Tags: dentist, london dentist, nhs, whitening, inman aligner, cosmetic dentist, checkup, dental, anish, anish dentist, london hygienist, dental hygiene, root canal., whitening, braces, straight teeth, clear brace, invisalign, clearstep .
Dental veneers (sometimes called porcelain veneers or dental porcelain laminates) are wafer-thin, custom-made shells of tooth-colored materials designed to cover the front surface of teeth to improve your appearance. These shells are bonded to the front of the teeth changing their color, shape, size, or length.
Dental veneers can be made from porcelain or from resin composite materials. Porcelain veneers resist stains better than resin veneers and better mimic the light reflecting properties of natural teeth. Resin veneers are thinner and require removal of less of the tooth surface before placement. You will need to discuss the best choice of veneer material for you with your dentist.
We are proud to say that nothing we do is rushed or an after thought. So before any extended treatment we insist our patients have an extensive consultation with Dr. Patel.
Veneers are used routinely to treat:
1. The first visit will always involve finding out the problem alongside extensive treatment planning and smile mapping. After you share your goals and expectations with us, we will take photographs and models and possibly radiographs to plan out how many steps it will take to achieve the desired outcome.
In some circumstances (gummy smiles) we may suggest you have perio-plastic surgery to compliment how the veneers sits against the gums, lips, and overall face. We believe in whole mouth dentistry and use our advanced skills to move away old single tooth treatment.
2. Preparation of the mouth and impressions: Once the plan is settled and the exact length, shape, surface texture, shade, and position of every tooth has been determined, the doctor and his laboratory technician partner will decide if any tooth structure needs to be removed. Many veneer cases don’t require any or only small amounts of tooth reduction. If more aggressive changes in shape or position are desired or there are many defects with the teeth, then more drilling will be needed and temporaries will be created to give you a nice interim smile. Impressions of the teeth and supporting structures are taken and sent to the laboratory with photographs, measurements of the face, bite, and jaw movements, etc. A detailed prescription written by the doctor is prepared and a complete summary of what your dreams, desires, and expectations are also included so the ceramic artist knows exactly what you want
3. Delivery and bonding of the veneers: In this last stage of the procedure, the dentist wil ensure the proper fit and appearance and then bond the custom porcelain veneers to the fronts of your teeth. The bonding agents are made of the same materials (composite) that tooth colored fillings are made from. Satisfaction with the result is universally positive. You may need a short time to adapt phonetically if the tooth locations or lengths have been changed. This adaptation period varies from a few hours to several weeks.
After the initial preparation you will experience some senstivity from the drilling, over the counter painkiller can be taken if needed. Depending on the amount of tooth reduced we may or may not place tempory veneers. After the veneers have been placed this sensitivity should disappear.
The full list and explaination of the risks will be outlined in the consent process. As a rough idea the risks are that the process is not reversible,can dislodge and fall off easier than a crown, not ideal for clenchers or grinders, veeners do not protect from decay, do not work for those with poor gum health, and cannot be repaired if they chip unless replaced.
The modern alternative to veneers is cosmetic bonding, whitening, and white filling bonding. This technique is reversible and conserves your natural tooth tissue. This only applys to cosmetic cases where patients want to change the position or colour of their teeth. Veneers are still the best solution for inherited staining and discolouration and root filled teeth as they effectively mask the underlying colour.
Once placed, a veneer will always stay the same colour while natural teeth will discolour. If you plan on having veneers, you should consider whitening your teeth before treatment. Veneers will usually last between 5-10 years. If thye are still bonded after 10 years, it is likely they would need to be replaced due staining from foodstuffs around the margins.
