The Beginning of Your Smile Journey Starts at Belterra Dental
Porcelain veneers are a possible answer to help achieve the smile you desire. Veneers are a popular choice for patients with misshapen or gapped teeth. It is imperative that if you choose to undergo treatment to receive porcelain veneers, you have a strong and competent dental team taking care of you.
But what are veneers? You may have seen Tiktok videos showcasing people’s journey to get veneers done in various locations, shaving teeth down, and leaving a dazzling white finish. Veneers have become a bit of a trend recently among our younger audience, but what is the process, and are you a good candidate?
Porcelain veneers are thin shells that are custom-made to fit on the tooth. If you have a mouth full of chipped teeth, missing teeth, or broken teeth, veneers could be a great option for you in restoring your smile to its former glory. Our doctors have had no issues in creating stunning before and afters.
Veneers are a simple option used to correct a wide range of dental issues such as:
- Stained teeth that can’t be whitened by bleaching
- Worn down or chipped teeth
- Crooked or misshapen teeth
- Uneven or gapped teeth
Porcelain veneers are a simple fix to all of these problems. Being a shell that is custom-made to fit your tooth, our dentists can design the perfect smile you have always wanted. We offer free consultations with our doctors that allow patients to take a 3-D tour of their mouth, see areas of improvement, and have treatment planned out for them in one appointment.
Benefits of porcelain veneers:
- Strong and long-lasting (up to 10 years or more)
- Natural-looking surface with custom shading
- Less tooth enamel is removed than with a crown
- Custom tooth shading is done before the final placement
- Do not stain easily
Porcelain veneers are strong and extremely durable and can even be more durable than the enamel in your teeth! With proper dental care, maintaining your cleanings, and exams with our dentist, your veneers could even last up to 20 years. You must maintain regular maintenance with our dentist after getting veneers. Remember, you don’t want to work so hard to achieve a beautiful smile and face other issues in your mouth.
Porcelain veneers can be a great option for patients that have had large amounts of cosmetic or structural damage done to their teeth. This treatment option allows patients to recapture the lifestyle they made have had before any damage was done. Our dentists are proud to be able to take our patients on a smile journey of a lifetime.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How long do porcelain veneers last?
- Are porcelain veneers permanent?
- Porcelain or composite veneers?
Our Answers (or read on for more information):
- Veneers can last anywhere between 10-20 years (or longer depending on the level of care)
- Veneers are permanent, once you undergo the procedure, you will have the veneers for life
- Composite veneers can be a more inexpensive option in comparison to the veneers we offer at our office, but not as strong or beneficial
Correcting Your Bite with Invisalign:
“What if I don’t like the alignment of my teeth?” Our dentists are Platinum Invisalign providers, having done hundreds of cases, they are prepared for any situation regarding the alignment of teeth. Before getting your veneers done, our dentists can get you started on an Invisalign journey to adjust any potential issues with your bite that can allow you to have the most customized smile you could want.
Invisalign is a short 6-12 month process that involves multiple office visits with our doctors, quick and painless intraoral scanning, and a clear approach to adjusting your bite. With Invisalign, you can adjust your bite from anywhere, without having to worry about the same traditional issues as braces. While undergoing Invisalign treatment, you can take your trays out when you eat food or visit local Austin eateries.
Invisalign is one of the most effective and simple ways to straighten your teeth and curate a healthier bite; a highly customizable process that will go hand in hand with your veneer treatment plan. Even if you have small changes you’d like to make prior to your veneer treatment, Invisalign can take care of them! Some Invisalign journeys can wrap up in as little as 6 months, making your smile transformation time brief, and easy. All of our Invisalign consults are free, quick, and simple with our Platinum Invisalign providers! Watch your smile transform in real-time to see if there are additional changes you may want to make with Invisalign!
If straightening your smile with Invisalign is the route you decide to undergo; veneers will follow shortly after you complete treatment. So what’s the process of placing your veneers in your mouth?
