Are Porcelain Veneers Right for Me?

Porcelain veneers are a special kind of dental procedure. They don’t fall under the usual categories of routine dental maintenance, like teeth cleanings, or serious restoration, like root canals. Instead, porcelain veneers are an elective procedure performed by our Hudsonville, MI, cosmetic dentists.

Let’s look at what exactly veneers are, how to get them, and who’s a good candidate to receive them.

What Are Porcelain Veneers?

Porcelain veneers are tooth-colored, wafer-thin slices or “shells” of porcelain adhered to the front of your teeth. They can improve your teeth’s color, length, size, and/or shape.

Veneers can also be made from other materials, but porcelain is often preferred because of the way it reflects light similarly to natural enamel and resists tooth stains.

How Do You Get Porcelain Veneers?

You can ask our dentists about the porcelain veneers procedure during your routine six-month teeth cleaning. Once you decide to move forward with this procedure, the process usually takes two appointments.

The First Appointment

First, our dentists will have to prepare your teeth to receive the veneers. That means removing a small amount of enamel from the fronts of your teeth.

This can cause alarm for some patients, but don’t worry — your dentist isn’t scraping your teeth down to nothing. Typically, we remove only abouthalf a millimeter (about half the size of the point of a pencil). It is important to remember, however, that this process is irreversible. Once the enamel is gone, it will not grow back.

After the enamel has been removed, our dentists will take impressions of your teeth and send them to a dental lab that will make your permanent porcelain veneers. Before you leave, our dentists will place temporary veneers on your teeth for you to wear until your next appointment.

The Second Appointment

When you return to our office, your permanent porcelain veneers will be waiting for you. Our dentists will check to make sure you are satisfied with every aspect of your new veneers before they begin with the dental procedure.

First, they will clean your teeth to get rid of any bacteria that may interfere with the bonding process. Then, they will etch the part of your teeth that will receive the veneers. This makes the surface of your teeth rougher so the veneers will bond more easily to them.

Our dentists use a safe dental cement to bond porcelain veneers to natural teeth. They will apply an ultraviolet light to cure the cement quickly, and then your veneers will be ready to go!

Who’s a Good Candidate for Porcelain Veneers?

Porcelain veneers are just one tool our dentists can use to help patients achieve the smile they want. You may want to consider getting veneers if one or more of your front teeth are:

• Chipped
• Stained
• Discolored
• Smaller than usual
• Misaligned
• Oddly shaped
• Worn down

Even if you have one of these conditions listed above, you may not be a good candidate for porcelain veneers if you:

• Suffer from bruxism (grinding or clenching your teeth at night)
• Want to whiten your teeth afteryou receive veneers
• Don’t want to undergo an irreversible procedure
• Don’t regularly brush or floss

Still, don’t rule yourself out based on this list. Speak with our dentists before you decide whether porcelain veneers are right for you.

Schedule an Appointment Today

If you’re interested in getting porcelain veneers, our cosmetic dentists in Hudsonville, MI, are here to help. Call Hudsonville Dental at (616) 209-4024, or contact us online to schedule an appointment today.

This blog post has been updated.