veneers do the opposite! They help to preserve your teeth from further decay. Imagine them as little tiny protective walls around your teeth that look shiny and amazing. Veneers aren’t harmful, and they shouldn’t hurt you or your teeth at all! Instead, they help to restore your smile, fix any cosmetic issues, close gaps between teeth and maintain the health of your teeth.
How Much do Veneers Cost?
The cost of a beautiful smile is well worth the money. However, porcelain veneers are not the cheapest investment. Veneers will save you money on fixing your teeth in the long run but expect to spend $1,000 at least on each tooth that you decide to get fixed. Check with your insurance provider to find out if it will apply to cosmetic veneers because it varies by provider. Veneers are a long term investment into your smile and your self-confidence, and they are most often worth the cost!
By using porcelain veneers, a Tulsa dentist can reveal the true beauty of your smile. This cosmetic dentistry service allows so many of our amazing patients to showcase their self-confident smile and become more of who we know them to be. An investment into your teeth is an overall investment in your overwell well-being. Contact our team today to book an appointment with us and invest in your own smile!
With the help of dental veneers, we can create the smile you’ve always longed for. This cosmetic dentistry service allows many of our patients to regain confidence that has been lost due to a smile they were not proud to show off. At Magnolia Family Dental Care, we truly believe that investing in your smile can lead to a better quality of life and overall well-being.
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