How Porcelain Veneers are Crafted

On your initial visit to the veneer dentist, a very thin layer of enamel is removed from your teeth. This is less than the thickness of a nail. The dentist then takes impressions to create a mold for your permanent veneer. A temporary restoration will be placed on your teeth.

Your dentist will place the veneer on your tooth to examine its fit and color, repeatedly removing and trimming the veneer to achieve the proper fit, before permanently gluing it to your tooth. The color of the veneer can be adjusted to the shade of the cement to be used. To prepare the tooth for receiving the veneer, the tooth will be cleaned, polished and etched. The engraving hardens the tooth to allow a strong adhesion process.

A special cement is applied to the veneer and then placed on the tooth. Once the veneer is positioned correctly, your dentist will shine a special beam of light on it to activate the chemicals in the cement, causing it to harden very quickly. The final steps consist of removing any excess cement, checking the bite and making necessary adjustments. Your dentist may ask you to come back for a follow-up visit in a couple of weeks to check your gums and veneer placement.

Some dentists start by grinding their teeth and then make an impression of their teeth to create a mold. They will then send the mold to a laboratory for the porcelain veneer to be made. These include options such as Lumineers and Vivaneers, which are specific marks of porcelain veneers. They take less time and are less invasive to apply.

When Patients Visit Mark Babbitt, DDS Inc., Veneers will match the size, shape, and color of your teeth, taking a week or more to create. To place dental veneers, we will first prepare your tooth by removing a part of the enamel. This helps the veneer lie flat and in line with the gum tissue. After preparing the tooth, we will secure a temporary veneer with removable glue.

While wearing a temporary veneer, it's important to brush your teeth gently and avoid eating any foods that might push them out of place. Since it is secured with removable glue, it can be moved quite easily. When your permanent veneers are ready, you will return to our Ventura dental office so we can remove the temporary veneers and make sure the new veneer fits perfectly. It is usually adhered with a water-based solution to see what it looks like.

If any adjustments need to be made, it will be made at this time. Otherwise, the tooth will be cleaned and the dental veneer will be attached to the tooth. Patients will enjoy what the results look like; they are instant and you can start showing your smile right away.

Dental Veneers

work by covering existing teeth with a thin layer of porcelain or similar composite material or composite resin.

The idea behind placing porcelain veneers is that teeth in the mouth are shaved around the thickness of the veneers. After shaving the teeth, the veneers are joined, glued and placed. The dentist performing the veneer placement will be careful with how much enamel is removed from the tooth prior to placement so as not to damage it. In addition, if any tooth has a particularly high amount of damage or decay, further trimming may be necessary in order for the veneer to fit correctly.

If there are composite fillings on any of the teeth where the veneer is to be placed, they can be placed over them but it is best to remove and redo them so that they fit correctly; statistical findings show that if done within two weeks after new composite filling is made, then adhesion is better for fitting purposes. The veneers are placed on teeth and trimmed so that other veneers touch and leave no gaps with other teeth; some dentists wrap them around back so that they cover more area while others make cuts; there is nothing right or wrong here as it depends entirely on dentist performing procedure. However, if wrapped around back then teething edge of tooth must be trimmed shorter otherwise there will be noticeable difference which may seem strange; since teeth are lightly sanded or ground for adhesion purposes removing them affects look and feel of teeth if new set not installed; if not enthusiastic about overall look of teeth and smile then consider getting veneers; research all options before applying them as they are essentially permanent and can be big investment; after all you use your teeth every day and look has major effect on overall appearance even confidence in same in general.