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Both veneers and Lumineers are made of porcelain.
Dr. Doshi will examine your teeth to determine if porcelain veneers are a good solution to your cosmetic issues and x-rays will be taken to rule out oral health problems.
An enameloplasty procedure needs to be performed to prepare the teeth for veneers in Fairfax. After numbing your mouth with an anesthetic, we will use a dental drill to file down your tooth enamel by .5 mm (the proportional thickness of the veneers).
After we've prepared your teeth, impressions or digital scans will be taken and sent to the dental lab in charge of fabricating your custom-made porcelain veneers.
Dental veneer fabrication can take weeks, and since your enamel is much thinner, you will need to wear temporary veneers, which will be placed over your teeth during this appointment. They will be removed once your official veneers are ready.
Once fabrication is complete, you will be called back to our Fairfax office so we can check that you're satisfied with the appearance, size, and shape of the veneers. Then, we will bond them to your teeth.
If you have discolored teeth that are yellow, gray, have white spots, or other darker discoloration from smoking, wearing away of the enamel, or overconsumption of staining foods and drinks, veneers can give you a permanently white smile that you don't need to return to the dentist every 6 months to 3 years to touch up, unlike temporary teeth whitening.
Minor orthodontic problems like small gaps and slightly crooked or misaligned teeth can be corrected without ever undergoing orthodontic treatment. Veneers from our Fairfax practice can cover spaces between the teeth and create the illusion of a perfectly straight smile.
Lots of people don't necessarily have any damage, discoloration, or orthodontic problems with their teeth, but they're still unhappy with their appearance. This may be because you're unhappy with the length, shape, or size of the teeth.
If teeth are awkwardly shaped, sharp, too round, small, or asymmetrical, veneers can allow you to create the perfect shape and size that you're looking for.
Veneers can cover up unaesthetic chips and cracks in the teeth as well as enamel erosion from dental trauma, teeth grinding, or overconsumption of acidic foods and drinks. Veneers can also protect and strengthen teeth with minor damage without the use of dental bonding which has a much shorter lifespan or dental crowns which are necessary for severe damage. Dental veneers are also an emergency dental care option.
Another type of veneer that is less commonly used is composite veneers, which are made out of composite resin instead of porcelain.
Veneers themselves are temporary because they don't last forever. The lifespan of veneers is 10 to 15 years, after which they need to be replaced. However, in preparation for veneers, our Fairfax team removes a small amount of natural tooth enamel which never comes back and this is what makes the veneer procedure permanent and requires continual replacement of veneers throughout the patient's life.
You can think of Lumineers as ultra-thin reversible veneers. The thickness of a Lumineer is .2 mm instead of .5 mm, which enables us to bond them to your teeth without removing any of your tooth enamel.
This means that you can decide to remove them later on without any issues with your natural teeth. However, since Lumineers are much thinner, they're also more transparent. Lumineers are not as effective as veneers for covering severe staining and discoloration.
No. This is because veneers are made from an artificial ceramic material. This porcelain ceramic material looks and feels just like natural enamel. However, it’s inorganic and non-porous. This means that the chemicals used to whiten teeth and remove stains will not work on veneers.
However, there’s an upside to this. While teeth whitening chemicals don’t work on veneers, they also cannot be stained by wine, coffee, tea, or anything else. Your new veneers will remain bright, white, and beautiful for years to come, and will not fade or stain.
If you are thinking about whitening your teeth, it’s usually a good idea to get teeth whitening before you get veneers from Healthy Smiles Dentistry. This way, Dr. Ridhi Shah can match your veneers to your newly-whitened smile. This ensures that you’ll have an even, bright, and beautiful smile after your veneers are placed at our office.
This mostly depends on how well you care for your veneers and your natural teeth. It’s pretty common for veneers to last at least 10-20 years, so your new smile from Healthy Smiles Dentistry will be truly built to last.
Veneers last longer than most other types of cosmetic dentistry, too. For example, dental bonding usually only lasts between 7-10 years. So while veneers may be a bit more expensive up front, they are worth the investment.
Your veneers will wear out eventually, though, even with proper care. If your veneer ever cracks, breaks, or fails, Dr. Ridhi Shah can replace it quickly and easily, and restore your smile. This is one of the reasons why it’s so important to come to Healthy Smiles Dentistry every six months for a checkup. During this time, Dr. Shah can check on the health of your natural teeth and on the integrity of your veneers, too.
For the most part, you’ll care for your veneers just like you would care for your natural teeth. You’ll need to brush at least twice a day, floss once per day, and see Dr. Shah for a checkup every six months at Healthy Smiles Dentistry. You should eat a healthy diet that’s low in sugar, and avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits like smoking, which can shorten the life of your veneers.
You also should consider getting a night guard if you grind your teeth at night. Teeth grinding can put a lot of strain on your veneers and your teeth. Over time, this can cause premature veneer failure as well as oral health issues. Night guards cushion and protect your teeth, and prevent damage from teeth grinding (bruxism).
Similarly, we also recommend avoiding biting into extremely hard foods like apples and carrots with your veneers, since this could damage them. Do not chew non-food objects like pens or pencils, and don’t use your teeth to rip tape, open packages, or for other such purposes. Using your teeth as tools could damage your veneers and your natural teeth, too.
If you grind your teeth, you are not a good candidate for veneers unless you wear a mouthguard to sleep every night.
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