Dental veneers are thin layers of porcelain that are attached to teeth to resurface the appearance of damaged enamel. Veneers can help you achieve a dental transformation in only two or three dental appointments. Before your veneer can be placed, however, your natural tooth has to be altered slightly. Read on for more information about what our O’Fallon cosmetic dentists do to prepare your teeth for cosmetic treatment.
The first thing our dental team will do is assess your dental health. After a thorough cleaning, we’ll make sure that your teeth and gums are healthy enough to sustain veneers. If you’re going to whiten your teeth with cosmetic treatments, it’s important to do it before you receive your dental veneers, as porcelain is not responsive to teeth whitening treatment.
In order to prepare your tooth for your dental veneer, our dental team will reduce your dental enamel slightly. By shaving away some dental enamel, we’ll make room for the porcelain veneer that will sit on top of the tooth. Before minimizing your dental enamel, we can administer local anesthesia to keep you comfortable.
Once the tooth is prepped and reshaped, we’ll be able to take an impression of your smile. This impression will be used to craft your permanent veneer. Consequently, your veneer will fit snugly on top of your natural tooth, ensuring a good fit.
Dental veneers usually take about one or two weeks to be completed. When the veneer is ready, our dental team will attach it to your altered tooth with dental adhesive. Your veneer will blend seamlessly with the rest of your smile, and preserve the functionality of your tooth.
If you’d like to learn more about dental veneers—what they can do and how to treatment process works—just give our O’Fallon cosmetic dental office a call. At your first consultation we’ll be able to determine whether veneers are right for you.