Enhance Your Smile
A damaged or imperfect smile can affect how you view yourself, taking a toll on your self-confidence and impacting your social life. Fortunately, at Spaulding Dentistry, we offer an easy, non-invasive solution with porcelain veneers.
This cosmetic treatment can conceal imperfections in any smile, including chipped, cracked, or discolored teeth. In as little as two appointments, you can achieve the dream smile you deserve with porcelain veneers. To learn more about this quick and painless cosmetic procedure, read our guide below.
What Are Porcelain Veneers?
Porcelain veneers are a great solution for minor smile corrections. They’re ultra-thin shells made of durable, tooth-colored porcelain designed to cover the front surface of teeth to improve their overall appearance. The veneers are customized to match the color of your existing smile for a seamless blend.
Veneers can alter and amend the size, shape, color, and alignment of your teeth to create your perfect smile. The shells bond directly to the surface of your teeth, creating a long-lasting, flawless smile. Under the care of an expert dentist like Dr. Spaulding, your veneers can provide you with the confidence of a beautiful smile for over a decade.
Benefits of Porcelain Veneers
There are multiple reasons why patients opt for porcelain veneers. Many patients report that the confidence boost you get from being with friends and feeling comfortable smiling is enough to validate their decision. Veneers also have numerous other advantages, such as:
- Quick, painless treatment
- A minimally invasive procedure
- Durable and long-lasting
- Can last up to 15 years with proper care
- Made of stainless material, offering permanent teeth whitening
Porcelain veneers are a worthwhile investment that will enhance your confidence for years to come, and we’re proud to offer a smile solution with such positive benefits.
Are Porcelain Veneers Right For Me?
Porcelain veneers are used to treat various dental issues and help cover or correct many cosmetic smile imperfections. Veneers may be the ideal treatment solution for you if your teeth are:
- Discolored, stained, or yellowed
- Spaced or gapped
- Cracked, chipped, or broken
- Worn-down
- Misaligned or crooked
- Uneven size or shape
Placing Your Porcelain Veneers
Receiving your custom-made veneers typically requires just two visits to our Decatur office, with little to no anesthesia. The procedure is minimally invasive and generally pain-free.
The first step is meeting with Dr. Spaulding to explain what you’d like to improve about your smile. Together, we’ll determine if dental veneers are the right treatment option to achieve your smile goals. This is also a great time to raise any concerns or ask questions you may have about the process. Dr. Spaulding and our expert team will then examine your oral health and color match your veneers to your natural smile.
Next, we’ll proceed by removing a small amount of tooth enamel to ensure your veneers will fit comfortably. We’ll apply a local anesthetic to the treatment area to ensure you experience no discomfort. Dr. Spaulding will take high-quality impressions of your teeth and send them to our dental laboratory, where your veneers will be crafted. This process can take a few days, so we’ll provide you with a set of temporary dental veneers until your permanent, custom-made veneers are finished.
When your veneers are ready, you’ll return to our Decatur office for a final appointment. We’ll remove your temporary veneers, clean your teeth, and bond your permanent veneers directly to the surface of your tooth. After both you and Dr. Spaulding are satisfied with the look, feel, and function of your veneers, you’ll be ready to show off your beautiful, natural-looking new smile.
Caring for Your New Porcelain Veneers
Proper care of your veneers is similar to caring for your natural teeth. This means gentle brushing at least twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush and flossing daily. Proper oral hygiene will prevent dental plaque from developing and maintain the health of your teeth and gums. We also recommend scheduling regular checkups at Dr. Spaulding’s office, as deep cleanings by professionals are important for preserving your veneers and your overall oral health.
Keep in mind that while dental veneers are very durable, they‘re not impossible to break or damage. Avoid using your teeth as tools or biting into very hard, sticky foods like candy apples. This will help you protect your investment for years to come.
Porcelain Veneers FAQ
Porcelain veneers can enhance your smile in many ways. Typically, they correct chipped, cracked, discolored, or misaligned teeth. Since the veneers are thin porcelain shells that bond permanently to the front surfaces of your teeth, they can conceal many imperfections with little dental work.
On average, porcelain veneers last up to 15 years. This will depend on how well you care for your teeth.
While you may experience some discomfort during the process, getting porcelain veneers should not be painful. Dr. Spaulding will numb the area before beginning so you will not feel pain. You may feel some discomfort in the days that follow your procedure, but this can be managed with over-the-counter pain medication.
A dental crown covers your tooth like a cap. A veneer is a thin shell that is applied to the front of your tooth, with less damage to the tooth tissues.
You can, but if you grind your teeth, please let Dr. Spaulding know so that we can order you a custom mouth guard to protect your veneers from damage.