Dental veneers in York are thin shells designed to cover teeth with characteristics you’d like to hide or correct. Veneers custom-designed to fit over your flawed teeth can hide stains that can not be bleached, can alter the shape of misshapen or inconsistently shaped teeth, close gaps between widely or inconsistently spaced teeth, and can cover and protect teeth with minor cracks and chips.
Getting dental veneers near you is a quick and minimally invasive process, albeit one that occurs in several steps across a couple of appointments at a dentist near you. This article will explain just what happens at each stage in perfecting the appearance of your teeth using dental veneers.
First Appointment: Your dentist in York will carefully inspect your teeth and gums and may even take dental images to obtain a clear understanding of the state of your teeth, gums and jaw. If your dentist finds dental issues that suggest veneers aren’t appropriate or that need to be addressed before you get veneers, your dentist will suggest alternatives or preparatory procedures. For example, if the tooth you’re interested in covering with a veneer is affected by tooth decay or nearby gum disease, your dentist will recommend that those conditions be addressed before a veneer is placed. Because the integrity of your veneers depends on the health of the underlying tooth, dealing with those types of issues before your veneer is placed is essential to your long-term satisfaction.
Second appointment: A thin layer of enamel — approximately half of a millimetre thick — will be removed from the tooth you want to cover with a veneer. Removing that enamel will permit the dentist to bond the veneer to your tooth without adding noticeable bulk to your tooth. (In some situations, this step may be taken at the first appointment.)
Once any enamel that needs to be removed from your tooth or teeth has been removed, your dentist in York will take impressions of your teeth. The mold bearing those impressions will be sent to a dental laboratory where technicians will prepare veneers specifically for your teeth.
Final appointment: Your dentist will confirm that the veneers fit properly and achieve the goals identified at your initial assessment. Once the fit is confirmed, your dentist will take an additional essential step before placing your veneers — cleaning your teeth to ensure that no bacteria or food particles are caught between the veneer and your prepared tooth when the veneer is put in place.
Your dentist will then roughen the surface of the tooth that will receive the veneer before attaching the veneer to the tooth with special dental adhesives. That dental cement will be hardened by exposing it to ultraviolet light. Once the veneer has been bonded in place, your dentist will trim and polish the veneer as required to make sure it blends completely naturally with your own natural teeth.
In some situations, you may notice some rough texture on or around your veneers. That is probably excess cement. That cement will be worn away while you eat and brush your teeth over the following days. If you notice that roughness persists beyond several days, get in touch with your dentist and ask them to smoothen away any lingering roughness.
Do your teeth have flaws that you’d like to correct? Porcelain veneers — one of the most versatile multi-tools available to cosmetic dentists — getting fit with veneers is a minimally invasive and relatively quick process, once you take into account the time the technicians will need to prepare veneers just for you. To start the process of perfecting your own teeth and smile no matter what type of flaw is bothering you, call a dentist near you to arrange an initial appointment.