Veneers are often made of porcelain and are customized “overlays” that are placed over existing teeth which have been shaved and re-shapen to serve as a foundation. Most of the time, veneers are considered a purely aesthetic procedure in the eyes of insurance companies. However, they might be considered medically necessary if veneers help improve eating or speaking. It’s a serious and permanent solution, and for some patients it’s the only option for getting that perfect smile.
Quality veneers look like the absolute best version of what your natural smile could have been. Some people are born with smaller teeth and a big arch, some people have naturally more ivory colored teeth (everyone has a whitest white), and in some cases an accident has caused damage to existing teeth. Orthodontics can’t fix all “tooth issues,” and dentures, bridges and implants are only for patients who are missing teeth or have teeth that are so damaged/diseased that it’s best to extract them.
What to Expect
Veneers can give you that perfect, yet natural-looking smile, that you’ve always wanted. You can get veneers on one tooth or many! However, since veneers are mostly aesthetic, it’s usually recommended that you only get veneers on front teeth that show when you talk and smile. Existing teeth are re-shaped during your first appointment so they before the support for your veneers, which are custom-made in a lab.
Temporary teeth or “bonds” are placed on top of the re-shapen teeth until your veneers arrive. This gives you a pre-view of what to expect with veneers! During your second appointment, the veneers are placed on top of your re-shaped teeth with a special adhesive. The adhesive is incredibly strong, and in some cases veneers can last a lifetime. It depends on how well you maintain them because they need to be cared for just like natural teeth.