Veneers

Pros and Cons of Veneers

Pros of veneers installation:

• Ability to align teeth. Of course, meaning minor defects, for example, diastems, trims (gaps between teeth)
• Hide defects or non-carious enamel lesions (spots, darkening, enamel discolorations)
• Enamel protection. Veneers create additional protection for tooth pulp in case of increased tooth sensitivity
• Natural or lighter color of teeth. The orthopedic dentist selects and discusses with the patient the desire for the color of future veneers and smiles in general.

Among the conditional disadvantages of installing veneers

1. Significant cost compared to composite veneers (given the cost of technical manufacture of veneers).
2. Processing (preparation) of teeth. This dental manipulation often makes you abandon veneers. Actually, tooth processing is minimal and necessary to:

• fix veneers strongly on the surface of the enamel
• make the veneers loom naturally without thickening the teeth
• give the teeth a final shape.

Indications and contraindications for the installation of veneers

Most often, the indication for the installation of veneers is a question of aesthetics. Veneers allow you to choose the perfect color, size, shape of your teeth.

As for the medical indications of installing veneers, most often these are the following:

• a large number of fillings (restorations) on the surfaces of teeth
• difference in tooth color (old restorations in the past were made of various photopolymer materials, were not replaced in time)
• the presence of chips and cracks in the front teeth caused by injuries and destruction of enamel due to caries
• minor deformation of the dentition, incorrect arrangement of teeth, gaps between teeth (sometimes veneers can be an alternative to bracket systems)
• enamel defects of the front teeth (caries, discoloration, stains)
• depulped (gray or “dead”) teeth.

However, there are contraindications for the installation of veneers. The dentist may refuse the patient to install veneers if:

• patient requires orthodontic treatment first
• pathological enamel abrasion in the patient’s dental history
• significant destruction of the crown of the front group of teeth
• existing habit of grinding teeth during sleep (bruxism)

It is also worth considering the installation of veneers for those patients who have bad habits (gnawing nails, pencils, nuts, hard sweets). Even the highest quality material cannot withstand such a load, and the veneers will give a chip or cracks.

Stages of Installation of veneers

1. Acquaintance with the patient, discussion of the wishes of the future smile, examination, and diagnosis of the oral cavity, photo protocol. To additional methods of examination, the doctor adds an orthopantomogram or computed tomography of the dentition. This is necessary to assess the condition of the roots of the teeth and exclude the likelihood of inflammation in the tooth on which the veneer is made. Scanning the patient’s jaws, drawing up a preliminary treatment plan.

Thereafter, all the received diagnostic information is sent to the laboratory, where the doctor, together with the technician, begins to create a prototype of the future smile, considering the wishes of the patient.

If there are carious lesions of the teeth or inflammation on the tops of the roots of the teeth, then first treat all infectious and inflammatory processes.

2. The orthopedic doctor establishes a prototype of the future smile (made of wax) in the oral cavity, which allows the patient to finally discuss with the doctor all the nuances and design of future veneers.  This process is known as MOCK-UP. After agreeing on all the details with the patient, the teeth are processed and fixed with temporary veneers made of composite while permanent.
3. After making permanent veneers, the orthopedic dentist fixes them on the teeth according to the adhesive protocol (special fixing materials to the enamel of the teeth).

Common questions about veneers

Can smoking change the color of veneers?

Separately, smoking does not change the color of the ceramic veneers, but smoking (especially more than 20 cigarettes a day) harms the gums and your own teeth, and this in a global sense can have a direct impact on the aesthetic appearance of veneers, the rate of tartar formation and soft plaque, which in the future has a negative impact on both dental and general health.

At what age it is possible to install veneers?

Dentists recommend that patients install veneers exclusively for indications and when the growth of the jaws ended (approximately 18–20 years).

Would it be possible to whiten teeth after installing veneers?
Teeth whitening after installing veneers is not effective.

Cost of installing dental crowns and veneers