Placing porcelain veneers at our conveniently located Austin Dental office is simple:
- Prepping the tooth
- Taking the shade of your tooth
- Taking an impression or scan
- Placing temporary veneers
- Checking the fit before cementation
- Bonding the veneer
- Wrap-up
Prepping the Tooth
When prepping your teeth for veneer treatment, our dentists will shave the enamel down on your selected teeth. This shaving is done so the veneer has an adequate thickness that will match the thickness of your tooth before the shaving is done.
- While performing the shaving, our dentist will continuously monitor the maximum amount of enamel that can be removed and stay within the necessary limits.
- If your tooth has decay, our dentists will shave more extensively in those areas to remove it.
- Our dentists will prepare the teeth in a way that aligns with the ideal smile you are looking for
- The goal will be to limit the depth of the shaving to just the tooth’s enamel layer
- The amount of shaving being done will vary on a case-by-case basis, but it can typically be about .5 to .7 millimeters
Taking the Shade
Our dentists will use a shade guide to match the veneers to the adjacent teeth so the shade is naturally occurring. If our dentists are performing a complete smile makeover, this part of the process will be as simple as picking what shade you want your teeth to be!
If you would prefer a more in-depth shade selection experience, our front desk team can get you an appointment at our local Austin dental lab and get hands-on shade matching. When choosing the smile of your dreams, having full customizability is imperative to the process and having an enjoyable experience.
Taking the Impression
Once the shaving has been completed, our dentists will then take an impression, or scan of your teeth and surrounding gums. This creates an effective copy of your mouth that will allow our dental lab to fabricate your veneers.
- Depending on the case, our dentists will either take your impression using putty/paste typically known as a blue bite
- This simple, thick goo, is loaded into a tray that is squished over your prepared teeth. This paste will sit in your mouth for a few minutes until it sets.
- Once the paste sets, the impression will be sent to a local, Austin Texas, dental laboratory to fabricate your veneers. This process should take 1-2 weeks
Placing Temporary Veneers
After we have prepared your tooth for veneers and taken an impression, our dentists will place temporary veneers to protect your teeth and maintain a normal appearance as we wait for the lab-fabricated veneers.
A mold of your teeth is typically created that will be placed over the teeth being treated for veneers. These temporary veneers will be secure enough to protect your teeth and also be removable when your lab-fabricated ones arrive.
Pre-cementation Evaluation
Congratulations! At this point, our experienced dental team is ready to bond your porcelain veneers to your teeth! Our dentists will remove your temporary veneers and get you prepped for your permanent veneers.
Our dentists will first evaluate how your veneers seat on your teeth. Our dentists will first set it in place, inspect it, remove it and trim it until we have reached an optimal result. If you feel like your veneers look off, our dentist can trim them as necessary via shortening, squaring, or rounding.
Our dentists are completely ready to give you the smile of your dreams, so now’s the perfect time to work on completing that. You can expect a private dental experience at our office when placing veneers on your teeth. Our dentists will typically get you into the office on a day when no other patients are being seen so we can focus on your smile! You’ll be our main priority that day, so you have nothing to worry about
Bonding the Veneer
Once you and our dentist have concluded that the shape and shade of the veneer are perfect for you, your veneer can be bonded into place. Our dentist will wash and polish your teeth so it’s clean and ready for your veneers to be placed.
Our dentists will then cement the veneers into place, using a curing light that activates a catalyst in the bonding agent and cement. After the veneer is placed, our dentists will remove any excess cement and send you on your way with specific care instructions.
It’s that simple, veneers don’t have to be scary, and can be done in a relatively quick amount of time. Our dentists are extremely experienced and would love to offer a free smile makeover consultation to all of Austin & Dripping Springs inhabitants! After your smile makeover consultation, you will have a chance to meet with our talented front desk team to discuss any finances and how long the process will take.
Don’t worry, you’re in great hands, Belterra Dental has had the pleasure of bringing over 200 smile transformations to life. We hope you book a free consult soon!