Veneers

At Personal Care Dentistry, the first step of placing porcelain veneers is buffing the existing teeth. The buffing is also called enamel shaping, where your dentist will smooth out the outer layer of the tooth’s surface called the enamel. Next, we will take an impression of the tooth. The impressions will help the lab creating the porcelain veneer know the dimensions to design the appliance. In the next step, you and your dentist will choose a color for the veneers. We typically recommend that the color is similar to your natural teeth. However, we encourage patients to select slightly lighter colors if they want whiter teeth. 

Once the veneers are delivered to the dental office, you will be invited back to try on the veneers. Your dentist will use a bonding adhesive to attach the veneer to the teeth, and a light beam will set the bond. You should need no anesthetic; however, we can provide sedation to make you more comfortable if you are nervous about the procedure. Then, you can go home with your dream smile at the end of the appointment. 

Although porcelain is durable, porcelain veneers are thin and need special care. We recommend that patients who get porcelain veneers not chew or bite on inedible objects such as nails or pens. Biting on these objects could chip and break the front. You can clean these veneers similarly to natural teeth. During the placing process, the tooth’s outer surface is worn down to attach the show, increasing tooth sensitivity. Your dentist may recommend using toothpaste for sensitive teeth. It would help if you continued to brush, floss, and use mouthwash twice a day to remove debris and decay from your teeth. 

The longevity of your veneers can last anywhere from 10 – 30 years, depending on the care. As mentioned above, patients should not bite on inedible hard objects like fingernails or pens. Further, good oral health routines at home and regular dental appointments can increase the longevity of your porcelain veneers. Porcelain veneers last the longest compared to other shell materials, such as composite resin veneers. 

If one of your veneers breaks, we cannot repair it like other composite resin veneers. Your dentist must replace the entire shell. Save it if your surface does not break but falls off in one piece. If you bring it to our Pony Express Dental office, we may be able to reattach the dental veneer. Of course, we recommend practicing good oral hygiene and not biting on inedible objects to prevent dental veneers from breaking.