Unlike a crown, which covers the entire tooth, a veneer is a thin shell that is placed over the front or visible parts of the tooth. Many people don’t realize that there are two types of veneers. The first are ceramic veneers that are produced by a dental laboratory, and then resin-based composite veneers.

If you take care of your veneers, they will greatly improve your appearance and increase your confidence for years to come. As a Plymouth cosmetic dentistry, Wayzata Dental & SmileSpa traditional veneers and Lumineers here at our office.

Lumineers are porcelain veneers that offer the painless way to a permanently whiter and perfectly aligned smile. We apply these contact lens-thin “smile shapers” to teeth without any grinding or shaving (unlike traditional veneers), transforming teeth into a naturally beautiful smile that looks perfect for anyone. In fact, Lumineer veneers can even be placed over existing crown or bridgework without having to replace them, as long as they are sound.

How long will it take to get veneers?

In approximately two to three visits, you can have a custom-made smile that is clinically proven to last over 20 years. Yes, over 20 years! The nice part is that this procedure is completely reversible since your natural tooth structure is still intact!

If you are ready for a nicer smile for the new year, consider visiting us and consider veneers. We also specialize in teeth whitening treatments and other cosmetic dentistry procedures. Visit is today, and starts 2012 with a bright, white smile.

The Advantages of Dental Veneers

• Veneers provide a natural tooth appearance.
• Gum tissue tolerates the porcelain very well.
• Stain resistant.
• You and your dentist can select the color of a porcelain veneer
• Veneers offer a conservative approach to changing a tooth’s color and shape — veneers generally don’t require the extensive shaping prior to the procedure that dental crowns do, yet offer a stronger, more aesthetic alternative.

What Are the Disadvantages of Dental Veneers?

• The process is not reversible.
• Cost. Veneers are normally more costly than bonding.
• Unrepairable if you chip or crack it.
• Because enamel has been removed, your tooth may become more sensitive to heat and cold.
• Veneers can dislodge and fall off. To minimize the chance of this occurring, do not bite your nails; chew on pencils, ice or anything else too hard.
• Teeth with veneers can still experience tooth decay, possibly necessitating full coverage of the tooth with a crown.
• Veneers are not a good choice if you have bad dental health, unhealthy teeth such as decay, or gum disease.
• Individuals who clench and grind teeth shouldn’t get porcelain veneers due to possible cracking and chipping.

Dental veneers do not require any special care. Following good oral hygiene practices including brushing and flossing is important. Contact us to talk about possible veneers for you. We are a Plymouth family dentistry that will help you make right dental choices to get that great smile.

There are different types of dental veneers: porcelain or a resin composite. You should discuss the best choices of veneer material with your family dentist.

Dental veneers are used by dentists to fix an assortment of problems. Some include teeth that are discolored, chipped, worn down, misaligned or uneven. Veneers can also be used to fix teeth with gaps between them to basically close the space between them.

If you want to get dental veneers, it may require several visits – usually for consultation, to make and apply the veneers. You will need to speak with your dentist to have better understanding of the process.

When people aren’t satisfied with the appearance of their teeth, they don’t want to smile. Dental veneers allow people to feel comfortable and confident – talking more often and smiling away.

If you would like to have a consultation about veneers, contact a family dentist such as Wayzata Dental and SmileSpa, who specializes in restoring smiles. They can address veneers and other dental issues.

Over time, teeth can develop micro-fractures that can threaten their longevity. Front teeth also often wear in such a way the biting surface becomes pitted or uneven, or perhaps show signs of minor chipping. While this damage may look okay, there is the potential for breakage in those teeth, often requiring either extraction, or the use of crowns. Veneers allow the tooth to remain whole. A thin cover of very strong porcelain is placed over the tooth. This adds strength to the tooth while also covering any problem areas.

Your dentist has a choice between ultra thin dental veneers, and the standard veneers. Ultra thin veneers can be used in situations where the damage is not severe. The integrity of the tooth is retained and the veneer used to prevent further damage. In situations where an ultra thin veneer is unsuitable, your dentist will plane off a portion of the tooth to allow for a thicker veneer to be used. Ultra thin veneers can be reversed if required, however, standard veneers cannot since the integrity of the tooth is compromised during the process.

Veneers are popular for hiding stubborn stains. Their major use, however, is to provide additional strength to teeth that have weakened over time. A veneer is a less costly approach when compared to the use of crowns, or implants should the tooth require extraction.

Veneers have been around for a long time. In the past, a dentist would slightly reduce the surface of a tooth to accommodate these veneers. This meant that, after the application of a veneer, the tooth was no longer or thicker than it originally was. The downside was that the tooth was permanently damaged. From that point on, the patient had to have a veneer fitted or opt for a complete crown instead.

The introduction of prepless veneers meant that a dentist no longer needed to ‘prep’ a tooth – the veneer could be placed over the top of a tooth. Being wafer thin, these veneers hardly made any difference to the tooth size. It has been found that some patients can’t quite adjust to that very minor extra thickness in tooth. However, because there was no preparation work involved, the veneer is easily removed the tooth restored to it’s pre-veneer state with no permanent damage.

Prepless veneers are suitable for many patients that have light but stubborn stains that normal whitening cannot remove. If you have dark stains, then a wafer thin veneer may not hide those stains completely – in fact, the end result can be worse with the stains showing through the veneer. Prepless porcelain veneers are not for everyone and you should be guided by the expert opinion of your dentist. If you are a suitable patient, they are quick and easy to create and apply, and they restore your glowing smile very quickly.

