Getting veneers is not painful. Preparing your teeth for veneers and fitting the veneers themselves is a minimally non-invasive process. Most people find the process completely painless, though some people do experience some discomfort associated with the vibrations of removing enamel from their teeth to make room for their veneers. To ensure that you experience no pain or discomfort at any stage in the process, your dentist in West Edmonton will apply a local anesthetic to the area being treated.
Veneers are not just for your top front teeth. The teeth that most commonly receive veneers are the ones in your “smile zone” — the front teeth in your upper jaw. It’s no mystery why veneers are so commonly placed on those teeth; after all, they’re the most prominent and visible in your mouth. Veneers can be applied to more than just those teeth, though. Veneers can be placed on teeth in your upper or lower jaw — or both — and on your incisors and even your premolars. Those lower teeth and premolars are a lot more visible than you might think. If they’re flawed in any way, placing veneers on those teeth can transform your smile in seemingly subtle but surprisingly impactful ways.
Does this mean that veneers are appropriate for all teeth? No. Because of the extreme pressures experienced by molars, veneers should not be placed on those teeth at the rear of your mouth. But because those teeth are largely invisible from the outside, you wouldn’t glean much cosmetic benefit from putting veneers on your molars anyway.
Your whole tooth won’t have to be ground down. To prepare your teeth to receive a traditional porcelain veneer in West Edmonton, a dentist near you will remove a very thin layer of enamel from the front of your tooth to make room for the placement of a veneer without adding any noticeable bulk to the tooth. The structure of your tooth will not be affected by the removal of this veneer which will be done as conservatively as possible.
Because enamel will not grow back, the removal of enamel to accommodate a veneer does mean that, if those veneers are ever removed or damaged for any reason, the teeth will need to be covered with another veneer or dental crown. If you’d prefer to perfect your teeth in a way that does not require the removal of any enamel or any modification to your teeth, ask your dentist about “prepless” veneers. Prepless veneers are much thinner and not appropriate for every situation but offer the benefit of requiring no (or much less) material to be removed from your teeth before they’re put in place.
Veneers look fake and unnatural. Sometimes veneers are described as looking like artificial fingernails but, rest assured, a modern porcelain veneer near you looks nothing like artificial or fake anything once in place on your teeth. Porcelain is an ideal material for crafting veneers because porcelain can be prepared and tinted to blend completely naturally with the color, shine, and texture of your own healthy natural teeth. Porcelain is also highly stain-resistant, which is an important factor to keep in mind. Before your dentist works with you to choose the perfect color for your veneers, your dentist will recommend you have your teeth cleaned first. That way, your veneers will always match your healthy and natural teeth at their very cleanest.
As long as you take care of the teeth beneath your veneers and avoid habits that can expose the veneers to damage — things like chewing your fingernails and hard candy and using your teeth like tools and scissors — your veneers will be indistinguishable from your own healthy teeth.
Are veneers right for you? Arrange an appointment to find out the answer to that question, and just how quickly a porcelain veneer in West Edmonton can transform the shape, width, length, color, and spacing of your own teeth.