Dental veneers are an excellent way to transform your smile and conceal flaws. If you are thinking about improving your smile, you may be considering porcelain veneers and wondering are veneers worth it?
What Do Dental Veneers Do?
Dental veneers do not replace a tooth. Instead, they are thin porcelain shells that cover the front surface to improve the appearance of your smile. Dental veneers are a cosmetic dental procedure that does not change your bite. However, they can disguise minor orthodontic issues like overcrowding and small gaps. They also enable you to change the colour, size and shape of a tooth and mask yellowing teeth.
Dental veneers can drastically enhance your smile, so when it comes to determining are veneers are worth it, you need to consider how much you dislike your current smile. If you are afraid to laugh, talk or smile in front of others, dental veneers could change how you interact with people and boost your self-confidence.
What Can Dental Veneers Correct?
Dental veneers are used to conceal dental flaws and can disguise several imperfections simultaneously. Some of the issues they can fix include:
- Slightly crooked or misshapen teeth
- Discoloured or stained teeth
- Chipped, cracked or broken teeth
- Short teeth
- Gapped teeth
- Worn teeth
Porcelain Veneers
At Advanced Dental Care, we use porcelain veneers because they are highly stain-resistant, ensuring your bright smile is long-lasting. We use an intraoral scanner and digital design technology (DSD) to take 3D images and videos of your mouth. This information is interpreted by the DSD software to produce mock-ups of your dental veneers and images so you can see what your smile will look like after the treatment.
We also shave a small amount of enamel from the front of the tooth before we take impressions for your permanent veneers. We do this so the veneers will fit in your mouth comfortably and blend seamlessly with your natural teeth to create a perfect smile. Also, roughening the tooth’s surface helps your permanent dental veneers bond securely. You may be fitted with temporary dental veneers.
At your second visit, your porcelain veneers are bonded and polished for a perfect smile.
Pros of Porcelain Veneers
- Getting dental veneers is a minimally invasive procedure, so you may not need anaesthesia.
- When applied correctly and taken care of, dental veneers can give you a perfect smile, making you look younger.
- Dental veneers are durable.
- Porcelain veneers are often preferable to a tooth-whitening treatment because they are non-porous, and the colour doesn’t change over time, so there is no need for repeated whitening procedures.
- Porcelain veneers resist cavities better than natural tooth enamel.
- Dental veneers are easy to maintain. Simply follow your at-home hygiene routine and attend twice-yearly checkups with your dentist.
Cons of Porcelain Veneers
- Dental veneers are irreversible because your dentist shaves a thin layer of enamel from the tooth’s surface.
- Removing enamel can make your teeth more sensitive to hot and cold foods.
Dental veneers are an unsuitable restoration for severely decayed or damaged teeth.
Are Veneers Worth it: How Long Do They Last?
The life expectancy of porcelain veneers depends on the skills of your dentist when shaving your tooth, the accuracy of the dental impressions that went to the lab, the bonding agent and your dental hygiene regimen.
According to long-term research, roughly 95% of porcelain veneers last a decade, with 83% lasting 20 years or more.
Common reasons for failure include structural complications like chips, loss of retention due to a poor bonding agent and failed aesthetics.
To improve the longevity of your dental veneers, visit your dentist for check-ups since decay and gum disease contribute to failure. Avoid excessive force from biting your fingernails, chewing on ice and other hard objects. Wear a mouthguard for contact sports and a nightguard if you suffer from bruxism.
How to Make Veneers More Affordable?
It can be costly to place veneers on an entire arch of teeth. An affordable way to make the most of your dental veneers and improve your smile is to place porcelain veneers only on your social six or eight front teeth. Those are the teeth people see when you smile and are the most noticeable.
Contact Advanced Dental Care to Arrange Your Consultation
Due to their lifelike appearance and versatility, porcelain veneers are among the most popular and trusted dental cosmetic procedures. Dental veneers are individually crafted for each patient and made from a material closely resembling natural dental enamel for a perfect smile.
Contact our practice on (02) 6188 7103 for a consultation if you are trying to decide, are veneers worth it? We can help you determine the best cosmetic approach for improving your smile and boosting your confidence.