By applying ultra thin veneers to her top teeth, the cosmetic dentist was able to achieve some startling results. Her teeth were lengthened marginally, pushing her mouth and lips wider apart. This increased the distance from her nose to her lips, putting some proportion back into her face.

Of course, having shiny white porcelain veneers did wonders for her smile as well, so rather than living her life rather tight-lipped, she had a more open-mouthed smile – and a much brighter and more open face. Cosmetic dentists can do wonders with porcelain veneers on some patients. Ultra thin veneers require no significant preparation – often just a good cleaning of the teeth.

Ultra thin porcelain veneers can be applied directly over the teeth. This means the tooth is not in any way damaged and the procedure can be reversed should the need ever arise.

When visiting a cosmetic dentist, ask them to provide a try-before-you-buy example. This can be achieved by most cosmetic dentists through the use of digital photography and computer aided imagery. Your teeth are photographed and the image sent to a computer. Your cosmetic dentist can then apply treatments to your teeth and you can see the end results – before the treatment has even begun. Ultra thin porcelain veneers are particularly suited to this technology – and the changes they can make to your face can be amazing.

Traditional veneers are around .5 mm in thickness. Before fixing them to a tooth, the dentist would remove around .5 mm of the front surface of the tooth. A mold would be made and sent off to a technician where a custom made veneer was produced. This was then permanently fixed to the front of the tooth.

Prep-less veneers are around .2 mm in thickness – about as thick as a contact lens. Because they are so thin, they can be applied to a tooth without any reshaping. The veneer is made in the dentist’s office and applied to the tooth immediately. This means the veneer process can be completed in one sitting as against two sittings for traditional veneers.

One of the benefits of a prep-less veneer is that it is reversible. Since the tooth has not been damaged when applying the veneer, it can be removed and the tooth returned to its natural state. This is not possible with traditional veneers – once the tooth has been altered to accept the thicker veneer, it cannot be reversed.

Are you a suitable candidate for Lumineer prep-less veneers? Because prep-less veneers are very thin, their ability to cover stains is reduced. If you have very dark stains, then prep-less veneers may not hide them – the end result could be quite poor. Ideally, a candidate will have straight teeth with a slight under-bite. Those with an over-bite will notice the addition of even the thinnest veneer so they are not good candidates for the procedure. If you’re interested in the benefits of a veneer, talk to your dentist. They will assess your suitability for a prep-less or traditional veneer.

Modern veneers come in a range of formats. The most common is a veneer that is created by a technician in a laboratory. To create one of these veneers, your dentist needs to prepare the tooth and then take a cast. The technician uses this cast to create your customized veneer. The problem with these veneers is the time taken to create them, and the fact you need two or more visits to complete the procedure.

Prep-less veneers are the newest form of veneer. These are not created in a laboratory. They are created by the dentist in his office. Rather than extensive preparation of the tooth, these veneers are extremely thin and can be applied to your teeth with minimal preparation. The downside to prep-less veneers is that they are suitable for all people.

Are you suitable for prep-less veneers? Your dentist is the only person who can really make this judgment. As a general guide, if your teeth are not darkly stained and the tooth itself is in reasonable condition, then you may well be suitable. If your tooth has deep dark stains, then those stains may show through the veneer, even after treatment to try and lighten those stains.

If you are not suitable for prep-less veneers, you will most likely still be suitable for the more tradition customized veneers. Either way, talk to your dentist first – they will give you the best advice when it comes veneers and prep-less veneers.

The benefit of an older veneer is that it is marginally thicker and can cover deeper stains. The newest form of veneer is what is known as a prep-less veneer. This can be fitted in one sitting as they are milled in the dentist’s rooms, unlike traditional veneers that are often created off-site by a dental technician.

Prep-less veneers are thinner than the older form of veneer so they can be placed over the top of existing teeth with minimal preparation. These veneers can also be removed at a later date if required. Traditional veneers require the reshaping of a tooth, which means you will need to have veneers for the rest of that tooth’s life.

Veneers, either traditional or prep-less, can bring an instant shine back to your teeth and are ideal for people who have teeth that have yellowed over the years. Your teeth are cleaned and stains removed where possible before fitting a veneer. Veneers also help to even out your teeth, creating a straight-edged look to your front teeth when you smile.

If you are looking for a quick way to restore your teeth, and they are not too badly stained, then prep-less veneers could be the answer. Talk to your dentist about them as an option.

Veneers have several uses in dentistry. The most common is to provide a new face to a tooth to cover scratches and small chips, and to hide wear and tear. Veneers can also be used to cover badly stained teeth. There are two separate ways to have a veneer applied, either using an ultra thin veneer in a single visit application, or using a more traditional veneer that requires several visits to the dentist. Each method has its pros and cons and the application will depend largely on the current state of your teeth.

Porcelain can be translucent, especially when using ultra-thin veneers. If your teeth are very badly stained, then that staining may show through the veneer. If your teeth are still in reasonably good condition, then an ultra-thin veneer can be applied to the surface of your teeth with few problems.

If an ultra-thin veneer is not suitable, then you have the option of a traditional veneer. This requires your dentist to remove a portion of the outside of the tooth to make it slightly smaller. A cast is made of your tooth and porcelain veneer made specifically for that tooth. Once complete, the veneer is glued onto your tooth. Although they require more work, traditional porcelain veneers can be longer lasting and can deliver better results.

For anyone looking to revitalize their teeth, veneers may be an option. They will certainly bring back a brilliant shine and color to your teeth while making them stronger.