What are dental veneers?
Sometimes called dental laminates, dental veneers are thin, artificial extensions of the front of your teeth made to fill in small gaps or cover chips.
Dr. Palmieri frequently prescribes porcelain veneers since they mirror the stain-resistance, translucency, and coloring of your natural teeth.
However, he recommends thinner resin veneers whenever keeping as much natural bone as possible is more important to you than optimizing cosmetic appeal.
What are the benefits of dental veneers?
Dr. Palmieri recommends dental veneers to many men and women because the treatment:
- Closes small spaces between your teeth
- Corrects minor bite alignment issues fast
- Fixes misshapen teeth
- Increases the size of small teeth
- Lengthens short teeth
- Hides chips
- Covers stains
How do veneers work?
Upon prescribing dental veneers, Dr. Palmieri applies a local anesthesia to the treatment area, waits for you to confirm its numbing effect, then drills a sufficient amount of tooth enamel to make room for your new covering.
Dr. Palmieri then uses a digital scan or dental putty to make a mold of all the teeth he's treating.
Next, a lab uses that impression to cast your custom veneers, though occasionally Dr. Palmieri recommends a test set if the gaps in your teeth are significant or if your teeth are abnormally shaped.
With or without a temporary set, he makes adjustments for fit, function, and cosmetic looks before putting the finishing touches on your veneers.
Dr. Palmieri makes tiny scrapes on your treated teeth to help strengthen the bonding between the resin or porcelain, your natural enamel, and the dental cement. Before a final cleaning, he beams a special light at your veneers to cure the bond and finish.
Do veneer treatments hurt?
Most men and women don’t feel a high level of pain during veneer treatments because the service is simpler than many other restorative procedures.
Once the anesthesia wears off, you may experience some discomfort, but it’s only temporary, and then you won’t feel your veneers at all (unlike with most orthodontic appliances).
How long do dental veneers last?
The average lifespan of veneers is roughly a decade. Resin veneers don’t usually last as long as porcelain veneers, though much of it depends on your brushing, flossing, and other oral care habits.
Dr. Palmieri provides plenty of advice for keeping your veneers clean and strong for as long as possible.
If you’re eager to learn if dental veneers are the treatment you need to restore your smile, call or book an appointment online now.
