Adults Have Many Options Today to Get Straighter Teeth

Veneers are part of the reconstruction process for many different ailments, including chipped teeth and more. You might wonder what the veneers process will be like; here are some general guidelines:

Identifying the Treatment Plan

The first part of the treatment will be speaking with your cosmetic dentist about the best treatment plan and making sure veneers are a good fit. They are a good choice when you are of reasonable dental health and you have cosmetic issues that need to be fixed in visible areas of the mouth. If you have a tooth with both medical and cosmetic issues, your dentist might choose dental implants or another solution that deals with both infection and cosmetic issues.

With dental veneers, you might find that you need to get a full set for the treatment to be most effective. For example, if you make one tooth perfect, but the ones around it are misshapen or discolored, the effect won't be complete. Thus, your cosmetic dentist might come up with a full treatment plan that includes veneers on multiple teeth.

Shaving the Teeth

For each tooth that will receive a dental veneer, your dentist will first shave the enamel of the tooth. The reason is that you don't want the veneer to stick out further than the other teeth around it. Shaving a portion of the enamel off helps to keep the tooth at a reasonably similar thickness to the ones around it.

Getting the Tooth's Shade

If you aren't having a full set of veneers put in place, an important step of the process will be getting the correct shade for your teeth. Porcelain can be shaded to different colors so that it more closely matches the color of a real tooth.

Getting the Tooth's Impression

The dentist can use a putty and a tooth tray to get the exact imprints of your teeth. These will be used in the process of creating the custom veneers.

Crafting the Veneer

Each veneer is made custom to fit your teeth. The dentist will use the tooth impression to create the porcelain veneers that are the right size and shape for your teeth.

Bonding the Veneer

The dentist will use a bonding agent, which is a clear gel that's applied to the tooth. It's cured by shining a strong light on the tooth that hardens the porcelain veneer to the surface of your tooth. After this process, your dentist will check to ensure the veneer is secured and you will be just about ready to go.